Trip to Utah & Arizona in May

[chris jordan]

Start at arches and shoot delicate arch right at sunrise, facing east, 90mm lens, 1/4th at f/32; then head out because there's nothing else at arches worth shooting; go to canyonlands and shoot the needles overlook with a 65mm, f/22 at a 30th, put the big needle on the left side of the frame with that twisty old tree in the foreground; then on to bryce (unless it's cloudy, in which case don't bother, there's nothing there worth shooting on a cloudy day); a day in zion (you can shoot all of Zion on a day, easy), then hit kodachrome basin for the shot of the big rock structure on the right; shoot it from the parking lot with your 210, f/16 at a 60th, make sure the parking sign is cropped out of the picture so it looks pristine and natural, and then head for california, stopping along the highway to photograph abandoned gas stations and arty-looking 50's-style diners.

[abiggs]

Ok, Chris. Good joke.

Maybe I didn't clarify my request enough. I am definitely *not* looking for the golden Kodak feet and tripod holes in the ground for this trip. Since I have not spent more than a drive-thru day in Utah, I want to take advantage of my time spent there this May.

I think I can figure out where to put my tripod legs, but I am not sure....

:-)

Andy

[chris jordan]

ha! hi Andy, glad to see you have a sense of humor. my REAL advice (which may or may not be worth two cents, definitely not three) would be to leave your camera at home, go to those gorgeous national parks and connect with the silence within yourself, return home with a deeper knowledge of what you love and care about, and photograph THAT, whatever it is.

good luck in your travels,

~chris jordan (Seattle)

www.chrisjordanphoto.com

[Chad Jarvis]

My wife and I did the same trip in May, 2000. We did a Four Corners circuit type of thing, and I learned that Arches and Canyonlands can be the windiest places on Earth in May. Take several cans of compressed air with you to blow out your film holders every time you change film. If you don't, you will regret it. Count on EXTREME weather. We hit a low of 8 degrees in early May in Bryce Canyon and 117 in Roswell, NM (had to!) at the end of May. We hit snow several times during the drive and experienced three seasons in a matter of days. The highlight of the trip for me was Arches (under-utilized, which makes it nice). The lowlight was Grand Canyon (overhyped and over- utilized). We also hit Zion (the Desert Pearl Inn is an outstanding Hotel in Springdale), Bryce Canyon (stay at Ruby's; it's the only place worthwhile within 30 minutes), Capitol Reef (this is a drive- thru, but very under-untilized), Mesa Verde (half the place was burnt to a cinder when I was there), Escalante Grand Staircase (not to be missed), Lake Powell/Glen Canyon Rec Area, Monument Valley (mind- blowing), Coral Pink Sand Dunes (very cool - take color film for this), White Sands (very hot) and Taos/Santa Fe (kinda touristy, but getting that classic shot of San Francisco de Assis made it worthwhile for me).

[Matt_1193]

Chad--- Arches - UNDER-utilized!!?? My God, man! Please stay in California (or whatever mega-lopolis you call home!)

[Chad Jarvis]

Matt: East coast, man - Maryland, specifically. When I was in Arches, it was desolate. There was no one there. Maybe seeing three cars in an hour is a lot in whatever podunk town you call home (sorry, you started it). Compared to Zion, which was bumper-to- bumper, a la Yosemite, Arches was a ghost town. Maybe it was the time of year, maybe the time of week, but I found it to be delightfully quiet. I guess I got lucky.

[Dennis Gazso]

Andy, if your going to be anywhere near the four-corners area,I would greatly suggest hitting the San Juan mountains just northeast of Mesa Verde NP.It's a beautiful area with snow-capped mountains, wild flowers,etc. It'll give you a chance to get a little "green" color too. However, the other suggestions are also great too.

[Noshir Patel]

Re: David Muench, national parks, etc...

There's a reason most of the great nature photos by great nature photographers come from government protected grounds. That's where the cool stuff is and that's where the man made clutter isn't. Plus, for the non-professional photographer, spending the entire trip looking for some hidden back roads gem just isn't practical.

[Matt_1193]

Chad - Yes, man - you got VERY lucky! Yer rite, Dude - I live in a podunk (that's only an insult to people who DON't live in one, BTW) in the Idaho panhandle. I hate the crowds in most Nat. Parks. - there's just too much country out here to photograph where you can do it quietly and in solitude -

[Joe Nagy]

You might try Arizona Hwy 60 between Globe and Show Low. The Apache knew what they were doing when they kept ahold of the Salt Canyon!

Also, Hanksville has a nice German lady that calls her 3br 2ba house a B&B. And Hwy 95 from there South to Mexican Hat is often overshadowed by the Zion/Capital Reef/Grand Escalante/Bryce road but is great nonetheless.

And, if you decide to do a bit of NW New Mexico, take the northern route HWY 96 from 550 to Santa Fe and stop at Lake Abiquiu.

Finally, if you have a real 4wd, more towards Rover than CRV, Clinton designated a big portion of the Arizona Strip as the Parashant NM.

3-4 weeks?? not enough! Have fun, pack water, tread lightly.

PS. Don't miss the striated rocks of the Corkscrew Canyon area around Page AZ either.