Photography Destinations and Adventures
There has been some talk about starting a thread to provide some detail on photography destinations and adventures.
I thought I'd get it started by summarizing my trip to Arizona in early June. I've been to Arizona three times now and each time I have stayed longer. There is simply so much to see. My list of potential stops includes:
- Sedona
- Grand Canyon-South Rim
- Grand Canyon-North Rim
- Havasu Falls
- Monument Valley
- Page
- Crater National Monument
- Plus so much in southern Utah is only a few hours drive away.
On this past trip I was able to stop at three of those locations: Sedona, Grand Canyon South Rim, and Page.
Basic logistics:
- Fly into Phoenix (PHX)
- I rented a car at the airport. A common tip I've heard is to figure out how to rent the car away from the airport to save a significant amount. I haven't done this yet, but this trip I ended up with a reasonably priced car rental by simply checking back several times and each time it was a better deal. I start out at ~$450/5 days and ended up at ~$210.
Camera Gear
- First trip: 7D; Second trip: 5DIII
- First trip: EFS 15-85; Second: EF 24-105, Rokinon 14 f/2.8, and Sigma 35A
- CPL
- 2 stop hard edge Grad ND filter/Cokin Holder
- 3 stop reverse ND filter
Sedona
Sedona is approximately 2 hours north of Phoenix. Easy drive as most of it is interstate. Sedona itself is set within the Coconino National Forest. It is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains with Oak Creek running through. It is known as a "spiritual" center and a location where energy vortex's emanate from the earth. :confused: Something like that. The picture I am trying to paint is that it is a pretty eclectic place that is a mix of tourists there for the red rocks (me) and for the vortexes.
Each time I've been to Sedona, I've found more places I want to go. Red Rock State Park has a great view of Cathedral Rock. Many of the famous photos of Sedona are taken from Red Rock State Park. One of mine:
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/...432b35fc_o.jpgSedona-9268 by kayaker72, on Flickr
In addition to Red Rock State Park, the drive through Oak Creek Canyon is great. Also, I have now done two tours with "Pink Jeep Tours" and would recommend both tours:
"Broken Arrow":
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8450/...d5cacede_o.jpgSedona-9428 by kayaker72, on Flickr
And "Scenic Rim":
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3863/...f1e4c913_o.jpgSmall-7075 by kayaker72, on Flickr
I did both in the late afternoon. I suspect Broken Arrow would be best either in the morning or late afternoon. If I had Scenic Rim to do over, I would go in the early morning.
I also did a balloon tour this last trip with Red Rock Balloons. I would definitely recommend this group over others as they take off much closer to the red rock formations so you have a better chance of getting good photos of the rocks. They also fly two balloons so you can take shots of the other balloon from your own.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2929/...b1f61526_o.jpgSmall-7289 by kayaker72, on Flickr
Sunset from the airport is another popular spot. And, if you are near the airport, there is a really good restaurant called "Mesa Grill." There is a lot of hiking in the Sedona area, and a few Indian/Old West ruins that can be seen as part of a hike or tour. Sedona appears to also change with the seasons. It does occasionally get snow and the monsoon season would provide thunderstorms, intermittent waterfalls, and, I've been told, the red sandstone absorbs the water making it more vibrant. So, in addition to going back to Sedona for additional activities, I can see going back in different seasons for photography.
Grand Canyon-South Rim
I need to spend more time here. I have been at the South Rim twice, both times for about a half a day. But, it is easy to see a lot in a brief amount of time as there are multiple vantage points that you drive too along the South Rim. It seems that the Grand Canyon South rim is either something you do briefly (0.5-1 day) or you invest some time in (multiple day or week hikes into the canyon, whitewater rafting, etc). If I had more time, I would wait to see different light hit the canyon and probably do a few of the day hikes. A 10-14 day whitewater raft tour through the Grand Canyon is on my bucket list.
But, a few shots from this last trip:
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3891/...1e82bbcd_o.jpgSmall-7428 by kayaker72, on Flickr
This was taken from "Desert View"
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3837/...dd4b3699_o.jpgSmall-7514 by kayaker72, on Flickr
Page, AZ
It was actually a photo of Horseshoe Bend by Ben Taylor of TDP that made me realize that Page was a destination. I started looking at where he had taken it and realized that both Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon were within 10 minutes of Page. So, we spent a day in Page during this recent trip. I would recommend two, but we didn't have the time on this trip.
We started by touring Lower Antelope Canyon with Ken's Tours. They did not take reservations, but getting on a tour was easy even for a Saturday morning (5 minute wait). You have to drive to Lower Antelope Canyon to get to Ken's. One issue I ran into; I had planned to do the "Photographer's" tour. It is more expensive, but you get 2 hrs self guided in the canyon. When we got there they informed us that to qualify for the "Photographer's Tour" you needed a dSLR and a tripod PER PERSON. They wouldn't let my wife come along with me and we only had one DSLR and tripod. So I scrapped the Photographer's tour and went on a regular tour. The downside: no tripod allowed, group with ~20 other people, and 1.5 hrs.
A few pictures of Lower Antelope Canyon:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5499/...ab89a4de_o.jpg
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3840/...739108b4_o.jpgSmall-7644 by kayaker72, on Flickr
In retrospect, I suspect I may have been frustrated on the "Photographer" tour. You pay more money, and, from what I saw, they run so many tours through the canyon that you do not get much time, if any, to yourself. If I was doing this again, I would again do the group tour in the morning, but I may come back in the late afternoon for the photographer's tour. They had said that fewer people come through in the afternoon and that the light is best in the mornings and evenings.
I also had a reserved tour of Upper Antelope Canyon. This place was packed with people. While only two tour groups can take you to Lower Antelope Canyon, many go to Upper Antelope (different families own the land). To get there, we used Chief Tsosie's tours. We met in Page and they drove us out in the back of 4x4s. The drive to Upper Antelope includes ~1/4-1/2 mile of deep sand. This is fun, but takes time away from the actual tour. Upper Antelope is probably the place people think of when they think of the Antelope Canyon because of the light beams. The walls are taller than Lower Antelope and less light gets in. Whereas at Lower Antelope I did pretty well with IS on my 24-105, I struggled at Upper Antelope. A tripod would have helped, which is again only allowed in the "Photographer's tour" (or the 16-35 f/4 IS; which has a newer version of IS than the 24-105). I probably lost half my shots in Upper Antelope to blur. But I did get a few keepers:
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3893/...94f2a775_o.jpg by kayaker72, on Flickr
Did I mention people?
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/...5efc37f9_o.jpgSmall-7784 by kayaker72, on Flickr
Because Upper Antelope is more known for light beams, mid-day was recommended. Mornings and afternoons may have been less crowded, but we again did the general tour as we were time limited because we booked a river trip in the afternoon.
I cannot say I would highly recommend the river trip. It was ok. If you have a spare half day, it is better than not doing something. But it was very hot and the river was very cold (water comes out of bottom of Lake Powell so it is ~45 F), chillingly cold, not "refreshing." The boats had no shade. But it is pretty. I'll try to upload photos later. I didn't put any on flickr.
Finally in Page is Horseshoe Bend, about 5 miles to the west. I tried to time everything so I would get there at sunset. It is a short hike, but there is a hill that I heard several people complaining about. It isn't too high and the path is great. But, if you don't do hikes, you may not like it. But, overall, well worth it, IMO.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/...2b2cbe63_o.jpgSmall-8114 by kayaker72, on Flickr
If I had Page to do over, and if my wife would agree, I would spend about two days including:
- Multiple trips to Antelope Canyons at different times of the day.
- A river trip on Lake Powell, maybe up to Rainbow Bridge.
- Multiple trips to Horseshoe Bend, again, capturing different light.
Page itself is a bit of a dry desert town. It is nice enough with reasonable hotels and a few places to eat, but not like a typical tourist destination.
For this trip, we were in Sedona for 2.5 days. Most of that time was relaxing. Then we drove to Grand Canyon and spent 1/2 day there. Then we spent a day in Page and flew out the next day. I could easily spend more time in each location. I will say we ran into a family in Page that was there for 3-4 days and really seemed to be regretting it. So, plan wisely.
Most of these photos I have already posted. I'll work on getting in a few new shots.
I would highly recommend this trip. It is one of those locations where you can take a lot of photos and the rest of the family is entertained as well.
Thanks,
Brant
