Coming to America, well Arizona to be exact for landscapes

<p>Hi All,</p>

<p> i have been saving my pennies for sometime now and i am planning a trip to the USA to visit the slot canyons in Arizona. Its been a goal for a long time to shoot them.</p>

<p> I'm in the USA for 2 weeks, but i'd like to know if there is anywhere else i should shoot? I understand that Monument Valley is not too far away. i guess that i could shot for 1 week at these canyons, and another week else where.</p>

<p> I'll be in the USA in late July or late August 2010. Undecided yet which month to come in</p>

<p> Any ideas of where i should shoot?</p>

<p> I shoot using a 6x17 fotoman camera. I have a 90mm lens, 180mm lens and a monster 400mm lens. Due to the weight, i'l most likley leave the 400mm at home. THESE ARE LARGE FORMAT LENES, the equlivant to 35mm is approx 24mm, 50mm and 120mm lens (thats just a guess).</p>

<p> I love shooting nature, and am inspired by the likes of Australian Photographers Ken Duncan and Peter Lik. I'm sure you would have heard of Lik, but if you don't know Ken Duncan, do yourself a favor and look him up.</p>

<p> So, with my limited time, where should i go?</p>

<p> Please post some photos of some good locations if possible.</p>

<p> Scott</p>

<p>Scott, you will spend 2 weeks just saying "Wow"! For me the don't miss is Bryce Canyon. Simply stunning. If you can get to that do. Pretty much everything else that way is great, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, the Sierra Nevada for the giant sequoias- all these are in reach if you like driving (and the roads are good and quiet) and all are very photogenic. I did 3200 miles in just over 2 weeks there and loved every second. And if you like Disney for grown ups go to Las Vegas and just walk down the main strip one evening! Have fun.</p>

<p>Well, the obvious choices would be the Grand Canyon, the Red Rocks area of Sedona (starting at the Oak Creek Canyon overlook south of Flagstaff on highway 89A), and the San Francisco Peaks area near Flagstaff. Also, Canyon de Chelly in northeast Arizona is a must.</p>

<p>Not so obvious: Schnebly Hill Road, a very steep, rocky narrow dirt road between Sedona and Munds Park. You'll need a sense of adventure and a high-clearance, 4WD vehicle, but the views are spectacular. They also run Jeep tours up the road from Sedona.</p>

<p>One thing about northern Arizona is that there is something scenic almost everywhere you go, but you often have to get off the main roads to find them. Watch the weather, though. August is "monsoon season" Frequent, heavy thunderstorms are not uncommon and flash floods are a real possibility in many areas.</p>

<p>Here's a shot I took in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona several years ago:</p><div></div>

<p>Take a trip through Utah! Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, even Snow Canyon in St. George.</p>

<p>This website - http://www.desertusa.com/ - has lots of good info. Be prepared for vey hot weather. Good luck.</p>

<p>Sedona, Grand Canyon South Rim, Paige for the slot canyon, Zion, Bryce, Arches near Moab, Utah and Monument Valley would be a nice loop of sites to spend 2 weeks, well actually 2 months would be even better.</p>

<p>Thunderstorms in Monument Valley are great photographic opportunities.</p>

<p>If you can, I'd suggest reconsidering your timings. Summer in Arizona as well as being hot, is flash flood time and you may find that commonsense dictates caution in getting yourself too far into slot canyons at that time of year. Spring and autumn are more temperate, less busy, and safer. </p>

<p>Assuming you are going to Antelope Canyon, you'll be on the border of Arizona and Utah. IMO Monument Valley is worth a couple of days and so is Bryce. Further afield Capitol Reef is considerably underrated and under photographed vs most of the other NP destinations. For a first visit I'd be tempted by a circuit of Monument. Capitol Reef, Bryce and Cedar Breaks (this last can be done in the pm from a base at Bryce where most of the good photography is in the mornings. If you can get a permit for Coyote Buttes, do so, as thats on the circuit described. </p>

<p>I've photographed all the Arizona destinations mentioned and for me they are a less interesting alternative. As a photographer I wouldn't go to the south rim GC unless I stayed close enough to the rim to be there at dawn and dusk. Sedona is attractive, with bright red rocks, but IMO there are not too many really good photographic opportunities there- frankly I'd personally be happy to skip that in favour of Petrified Forest NP, especially the northern painted Desert section, even if it does mean staying in Holbrook!</p>

<p>The idea of incorporating Death Valley or the Sierra Nevada in a trip of two weeks to me doesn't stand up when you have so many things to see that are much, much closer.</p><div></div>

<p>July and August are hot. The high country, like the rims of the Grand Canyon, Bryce, etc., are going to be somewhat more comfortable. In the lower desert areas, like Las Vegas, you could easily be well over 100 degrees F during the day and pushing 90 degrees until well into the evening and night hours. You could potentially get near and maybe over 120 degrees in places like Death Valley. </p>

<p>You'll also get a wide variety of suggestions on what and where to shoot. It's important to consider that while many of these areas are relatively close to each other in the grand scheme of things, driving distances are still much farther than many people think (although some areas, the drives themselves offer a lot to see in the way of grand vistas and photo ops.). Las Vegas is garish and tasteless to some, however, the atmosphere and lighting of the strip and Boulder Dam is worth considering. As is the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Yes, they are touristy, common, lots of people, have somewhat limited great times for picture light, etc., but even if you don't find them worth a lot of picture time, they may well be worth some tourist time. Sometimes people grow too accustomed to their "local" areas and don't look at it as one might if traveling from a long distance with maybe no chance for a return visit.</p>

<p>The big problem, aside from weather and distance, is that there are so many great locations to choose from and many of them can really take up several days or longer just on their own so to some extent, the choice is several days at each of a few places or trying to do a quick survey of even more places. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, unless you are really interested in hammering out the road miles, including the east side of the Sierra and crossing Tioga into Yosemite is a trip of several days on it's own heading west of Vegas. It's do-able but it would mean you'd probably need to be really selective about what you might want to catch east/south of the Grand Canyon. It's about 350 miles/5 hours from Las Vegas to Lee Vining the most direct route and longer if you take routes through Death Valley into the Owens Valley area, then north which would be more scenic but more serious due to the more remote and rugged regions and the heat one could expect. These are good roads but hot and over high, dry mountain passes as well as low desert areas.</p>

<p>That's not to say hitting all or at least many of the high points isn't possible, just that this would require a lot more road time and permit a lot less deliberative photography as well as mean you won't be able to give all of the locations "golden hour" considerations. It also may make a difference if driving alone or with a companion. That can change the dynamics of how far you drive at a time, although you'd probably want to have plenty of water and healthy snacks and take plenty of "rest stops" any ways.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Spend a few days in Page shooting upper and lower Antelope Canyons. Remember that in summer it is crowded in both places. Also the tourists have little patience for those blocking the trail with tripods.</p>

<p>On the way to Antelope in Page,AZ along Route 89. There is a cut off near Cameron,AZ that leads into the Grand Canyon. This road and the G.C. are both worth a few days of your time. Nearby worth a visit are Zion NP, Bryce Cyn, Canyonlands NP, Kodachrome Basin, Grand Staircase, etc, etc. In fact any where you drive in this area you will find startling scenery. Good luck and enjoy the adventure.</p><div></div>

<p>Scott:<br>

Chiricahua National Monument is remarkable and intimate. It is to the south. The drive from Tucson is lovely. April is a much saner time to visit Arizona. Lots more wildflowers too.</p>

<p><img src="http://www.eyeinthetriangle.com/Galleries/Places/2008-Arizona/IGP8759/300922073_g7mPi-M.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://www.eyeinthetriangle.com/Galleries/Places/2008-Arizona/IGP8770/300926142_iPeSq-M.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://www.eyeinthetriangle.com/Galleries/Places/2008-Arizona/IGP8826/300921632_qWnoh-M.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>ME</p>

<p>As many have said already, Zion and Bryce are both don't miss in my book and there are also several slot canyons around Paige other than upper and lower Antelope. Both Antelopes are pretty short, although you can spend quite a bit of time down there. They do get a little miffed at you if you take more than an hour but if you are polite and tell them you will step aside and won't get in anyones way, they won't say too much. You have to remember to bring cash to the Antelopes as they don't take cards. The light can be pretty harsh when it is directly over the canyons so I would recommend mid morning or late afternoon. You could easily spend a week in Zion and still feel like you are missing out. I was there for 9 days last May and wish I could have stayed longer. If you do Zion, plan out where you are going based upon the sun light as again it can be harsh. The Narrows(minimum 8 hour hike (if you do the bottom up and back) in the Virgin river is a must, as is the subway and Angles landing(if you aren't afraid of heights. Check out Joe's guide to Zion on the net, it gives great descriptions as well as several photos of each spot. You really almost can't go wrong with any of the spots listed, it is a beautiful part of the country. I hope you have a great time.</p>

<p>If you go to Zion put the narrow high on your list. Even though the temperature in Zion canyon will be about 100 in July / August the narrow will be cooler since the train is the river. In some place the river extends from cliff to cliff with no dry ground. With constant water there are in places ferns and other water loving plants all over the place. In June there are more flowers that attract humming birds. </p>

<p>However if you are going into a slot canyon check the weather before you go. In the summer they get occational thunderstorms. In a slot canyon you often cannot see the storm or know if it is raining up stream. Flash floods are a real danger. Early June is generally one of the dryer months so the risk of flash floods is lower. However if the nearby mountains get a lot of snow in the winter the narrows may not be open. The park service closes the narrows if water flow is above 125CFS. <br>

I would strongly suggest you use the photo.net search function to get more information on the Zion Narrows and other areas you are interested in. The area is very popular and frequently a topic in this site.</p>

<p>The good news about visiting the slot canyons is that you really don't need to budget a whole week for them. (I assume you're only talking about Antelope lower and upper.) A couple of days should be plenty freeing up at least a few extra days for all the other suggestions in the thread. I don't remember if anyone mentioned Horseshoe Bend, but it's also a famous and worthwhile view just minutes away from the slot canyons.</p>

<p>When I was out in that area this past summer, it was HOT. I flew into Vegas and then drove to Grand Canyon, Bryce, Page, Zion, and Valley of Fire on the way back to Vegas. At one point on the car thermometer I saw 118 degrees (Valley of Fire). So prepare for very hot weather.</p>

<p>Of all those places Bryce Canyon was my favorite for photographs becasue you can easily walk down into it. Zion will be very crowded, as will Grand Canyon that time of year. Page is a good place to spend a couple days, you can go several places easily using that little town as a base. I took a raft trip down the Colorado river from Page, started just below the Glen Canyon dam and got some fantastic photos from the raft (just make sure you bring something to protect the camera from water spray).</p>

<p>Good luck and enjoy!</p>

<p>If you are planning on being here in the summer there are a few things you should be aware of, most of the state will be painfully hot and dry. I would stick to the more temperate high altitude places like Flagstaff, but I'm biased, I live in Flagstaff. There are so many great photo destinations in this region don't get caught up in checking everything off your list, you'll end up spending your whole vacation in the car. Monument valley is not too far and is always worth a visit. Antelope canyon is spectacular, but crowded and frankly way over photographed, there are many other canyons in the region with equally spectacular scenery and I am so sick of seeing the same spot in that canyon photographed by so many people from from the same angle and in the same way. Not to say that you won't love the place, its beautiful. Personally I like waterholes canyon, which is also near Page but perhaps not so easy to carry a large format through. Here's a picture I took there recently. 35mm is easy to carry but I wish I would have gone MF for this one.<br>

<img src="http://www.eliswindow.net/JPEG/Adventure/1.jpg" alt="" width="321" height="500" /></p>

<p>Grand Canyon south rim is a hot dusty crowded mess in august, head for the north rim if you can. It's higher in altitude and therefore not as hot. Really it's better in every way, but again my criticisms arise from haveing been to these places many times. My first visit to the south rim I was blown away by the scenery and hardly noticed the heat and the crowds.<br>

July/August is monsoon season, expect rain and very photogenic thunderstorms.<br>

There's more to Arizona than desert vistas and rocky spires. If you don't mind a bit of hiking places like west clear creek canyon, oak creek canyon(west fork), fossil springs, and havasu canyon feel a bit like paradise with waterfalls and lush forests springing from the desert.<br>

Almost anywhere you drive in Arizona you're near a great vista or a hidden gem, I think the best advice I can give is to travel slow, talk to lots of other photographers and explore a little bit.</p>

<p>thanks all for the respones. It looks a truley beautiful place, but i think i'll take some of your advice and head a a different time. Maybe save some more money again and and come 6 months later and stay for 4-6weeks in the US. Give myself plenty of time at Arizona and then off to some of your other beautiful national parks. If i stay longer i'll have to take a trip to Disney.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that winter in the high country closes out some of the areas that are most comfortable in the summer, some roads are closed, some are temporarily impassible (and quite dangerous) during or after storms. The factor which will most add to your ability to enjoy the area is time. That allows more flexibility in choosing destinations and reduces the impact of distances involved. Winter would allow for Death Valley although it's sometimes possible that there are storms, on the mountain passes, Joshua Tree (almost never get snow there) but closes the north rim of the Grand Canyon and Cedar Breaks and if you were interested in Yosemite, you'd have to circle north through the Tahoe/Donner area or around south via Tehachapi and Bakersfield to enter from the west. Another advantage of the spring/fall seasons besides generally more moderate weather is the reduced number of toruists.</p>