Arizona Field Trip, any tips from experienced shooters?

I'm going on a field trip in Arizona for a geology course in

April/May. My interest in photography lies mostly in flora, fauna,

landscapes and people. Here is my itinery:

 

April 18� 20

� Camp in Tuscon area TBA (south central Arizona)

� Saguaro National Park

� Kartchner Cavern State Park

� Lavender Open Pit Copper Mine, Bisbee

� Tombstone

� Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

 

April 21-23

� Camp in Show Low area TBA (central easternmost Arizona)

� Petrified Forest/Painted Desert

� Meteor Crater

- Hopi Buttes maars

 

April 24-26

� Canyon De Chelly (Cottonwood Campground) NE Arizona

� Monument Valley

� Navajo National Monument

 

April 27-29

� Grand Canyon (Mather Campground) North Central Arizona

� Grand Canyon

Bright Angel Trail Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Rim Tour

� Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

� San Francisco Peaks Volcano Field

� Merriam and Sheba Craters

 

April 30 - May 2

� Havasu State Park (central western border of Arizona)

� Hoover Dam National Historic Landmark

� Kingman, Arizona, Heart of historic route 66

- Peach Springs Tuff, Hurricane Fault

� Lake Mead

 

 

Presently I have a Canon Elan 7 with a 50/1.8. I am basically seeking

tips, advice or anything I should pay attention to from people that

have been in those areas. Types of films and such can also be useful

I guess. I am considering buying a new lense and this trip should

affect my decision. The debate is probably between the EF 20-35mm

f/3.5-4.5 USM, the EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 USM and the EF 70-200mm f/4L

USM but the first two seem to be the obvious candidate when thinking

about this trip. Any feedback is very much appreciated! Thanks.

Lens selection is a matter of personal preference - whether you are more drawn to grand scenes or intimate studies. After many years of experimenting, I find myself most productive in the normal to short telephoto range.

<br><br>

Some things you may want to consider:

<ul>

<li>Stable tripod and QR head/plate. Regardless of the situation - you will almost always get better images from a tripod, if only for the fact that it makes you pause and think about composition.</li?

<li>A polarizer filter for hazy days or enhanced color</li>

<li>A Cokin filter holder and adapter ring for your lens (I recommend the P series in case you need the extra coverage with other lenses in the future) with the following filters:<ul>

<li>2 or 3 stop graduated neutral density (I recommend the Tiffen or Singh-Ray line rather than the Cokins)</li>

<li>Warming filter - 81A and/or 81B (I use the latter more)</li>

</ul>

</ul>

Fuji Provia is a great all-around film if you want to shoot chromes. Velvia may or may not be to your liking - people either love or hate it. I suggest you experiment before buying a large stock.

<br><br>

I hope that's not too basic or general. Couldn't tell from your question where you are currently.

<br><br>

Guy

<br>

<a href="http://scenicwild.com">Scenic Wild</a>

I live in Cochise County in southeast Arizona (Fort Huachuca), the first phase of your trip. A few comments on your itinerary down here, take them or leave them:<p>

 

- Saguaro National Park: a must see. Keep in mind that there are two halves to the park, one east of Tucson (Houghton Road/Old Spanish Trail area), and one west of Tucson (Speedway Boulevard and several other highway exits). If you only have time for one, do the west section and don't miss Signal Hill.

<p>

- Kartchner Cavern State Park: another must see. If you haven't gotten your cave tour tickets yet, call now. (520) 586-CAVE (2283). It is a great tour. I don't want to spoil some of the surprises inside, but one caveat: the cave is very humid and very warm, so check for condensation before you shoot. If your lenses have been stored in an air-conditioned vehicle beforehand and you only take them out in the cave, they will definitely fog up.<p>

 

- Casa Grande ruins? Not much there, and what's there has a big old ugly roof over it. To each his own, but I'd recommend Chiricahua National Monument instead, off US 191 sort of nort-northeast of Bisbee.<p>

 

- Definitely visit Bisbee, but don't expect much from the Lavender pit -- it's basically a big hole in the ground that used to be a mountain. If you want to have a great, 4-course meal for about $20, eat at Cafe Roka -- probably the best eating in southeast Arizona. (520) 432-5153. Should be open Wednesday through Saturday. Lots of great artists in Bisbee; a good chance to pick up some creative works.<p>

 

- Tombstone is very touristy. I mean V E R Y. Personally, I can't stand the place; I'd rather go to Bisbee. When my parents came to visit me last November, we stopped in Tombstone between our Kartchner tour and our visit to Bisbee. Total visit time of less than 2 hours, spent eating lunch at Big Nose Kate's and touring the museum at the courthouse. If touristy things appeal to you, then see the OK Corral, Boot Hill (or the reproduction thereof), and a gunfight on Allen Street, if you must.<p>

 

- You might want to squeeze in a ghost town while you're around. There are quite a few in the area. For maps and directions, check out <a href="http://www.ghosttowns.com">http://www.ghosttowns.com</a> or <a href="http://www.azghosttowns.com">http://www.azghosttowns.com</a>, but be warned,the photos on those sites are terrible. Perhaps I'm biased, but I prefer the ones on my website: <a href="http://cldphoto.com">http://cldphoto.com</a>.<p>

 

If you need any other tips on SE Arizona, let me know.

You DEFINATELY have to shoot a bunch in Bisbee. Very funky town. It sort of grows out of the hills. Hard to describe. The architecture is great there.

 

Tombstone is overly touristy. Good for street shooting, but tiring at times.

 

Saguaro is great for landscapes and VERY good for birds (especially the east side).

 

Since you will be hitting the Painted Desert, I suggest you take a polarizer and if possible an enhancing filter. Both are great for that area.

 

You can leave the camera home though at Meteor Crater. It is surprisingly boring. Geologically it is GREAT. But visually it is....well....a very large hole. Great from the air, not so great in it.

The Painted Desert section of the Petrified Forest NP (the northern bit) is a much underrated location for landscapes. Personally I can take or leave petrified trees, but if the Painted Desert section were to magically move to become accessible from the N Arizona/Utah "circle" it would get ten times the visitors and the pictures would be in all the coffee table books.

 

The thing about the Painted Desert though is that it's a long way from anywhere and the rangers have a nasty habit of closing the park before sunset in case people steal the wood. So it can be hard to get a lengthy period of low light photography in one visit, and it really is much better in a late afternoon low light. There are a lot of overlooks in the northern section. My own favourite is Lacey Point. Blue Mesa, on the south side of the freeway, is also very good. The Tepees, between the two are good in the right light.

Near Page there are the incredible Upper an Lower Antelope Canyons. These are the best known of the slot canyons. It may be a little early in the season to catch sunbeams but should still be good at mid day. A tripod is a must. Entry fees are a little steep but worth it. Also near Page is Horseshoe Bend overlook of the Colorado River. A short hike leads to a breathtaking view of the River over 1000 ft below (be careful).<div></div>

What's the typical gap between calling for reservations for Upper/Lower Antelope and actually getting there? I was under the impression that you had to reserve tours months and months in advance.

I visited Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons a day or two after Memorial Day 2000. I had no reservation, just showed up at the sites(it was probably a week day). The upper canyon requires a 3 mile ride on benches in the back of a pick-up truck. The short walk inside the canyon is flat and easy. Best time is 10am - 2pm. At the lower canyon the "guide" merely points to the entrance. This is a more difficult walk involving climbing ladders, twisting and stooping, but is no problem for most people. Mid morning or afternoon may be better here to avoid direct sunlight into the wider canyon opening. Two Hours at each site was about right for me, but one hour may be enough for quick shooters. A tripod is essential. Avoid metering on the highlights and bracket exposures. The glowing light actually looked more pronounced on film.

Here's a link to the Navajo site. The $6 permit fee was good at both sites on the same day. This site seems to cover only the upper canyon. The lower canyon is on the other side of the highway. http://www.navajotours.com/index.html

First, d**n you, Mark Fescher, for taking a slot canyon photo so much better than mine

Now, Mathieu, I have been shooting in the 4Corners area for the past two falls, and use my (Canon) 28-135 Image Stablized lens almost exclusively, price less than the 70-200L. As advised above, get a good tripod ( I use the Gitzo model with the lateral arm , can't recall the model number, think it's 3021NPro, with a small three way head). Get an extension tube for the 50mm for closeups, and also possibly a close up lens, don't do much of that myself so don't have any opinion on what types/sizes. For filters, get a circulizer polarizer (not a chain house brand), a 1A, and an 81A. Don't get a "haze" filter, as a polarizer will work better. The 1A and 81A are for shooting when you are lit only by the blue sky, not the sun or light reflected off the red rock, to counteract the bluish tint.

A cable release, plenty of Provia or Velvia ( take some of both), and Bob's your ruddy uncle (will any Brits out there please tell me what the #$%&? that means?)

Oh, yeah, be sure to take a good lens brush, maybe two of them, and a cheap shaving brush to clean off the camera body .

You make me homesick. I lived there 5 times and visit every couple years in southern arizona. Spent years in Saguaro National Park.

Tip #1: If shooting sunsets, your best shots will come between 5-15 minutes after sun disappears over horizon. Look and hope for clouds for striking colors. Tip #2: In middle of day out in desert, use ND filters. If the budget allows it, shoot slides and get prints from the slides, otherwise use Fuji Reala for print film. In Tucson, visit Mt. Lemmon in north part of Tucson. Half hour drive up mountain and you can visit Rose Canyon lake up there or Ski resort for a breath-taking view and ski-ride. If you decide to get film processed in town of Tucson, visit Jones Photo store, not just any of their store but they have a Pro store as well that caters to professional equipment. Can't remember their address but are in phonebook. Be careful of abandoned mines if you go off trail in Saguaro park or south of "Old Tucson" movie studio.

Have a blast!!!

Mike<div></div>

A quick one to your lens options:

 

If I had a Canon (which I don't), for general photography I would want the following zooms:

 

- 20-35mm f3.5-4.5

 

- 28-135mm f3.5-5.6

 

- 70-200mm f4

 

 

oh, and a close-up lens for the 70-200mm...!

 

for wildlife "on a budget":

 

- 100-400mm IS or 300mm f4 IS with 1.4x & 2xTC

 

 

I would NOT go for any 28-200mm zoom!