A question about potographing Taos Pueblo

<p>I am planning a trip to the dessert SW next month and hope to go to Taos Pueblo. Has any one had experience making photos there. I heard there was a nominal fee for non-pro cameras. Will my Canon 5D2 pass for non pro, or should I take 40D? Any help would be appreciated. Any other must see things in 100-200 mi. area to see? We will be in Sante Fe for sure and maybe head up to Durango,CO and sites in between. Anyone been to Canyon de Chelly?<br>

Thanks in advance, RD</p>

<p>Sounds like a pretty ambitious trip - hope you have lots of time! For Taos Pueblo, the amateur camera fee is $6.00. Fees vary for pros. I think the 5D2 will be fine, as long as you don't take a tripod and a bunch of lenses in with you. That's the kind of gear that screams "Pro!" to the average person. No cameras allowed at any of the religious ceremonies open to the public. You should really contact the people who run pueblo visitation for more details.</p>

<p>Other things nearby: Anasazi cliff dewllings at Bandelier National Monument, near Los Alamos, and several other pueblos in the Santa Fe area.</p>

<p>If you do go to Durango, you should ride the Durango-Silverton railway, which passes through some very scenic country at the edge of the Weminuche Wilderness. Also, Durango is not far from the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings.</p>

<p>If you get the chance, definitely make a trip to Canyon de Chelly. It its own way, it's as beautiful and awesome as the Grand Canyon. There are a lot of great shot possibilities from the canyon rim, but travel down into the canyon requires a Navajo tour guide. One exception is the trail down to the White House Ruins, which is open for in-and-back hiking only.</p>

<p>I'm not sure what <em><strong>potographing</strong></em> is so you might need to check directly with the pueblo:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.taospueblo.com/">http://www.taospueblo.com/</a></p>

<p>In the distant past I've never had a problem using a film camera with a large camera bag to take pictures, after I pay the camera tax at the entrance. I would rather doubt you will be judged by the size of your camera, as long as you use it wisely.</p>

<p>Here are some <a href="http://www.indianpueblo.org/19pueblos/etiquette.html">Etiquette</a> considerations to keep in mind when there.</p>

<p>It sounds like you are planning on driving alot, there's a lot of distance between several of the spots you mention, and there are great places closer to Santa Fe like Bandelier, which was mentioned above worth considering a visit.</p>

 

<p>I visited Taos Pueblo in late 2010 with a Canon 5Dii and 3 L zooms and had no issues at all. You are advised that your photo permit does not cover any commercial uses. To be frank, apart from the church and a couple of the houses I didn't photograph that much there. And neither did I photograph anything else in Taos from memory. Lots of shops and fairly dull restaurants. I did quite like the drive up from Santa Fe along the "High Road to Taos " via Las Trampas. Try not to do it at a weekend or else you risk crowds at some of the better locations. Closer to Taos, I did like the famous church of San Francisco at Ranchos de Taos and the tiny town of Arroyo Seco north of Taos. </p>

<p>Further afield, the Silverton Durango railroad takes pretty much all day to get to Silverton and back. Silverton is great but of course you have no means to do anything but walk round the town itself. I got a few good shots from the train, but we'd booked the (premium) back car which gives you easy photography from standing on the open platform right at the back of the train, both ways. Durango itself isn't terribly interesting and another town where we struggled to eat well. Mesa Verde is pretty good at the right time of day- which in essence means rushing around in the hour before sunset and making sure that you're on the overlook of Cliff Palace the moment they open up the loop road (its locked overnight).</p>

<p>Far closer to Santa Fe and Taos than the Canyon de Chelly is Bisti, which can be great for photography although its not the easiet place to find your way around and you might need a satnav or a compass to find your car if your sense of direction is awry. You have to walk into the Park a mile or so before the good features start. You'll need to do some research before you turn up there. The Canyon de Chelly is altogether easier to navigate but further and whilst its pretty good, its not nearly up to the Grand Canyon for me. <br>

Santa Fe is a kind of sprawling place and its only really the walkable centre that holds much interest. More galleries and gift shops than you're ever going to need- some of them pretty good.</p>

<p>A bit of decent red rock country near the Ghost Ranch on the 84 north of Santa Fe.</p>

<p>Personally though, if I got as far as Durango /Cortez in early October my first instinct would be to keep going north and take a look at the San Juans fo fall colour. Any later than about 10th October though and in most years you'll miss the best,<br>

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<p>Yes, I see now it should read photographing Taos. It's not my spelling that's bad, it's the typing. Thanks again and keep the tips coming. I probably won't get back there ever again. I would hate to miss any places of interest. RD</p>

<p>Chaco Canyon is within range. It's a World Heritage Site, and photography wasn't restricted at all as of 8 years ago.</p>

<p>If you don't do this already, you can use Flickr to assess the photographic potential of pretty much any place on the planet. For example the type of photography avaialable at Chaco, Bisti, Shiprock, Bandelier and Mesa Verde are very different and that's easily visible when looking at just a few pages of photographs on each. Most photographs aren't terribly good, but if you peruse several pages without seeing anything that intrigues you then that's a message. </p>

<p>I did a trip out to stay with a friend for a couple of weeks in Taos. My two favorite parts were taking the lift at the Taos Ski Valley up to the ridge and going down to the Rio Grande where the hot springs are and skinny dipping at night; It's a local thing. The bridge over the Rio Grande on route 64 is pretty interesting.<br>

The train at Durango was nice and better if it's sunny out. My day was overcast but cool and I got a couple shots of the front of the train when it went around a bend. Silverton is more a tourist trap by train. Your alternative is to drive up to Ouray on the Million Dollar Hwy and look around. There's a waterfall in town and it's just beautiful up there. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is up in Montrose which is further on but there's probably better things to see for the drive. Still impressive tho. </p>