Best photo locations

I am hoping to form a database of " best photo locations" for wildlife , birds and landscapes in US .

I would like responders to indicate their best photo location , some dos and dont's about it and ideal photo conditions

Including best time to visit . Thanks - Anis .

<p>Respectfully disagree. If they are the 'best' then if lots and lots of photogs arrive there, then it's highly doubtful that they remain that way.</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>A 'database'? Do you mean for some specific end like a website or something out in the public domain?</p>

<p>Respectfully, there is no "best".</p>

<p>It's called<br>

<em>National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States</em>, 7th Edition.</p>

<p>And many other similar books on the national and state parks of the US. These are the most accessible places - otherwise you need to go into the wilderness areas with appropriate safeguards (to the environment, not you).</p>

<p>"best" is going to be hard to define. The best location for me over the past two years has been my backyard in northern Virginia, where I've photographed over thirty bird species; herds of deer; woodland rodents from moles to enormously fat groundhogs; snakes and lots of butterflies and insects. Didn't cost me anything except some time and a few cups of coffee. So "best" for me is what's close at hand.</p>

<p>Like the US, New Zealand has some great spots for photography too. I have been down to the famous, Christmas period busy spots with international tourists as well as Autumn. I have read books and sussed their websites out re: local landscape pro's. I have watched their documentaries on TV, been to some of their seminars. You can get to the same location as the pro and I swear that the composition was nearly identical but the pro wins out b/c they go out so often that they get the perfect weather and the shot made. I don't. You can do some similar research with the US, as a foreigner to the US, I think of Galen Rowell. And not to degrade it but many recognised pro's go to developing countries to other inspiration too like India, Laos, China, etc etc .. </p>

<p>I think you'll make more progress if you explain your situation better. It sounds like you are beginning to plan trip to the US and want to develop a list of places you will be considering for destinations. Is this correct?</p>

<p>It would help greatly if you can identify the time of year you expect to travel, or if you haven't decided, please say so. What would be a good destination in one season may not be a good choice in a different season. It would also help to estimate how long you will be here.</p>

<p>You should also describe your preferences for the wildlife you like to shoot - small birds versus large birds, raptor (hunters), large mammals versus small etc. You should also give some hints about the landscapes you hope to shoot - rough mountain vistas, dense forests, etc.</p>

<p>A little info about your camera gear would help, too. That will allow people responding to estimate whether you have the gear needed for shots you want to get.</p>

My apologies for not wording the question adequately . What I meant to ask was one most favorite place ... I agree there

is no best place but every one has a one or few Favorite places , that one either goes to or wishes to go repeatedly or has

derived their most prize pictures from. It could help me and some others to explore such locations for their future pursuits

.

<p>Many such sites are seasonal depending on such things as migrations, foliage blooms and weather cycles.</p>

<p>Ok, Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada, pick your favorite season, it's photogenic in all of them.<br>

Also the road up the mountain (Meadows in the Sky Parkway)in Mount Revelstoke National Park, the wildflowers are fantastic up there for a couple of weeks a year. 3.5 hrs west of Banff, but plan on a whole day for the drive if you are visiting.</p>

 

Thanks Bob . Yes GJD that's what I was hoping for. Ideal time to visit a favorite location .

In answer to BF , I live in Florida and shoot wildlife of all kinds including birds , butterflies and landscapes..

I currently own Canon 7 D and my lens collection includes a 70-200 and 400 5.6.

<p>Did OP google "wildlife photo locations"? Did OP search PN for "wildlife locations"?</p>

<p>The absolute best spot is the one in front of your camera. I have no idea how you go about defining best. I have seen absolutely marvelous images literally thousands of places. Unless your definition is large -- Like Antarctica, or Milford Sound, of the African plains -- which is of little help, there is no really good way to do it. I have loved images I took in the South Pacific, or Alaska or British Columbia or the national parks in the US. It is like defining the best fishing hole - that is the one that has the fish in it on the day you are there!</p>

<p>The absolute best spot is the one in front of your camera. I have no idea how you go about defining best. I have seen absolutely marvelous images literally thousands of places. Unless your definition is large -- Like Antarctica, or Milford Sound, of the African plains -- which is of little help, there is no really good way to do it. I have loved images I took in the South Pacific, or Alaska or British Columbia or the national parks in the US. It is like defining the best fishing hole - that is the one that has the fish in it on the day you are there!</p>

<p>Well... For birds, it's hard to beat the two obvious locations in the Everglades: Shark Valley and the Anhinga Trail. Avoid very dry periods when the water may get low. (One year, early April was fab, another year it was dry and all the birds were gone.)</p>

<p>Very close is Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray FL. I wish you good shooting!</p>

<p>Angkor Wat in Cambodia</p>

<p>Photography has become a crowded interest in the past 25 years. I will never forget some of the scenic areas of the southwest that used to be serene but now have become a mob scene of shooters. Once nice areas have become a photographic cliche' (trampled and ruined). Adding to your database only adds to the stampede. Sorry. </p>

I am disappointed at the kind of responses . I thought the forum was all about networking and helping and share

information with fellow photographers . I would never hesitate to share my favorite sites with others . For the same reason

I enter as much location info as possible in my images .

<p>Anis, the same thing happened with the online desert wildflower sites, so many people used them and showed up and trashed the flowers at the sites, so several of the websites shut down their listings of where the good places to visit are.</p>

 

<p><strong><br /></strong>Same thing with the "world's largest gathering of Bald Eagles" around Harrison Mills.<br>

Conservation people are worried there are so many "tourists"and their boats, etc, they will drive the birds away in a few years.</p>

 

<p>I've always shared locations without demur. Then in September I visited the Tetons and found the area totally overrun. In areas such as Ox-Bow Bend it was impossible to get a good position even an hour before sunrise, and in total there must have been at least a hundred vehicles along the roadside and maybe double that in number of photographers. Virtually everyone's shots will have had other photographers in them. It was hateful, and made worse by the fact that parties from a particular asian country would simply walk in from of everone else and set up within their scene. From experience, other "favourite locations" such as Maroon Bells near Aspen are the same and as a result, spoiled. </p>

<p>I can cope with the possibility that others might make similar photographs to me. Having the experience of photography totally spoiled by the sheer weight of numbers turning great locations into a zoo is quite different, and I do not wish to contribute to things becoming worse than they are. So I'm going to be a lot more careful in future about giving location information and will not be knowingly contributing and infomation to anyone who wants to disseminate location infomation on a broad basis. Its not a question of judging motive- just a certainty based on my 80 days approx of photographing on location each year, that the better-known sites are becoming much more difficult and less enjoyable to photograph. </p>

I am sorry to hear about your unfortunate experiences . Obviously the world is shrinking and this is the price we pay for

modernization. Photographers have hitherto benefitted from the fact that best images are obtained around daybreak and

casual photographers and vacationers normally would not take the trouble of getting out of their beds at unearthly hours

especially on their holidays . I hope that there still are great phot locations off the beaten path that remain elusive to the

common public based on the difficulty involved in getting here . We do know the cliche " no pain no gain" hold true most

of the times . The other locations , we would willingly accept to share with the crowds. A serious photographer would find

ways and means to find the photo locations if he/ she devotes time to research . I was just looking to save time for my

self .

<p>There's an entire world out there to explore. Iconic destinations are wonderful, but we need to spend our time shooting. We all live near visually interesting subjects and locations. Explore these lesser known locations thoroughly. Visit them in different types of weather and at different times of the year.</p>

<p>I would much rather see something new and fresh than yet another shot of 'The Wave' or Bryce Canyon. Develop your creativity locally. Interact with your surroundings and experiment with different approaches to photographing local treasures. When you do get the chance to visit an iconic location one day, use your well-developed creative skills to come away with shots that reflect your own fresh perspective (as opposed to rehashed postcard/calendar/magazine cover images).</p>

<p>The camera doesn't just show us what was in front of it. It also shows who was behind it.</p>

<p>Agree Dan-<br>

There is nothing worse than other photographers insisting on speaking with me when I'm trying to set up a shot with a 4x5 when the scene is fading. This just happened in an area that is not all that popular. Fall color shooting in Colorado has become so popular, that it has become a joke in many locations. </p>