Thanksgiving in Zion and Bryce canyon: Suggestions for new interpretation

I will being going on a family trip (wife, kiddies, and me) to Zion

and then Bryce NP for about 10-14 days over Thanksgiving. I am looking

for suggestions of interesting and lesser-known photographic subjects

in the area. I am also interested in general suggestions on how to

interpret an area that has been photographed heavily in new ways. I

have a few of my own already, and will share some of my successes (and

failures) when I return.

 

Any feed back is appreciated.

Jeff, the GF and I went to Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyons about this time last year. I don't

fancy myself an Ansel Adams kind of guy, but when you are touring some of the National Parks in

the American West you feel compelled to make images. My first thought is only you can interpret the

area. I was only happy once I turned my lens on the other tourists. Zion felt like a mini Yosemite to me.

Bryce was more interesting in some ways because it's unlike anything I've

seen before. In the end I came up with just some nice travelogue images.

Maybe you could take a pinhole or Holga camera. I had considered taking my TLR but in the end

weight and space issues nixed that idea.

 

<a href="http://www.jimarnold.org/galleries/nature_west/index.htm">Here are

a few images from that trip.</a> There are a few of the "street" images in <a href="http://www.jimarnold.org/galleries/west_2003/index.htm">this gallery</a> from that trip.

I look forward to seeing your images and hearing your impressions. Be prepared for lots of hiking and walking.

Keep in id that the week before Thanksgiving is the COMDEX show in Las Vegas.

We were there a few years ago. I can never keep straight which is which, but one you drive through the bottom with the rocks towering above you and the other one the roadway goes higher up and you look over and down. In the latter (high road)you're best to scout a shooting location the day before, then get there before sunrise and get set up. The sun rises fast and every second the light changes the dramatic effects on the rocks. Take two bodies so you don't have to reload during the 10-15 minutes of great light. Just past sunrise the sun will be right into your eyes (and lens), and the "show" is over. Late afternoon is not as good, because the sun drops behind the (less spectacular) rocks behind you and casts a shadow over the beautiful formations long before the sun actually sets. Take an assortment of lenses including a longer one to get some detail shots, if you've got them. The longest I had was a 135mm and I wished I'd had a 300.

 

The other park (low road)is ironically easier to photograph at mid-day. You're down low with steep, almost vertical formations all around you. When the sun is overhead you actually get the most even lighting and not as many contrast worries.

 

As to lesser-known sites, unfortunately there's only one road through each and not that much opportunity for unique vantage points. Though I did see some people about 200 ft up scaling one of the rock walls and thought they would have a great angle to shoot from, I was not tempted to follow them :)

 

There is another rock formation area, some kind of monument or other, not far from Bryce and Zion, perhaps someone knows the name of it. There you can drive through and around the formations, giving you more options in terms of shooting angles.

Bryce is the "high road" "look down" canyon. If you are blessed there might be snow on the rock formations. Sunrise is best although sunset is interesting. There are view points called "sunrise" and "sunset". Hard to do much that is absolutly unique but it will be new to you and who knows you might have some great light. I also second the ides of a longer lens for Bryce (I had a 180 on a DSLR so like a 270 (near 300) and this was a good focal length. It will be cold (especially getting there and setting up before sunrise).

 

Zion is the "low road" "look up" canyon and is spectacular but hard to photograph as the park is very striking and almost everything appears to be a great photo but much has to do with the effect the park has (on me at least) while being there. Best if there is changing weather. It is access restricted in the summer with very easy to use busses. I was last there in May and felt nicley very isoloated as I would walk the canyon as eveyone else just went from bus stop to bus stop. I think this will not be working in November

 

Kolob Canyon is the upper part of Zion that sees very little traffic and is also very interesting to photograph.

 

Two classic views in Zion are on the Virgin river bridge at sunset and behind the old visitors center at sunrise. Again hope for snow or clouds.

 

Not sure what would be a unique interpretation. The parks can be photographer in B&W but I find I like my color images better (the colors in both parks are spectacular)

 

Some Bryce, Zion, Utah images are on my "vanity" web site " ardingerphoto.com ".

 

Robert

Hello Jeff:

If this is your first trip to Zion and Bryce, I think you will find the two parks somewhat overwhelming visually. Since you are interested in making your own interpretation, I suggest that you try to find places that are less accessible and plan to be there early or late in the day when the morning and evening light adds an intense redish glow to the sandstone formations.

Through an online bookstore, you may be able to find the book titled Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau by Michael R. Kelsey. The author gives detailed directions to many places that you will be unlikely to find otherwise.

A visit to the Fatali Gallery in Springdale, just outside the east entrance to Zion NP, will give you idea of what you can find to photograph in both Zion and Bryce.

On a 10-14 day trip you should have enough time to explore the area and wait for the beautiful light that is the photographic signature of these parks.

I look forward to seeing your photographs.

The park may have been photographed heavily, but your family in the park has probably not been photographed heavily!

 

One suggestion is don't go to the most popular spots. You may find state parks or national forest areas that just tend to be overlooked by photographers. Or national parks, for that matter- I've noticed that my favorite, RMNP, seems to be very underrepresented photographically.

 

I have found in the past that when you get more than about 6-8 miles from the nearest trailhead, you find very few people period, certainly not many photographers. You seldom find anyone carrying a tripod more than 2 miles from a trailhead. So spend the day walking instead of driving, and you'll see some lesser-known sites.

"On a 10-14 day trip you should have enough time to explore the area and wait for the beautiful light that is the photographic signature of these parks."

 

My son is 4 and my daughter is 2, so it's questionable how much time I'll have to scout and re visit sites looking for perfect light :-).

 

Thanks for the suggestions, should be a good trip.

Make sure you check out Capitol Reef NP, to the NE of Zion. Very dramatic and less

travelled.

 

http://www.pindelski.org/Color/Color%20Landscapes/Utah102004/Index.html

I went through there about the same time you did last 11/04 on our way from San Fran to Denver. This image was taken on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I tucked the 3 year old and my wife into a hotel in town as they wanted to take an afternoon nap after a long day of driving and I got about 1 hour of good light at Zion before it was all over. I was lucky with the variable clouds adding some character to the light. I set the alarm to go back up the canyon for the sunrise the next morning but when I peaked out the curtains at about 6 am the next day there was already almost a foot of snow on the ground and it was all socked in fog and a blizzrd of snow coming down. Might have been good for photos a couple days later after the storm but not that day. I was lucky I squeezed in the photo time when I did as we needed to continue on to Denver later that morning.<p> Jeff, any shots from the trip?<div></div>