gregr

There is another canyon in the same area- more expensive but very worth it in my opinion:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00PERN

My experience a couple of weeks ago was a 15 minute hike from the parking area to the Horseshoe overlook. Walking fast could cut that almost in half... I was told about an hour by a friend and was pleasantly surprised. As for the best time- so much depends on what's going on atmosphere-wise. If it's a cloudless day the sky is several stops brighter than the subject. If you like Mexican food Alphonso's (in front of the Safeway supermarket) was much better than I expected. As for boots- not necessary in my opinion. There are metal ladders in LA that are really smooth- watch your step! I used the 24-105 most of the time but wanted to change to a wider lens on occasion and longer too but I never did. Just depends on what kind of shots you like to get- floor to ceiling or close-up detail. The 24-105 is the best compromise I think.

Thanks for all the comments!

I've got a few photos from Mountain Sheep Canyon on this page:

http://www.gregrothschild.com/MSC/index.htm

The first shot is the 'entrance'. There is some good color and very interesting textures and patterns in the rocks. No shafts of light as I mentioned above.<div></div>

On a visit to Antelope Canyon last week I heard about a woman who is taking

photographers to a slot canyon that isn't crowded. I was able to get in touch

with her and ended up spending half a day taking pictures in the "new" canyon.

It's called Mountain Sheep Canyon and is part of the Antelope Canyon drainage.

It's got a lot going for it- three big positives: it's nice and quiet, it's a

mile long (!) and the tour leader (Carol) is just about the nicest lady in the

world. Carol's family has lived in this area for a long time and it was her

mother that discovered the canyon when she was a little girl. Visiting a new

slot canyon was a great treat but to me the best part of the day was hearing

all the stories Carol had to tell- at times I wanted to put the camera down and

just listen. There are a few sections in the canyon that are really amazing

though you won't find those light shafts everyone seems so fond of (they may

exist but I didn't see any). The patterns and textures in one spot reminded me

of a mini Coyote Buttes. There is a bit of ladder climbing but not as much as

Lower Antelope, and there's one spot where it's a little bit narrow (I was able

to squeeze thru ok with a 38" waist). I believe she is doing two different tour

types- one is a full day and if you want it will cover Lower and Upper

Antelope, Rattlesnake and Mountain Sheep Canyon. The cost for that one is $226.

Then there's a half day tour (what I did) for $126. I imagine the hours will

not always be the same but for me it was an 8am meet and we got out of there

around 1pm-ish. I see from her website that she has a hogan bed and breakfast

deal too. Like the other slot canyons the light is better in different areas at

differfent times of day so I could easily see spending an entire day just in

the new canyon.

Here is Carol's contact info:

928 380-1874 (has voicemail)

928 608-7549 (no voicemeail)

http://www.aacpth.com/

Have fun,

Greg

Thanks for responding. I was looking for help not criticism though.

Greg

Hi all-

I've been asked to take some photos of vintage clothing. Clothes will be on a

form/mannekin. The photos will be used in a Powerpoint presentation and I want

the pictures to look as professional as possible even though they won't

actually be used to sell a product. I'm doing this as a favor for a friend, I

am getting paid... but the friend knows this isn't my forte. So even though he

doesn't expect full on professional quality, I want to impress them because it

could lead to more work in the future.

 

I do a fair amount of photography with flashes but am very new to strobes. I

just got a Hensel Integra kit- two lights, two umbrellas or one umbrella and

one softbox. I'd be grateful for some advice on how to set up the strobes to

make this look good. Background will be off-white or gray seamless. I was told

the bg will be cut out in Photoshop. I have extra light stands and some

foamcore I could use to bounce light, and I have a 550ex and 420ex to go with

the strobes- camera is 1D MarkII. For lenses I've got just about everything

between 14mm and 400, including 50 and 100mm macro lenses. I was planning on

using an 80-200L unless they put me in a small room.

Would a clamshell configuration work-- umbrella on top, softbox from under?

With the umbrella on top I was hoping it would spill enough light onto the

seamless to avoid hard shadows. If I set the umbrella head to full output and

the slave to a couple stops under, and then experimented with apertures and

shutter speeds til it looked good... would that be in the ballpark? I'd be

grateful for some pointers.

Greg

Jess Lee offers a workshop during that window. i highly recommend him:

http://adventurenaturephototours.com/