scott bacon

To get to Waterton Canyon, take C-470 to the Wadsworth/Chatfield Res. exit, go South about 5 (?) miles past Chatfield, Roxborough S.P. and the Martin Marietta (secure) installation, follow the signs. There is a gravel road (closed to autos) that follows the canyon up to the dam and a trailhead for the Colorado Trail. It is a very popular place for mountain bikers. You can often see Bighorns .5 to 1 mile up the road - usually in the morning on the south-southwest slopes. There used to be a place about 2 miles up from the trailhead where there was a salt-lick and someone was supplying hay. The Bighorns were there every time. I haven't been down there for a couple years, so things may have changed. Do not expect to be alone. It is a very popular place.

I don't think it gets much better than the San Juan Mountains of Colorado during that time of the year. But my opinion may be slightly biased :-)

The smoke and haze effect will be less up in the high country than it is down here in the city, but you will still see some differeces from the 'normal' sunrise/sunset.

I use Fuji Quickload(Velvia and Provia) and Kodak T-MAX in the Kodak

Readyload holder. I have not had the light leak problems that many

warned me about when buying into this system. Only 2 negs (in the

last year and a half) have been slightly damaged by light leaks and

I've NEVER had a problem with the Fuji Quickloads (in the Kodak

holder). I've heard other's horror stories, but this system has, to

date, worked very well for me. << Knocking on wood >>> :-)

Just south of Anchorage, towards the Seward, check out the Raven

Glacier trail (Great out and back day hike - though some parts are

steep). Continuing down towards the Kenai, stop at Explorer and

Portage Glaciers. In the Seward area, Exit Glacier is a must. Easy

access to the glacier and beautiful (but again steep) hike up to

viewpoints of the Harding Icefield.

You should get some good fall colors in Denali and you have a better

chance of actually seeing the mountain in late August and September

than in the earlier summer months. You may want to make (expensive)

arrangements to stay at one of the lodges (Camp Denali?) inside the

park to have access to good shots of the mountain at the 'golden'

times of the day. It is a long day on a school bus from the park

entrance to Wonder Lake and back.

Hwy 8 from Denali (area) over towards Hwy 4 and Wrangel St-Elias is a

somewhat rough (rental car do-able), but spectacular drive. This is a

pretty remote area, so definitely know the weather before you leave,

especially in early fall.

Two great resources are the Milepost magazine and the Alaska

Gazzeteer, published by DeLorme.

Feel free to check out my website

http://www.naturalorderphoto.com/alaska.htm and email me if you have

any questions.

I looked at the Bogen/Manfrotto 3444 Carbon Fiber when purchasing a

new tripod a couple months ago. I also looked at the Gitzo G1228. I

wanted the 4 section tripod because of backpacking considerations -

they fold smaller/shorter. I was able to compare the 2 tripods, side

by side in a local store with my Wista DX II Field camera. I forked

out the extra money for the Gitzo. It is VERY solid and I have been

very happy with my choice. I would recommend the G1228 if you can

spend the extra money. If not, the Bogen 3444 is a pretty close

second (and I liked the bubble level feature).

I'd like to hear some technique tips for metering when using a polarizer. I have a Wista DX II 4x5 Field and I am using the Cokin P Series holder and a Cokin Circular Polarizer. I use a Minolta Spot F for my meter. I have experimented with hand holding the polarizer in the desired orientation and metering through it with the spot meter, calculating my desired exposure, and then placing the filter in the holder in the same orientation before exposing. Is this the preferred method of you, more experienced, LF users? Or is there an easier way to do this? I am getting very inconsistent results and it is getting a little frustrating.

Thanks for your thoughts,

-Scott.

I decided on the G-1228 when recently purchasing a new tripod. I do both 35mm and 4x5 work and I spend a lot of time on the trail, hiking and backpacking. I received it (from Camera World) a couple weeks ago and I've had it in the field several times already. I am extremely pleased with its performance. I will be carrying it on a 4-day trip this coming memorial weekend in Western Colorado. It is lighter and sturdier than my old Bogen - advantages I'm sure to appreciate during longer trips.

I live right up the road from The Butterfly Pavilion. I've been there several times and find it very photographer friendly. I have not tried using a tripod, but they didn't even blink when I entered with my monopod. It gets crowded at mid-day (on the weekends especially) and that can make getting around a pain. But if you go right at opening or stay until closing (or on a weekday) you can avoid the crowds. I definitely would recommend it if you are in the area (Hwy 36 between Boulder and Denver). Plan to spend a couple of hours, probably not much more. There are many (100s) of different species and they provide a identification chart with pictures that show some of the more common butterflies. Feel free to drop me a note if you want more specifics.

I believe Wasatch Camera, in Denver, rents equipment. I have never done business with them, but they have a good reputation locallly. I don't think they are open on weekends, though. Give them a call for more info.

 

Wasatch Photographic Inc. (303) 534-5757

707 Federal Blvd

DENVER CO 80204-3210

 

As for places to go for wildlife and landscape photography in Colorado, the list could be almost endless. Rocky Mountain National Park is a good place, though you will want to get there early to stay ahead of the crowds. It's about an 1.5 hour drive from Denver. Mount Evans is also a great place (that fewer tourists know about). It is an hour drive from Denver. Here are websites for each with good photography info. http://www.rockymountainnp.com/ http://www.mtevans.com/ You may want to check and see if the road to Mt. Evans has been opened for the season yet (the forcast is for snow this weekend in the mountains). Both of these sites will have abundant wildlife (elk in the park, goats and bighorns on Mt. Evans) and both have great scenery. A couple other places closer to Denver would be the Chatauqua Park in Boulder (35 min. drive) and Roxborough State Park (20 min.) drive. You may not see the large wildlife in these locations, although it is common to see deer, but the landscape opportunities are plentiful. Feel free to drop me a note directly if you have any questions (since I'm a local).

I once met a photographer in an airport who had made a hard case for

his tripod out of pvc pipe. He used one piece of pipe roughly 7" in

diameter with a pvc cap permanently glued on one end and a threaded

cap on the other end. He had also fashioned a comfortable shoulder

strap by screwing eye-lets into the caps (they are thicker than the

tube) and then clipping on an extra shoulder strap from a previous

camera bag. He checked the tube (name and address written on the

outside with permanent marker), with the tripod and strap inside,

along with his other baggage and when he picked it up at baggage

claim he unscrewed the cap, pulled out the strap and clipped it on. I

thought it was a great solution - ingeniously cheap, durable and

theft deterent. Although it may not be practical for your Ries due to

its size, this seems like it would work great for smaller tripods. I

have vowed to make one for myself, but I always end up just lugging

the tripod on board as a carry-on. Maybe next trip!

I use a LowePro Omnni Traveler for my Wista DX wood field, couple

lenses, spot meter, dark cloth, etc. And then I slip it into a 'real'

backpackers backpack. My latest pack is the LoweAlpine Vision 35 (yes

I really like the stuff made by Lowe). My tripod straps on the side

or back easily. There is still extra room in the pack for jacket,

water, food, 35mm, etc. I took this rig to New Zealand last fall and

had no trouble with the airlines. I spend a lot of time on the trail,

so I'm willing to sacrifice the convenience (and expense) of a photo

backpack for the comfort of a good suspension system. Although, the

photo backpacks have been GREATLY improved over just the last few

years and will probably work just fine for shorter, day-hikes.

I have not been to Antarctica, but I've spent time on the North Slope of Alaska and other places in the arctic and the conditions are similar.

I'd recommend the Provia because of its speed, the likely overcast conditions, and its more neutral color balance. You've hit the filters exactly with the warming filters and the polarizer. You will find use for the polarizer, especially in sunny conditions. You may want to add a ND Grad to the list. These 3 are the only filters I carry.

One thing that will help is that the angle of the sun in the sky is always quite low, providing nice light for longer periods of time.

Don't forget fresh batteries and plenty of them!

Enjoy!

I have been very happy with the Symmar-S 210. It is VERY sharp and

allows for large movements with 4x5. I chose it over the APO because

of price. I picked mine up used for $400. I don't have any personal

experience with the APOs, but I don't think you will be dissappointed

with either the Symmar-S or the APO.

During my '98 trip to Italy I got as far north as Bellagio on Como Lake. The whole drive from Como to Bellagio is wonderful (though the road is narrow and Italians drive fast). There are many great photo opportunities from the various pull-offs along the road, shooting across the lake at the mountains. And the town of Bellagio is very nice with classic Italian restaurants and architecture.

I did four +25 mile backpack trips and numerous daytrips with my

wooden field last summer without a problem. The only special

precaution I have taken with my 4x5 has come in the event of poor

weather. I am more likely to use my EOS1n in a driving rain storm. I

found this to be a common problem during my recent trip to New

Zealand, so I would be interested in hearing other's responses on the

use of wooden fields in foul weather.

I've not seen equatorial mounts made specifically for cameras. You

may want to look into a device call a "barn door star tracker". This

is a very simple device that can even be made at home. It is

basically made of 2 one-by-fours (or sixes), about 12" in length that

are attatched on one end by a hinge. About 3/4 the length away from

the hinge it has a 1/4 by 20 bolt that is run through the bottom

board and butts into the top board. When the bolt turns the "barn

door" swings open. When the axis of the hinge is aligned with the

polar axis and the bolt is turned at the proper rate, the barn door

tracks the stars. Mount the device to a tripod, align the axis of the

hinge to the pole, mount your camera on top and away you go! I've

seen plans for this device in Sky and Telescope magazine (few years

back). I was lucky enough to get one as a gift. It has the bolt

powered by a small battery operated motor - pretty slick. It is not

accurate with high magnification, but does fine with lenses up to

200mm (with 35mm film format). I've never tried putting my 4x5 on it.

You should be able to find ads for purchasing such a device in the

back of most astronomy magazines. Last I remember they ran about $120

(?).

Albuquerque to Colorado Springs is a 7 hour drive if the weather is good. If the weather is bad, which is common in Jan and Feb, you can count on Raton Pass being closed. There are lots of photo possibilities away from I-25 (Taos, Bandalier, etc.), but along the interstate the scenery is not that great. If you have a day (or more) to "kill", I would recommend taking a day trip(s) from Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods is right outside of Colorado Springs. It offers great sunrise photos with Pike's Peak in the background. Great Sand Dunes National Monument is about a 2.5 hour drive and offers many photo opportunities with the Spanish Peaks and the Sangre De Cristo range nearby. That would be the suggestion from this Coloradoan. Enjoy!

I will second that... I shoot lots of Velvia using the Kodak

Readyload holder.

One of the reasons I enjoy landscape photography so much lies in the challenge of capturing the emotions felt when I am standing in a beautiful spot. I often laugh at myself saying, "I wonder how many millions of others have taken a picture from this very spot?!" But... if you have ever been to Delicate Arch when the sun has just sunk below the horizon, I hope you still remember the emotions you felt - wonder, awe, contentment? Many places on earth are simply magical. Take a look at Denali from Wonder Lake, Lake Louise, The Maroon Bells, Havasupai Canyon, etc, etc. Some places always seem to inspire, no matter how many times you see them. And since these places inspire many 'salable' photos, you see them over and over again. This is not to say that every photograph of such a place reproduces the magic and emotion. But personally, I find that when one of my images conveys even some of this emotion, if I feel and think that it is a good photograph. Often, others tend to concur with me. Capturing the magic and the emotion of a place, and the challenges that presents, is one of reasons I make photographs of sometimes commonly seen landscapes. It satisfies me on a personal level. And I can truly say that since I don't make my living as a photographer. And I have never once submitted work to an editor.

I've spent a considerable amount of time in the jungles of S. America and just returned from a very wet trip to the rainforests on the South Island of New Zealand. I will second and third the ideas given above: zip-lock bags (lots of them) and tuperware for storage, towels to dry equipment, etc. I have a Lowepro AW (all weather) Topload Zoom case that does a nice job of keeping my EOS 1n and 28-70L dry. If you will be on a boat or raft, and weight is not an issue, you may want to consider a Pelican Case. These are great for air travel, also. I used one on a raft trip and it saved my equipment.

Dan, I'm with you here, having grown up in Colorado. It has become habit, almost second nature, to hike/walk right up these barbed-wire fences and shoot right over them. This tends to eliminate fences from the image fore-ground. But sometimes it is impossible to crop out the fences in the distance. I find myself going to increasingly more remote areas. This doesn't eliminate the fence problem, but it does reduce it considerably.

I don't know, maybe I've just grown up with, and accustom to, barbed-wire fences. There are other nuisances that irk me a lot more. The blatant disregard for nature - carving initials in aspen trees, leaving trash along the trails, etc., etc. Sadly this is something I'm seeing MORE of, not less.

Brandon, The forecast is for light snow (in Denver/Boulder) tonight and tomorrow, so bring warm and waterproof clothing. The weather is likely to be worse (though not always) up in the high country. Enjoy!

Ken, Sounds like you are talking about the Crystal River Powerhouse (it is also known by other names). Is this it... http://www.naturalorderphoto.com/crystal_river_powerhouse.html ? If so you can find it outside of Marble, CO on the road to Schofield Pass (4WD). This is the 'backside' of the Maroon Bells Wilderness. The entire Crystal River area is excellent in the fall.

Enjoy!

I'm a LF newbie, as of this past spring, so I don't have a LOT of

experience. But, I found a deal on a Minolta Spot F and have been

using it all summer. I am very happy with its performance, durability

and accuracy (not necessarily in that order). I am using the Zone

System and have not run into any issues using the Minolta in this

capacity. So you might want to add a third meter to your list of

possibilities.