acjtucson

<p>Page is a great jumping off point. On the trips I've made to Alstom Point I had an F-150. I can tell you I saw people do it in Toyota and Honda sedans. I think that works if it's dry and you are really paying close attention to where you are going. Whatever vehicle you get, make sure you have a spare. It's a slow drive out but well worth it. It is not a technically difficult drive at all. Check out the Wave if you have time. Have a great trip!</p>

<p>Check out Desert Wildflower Reports on Desert USA website. The Theodore Payne Foundation has a nice site too for southern and central CA. </p>

<p>Get a shot of a Lucky Dog vendor with cart in the Quarter. Try and control your valve.</p>

<p>You've got to experience sunrise at Mesa Arch. Potential for incredible images if the sun comes through. It really is amazing. Be there at least 90 min before dawn. Be ready to rumble. Most hostile collection of photogs I've ever seen. Knowing how to do an armbar from half-guard may come in handy. In all seriousness the tempers seemed to calm once the sun was actually up and people were clicking away. Patio Dive-In in Blanding has awesome burgers if you make it down that far south.</p>

<p>Consider Trona Pinnacles at Searles. Searles has some interesting possibilities too. A little desert industrial company town. It's about 3 hrs north of Palm Springs. <br>

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ridgecrest/trona.html<br>

http://www.desertusa.com/thingstodo/ttdtrails/du_ttd_trona.html<br>

http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Plant-s-workers-exposed-to-mercury-EPA-says-3251793.php</p>

<p>It seems like you have an awful lot planned for a very short time. The drive along 550 is beautiful. Plenty of places to stop and take landscape photos. Black Canyon of the Gunnison on Hwy 50 has some awesome views. You could turn that all into some sort of loop. A hectic loop. But a loop. I'd suggest you leave Monument Valley for another weekend. Good luck.</p>

<p>I appreciate the irony that it's a vehicle from a septic service caught in your photo. </p>

<p>Good question. It can be a drag to wake up so early, and spend 150$ and maybe not get any images that you like. But, unless it's incredibly overcast, I'd say absolutely YES. Consider camping overnight if possible. The dunes look great under the light of a full moon. And it's cheap, maybe 10$ or something like that. As for sunrise there, it's such a different feel and color from sunset and you only know it if you are there to experience it. I'd get there and get set up by 5:00-5:30 if they'll let you in that early. You could get some dune shots under light of full moon. Also you have to consider how fickle weather can be. What if it ends up raining later in the day each day you are there but it's clear in the AM? I think the Sept full moon is earlier in the month and that's the tail end of their summer rainy season(late afternoon storms). That could be a bummer. <br>

As for the 13 hr day there, you could always go in/out. Three Rivers Petroglyph park and Valley of Fires lava beds aren't too far. You could easily hit those in between.<br>

Good luck!</p>

<p>Thanks for all the comments. I like the idea of a tag search. Don't know why I didn't think of that earlier. I must also say that i really don't understand this mindset that if one creates another few categories that then one must necessarily create even more and more and more. It really doesn't have to follow that sort of path. To create a B/W Landscape Gallery does not mean there has to be a B/W Bird Category. B/W Landscape photography is a major bona fide category of photography with a bajillion published books on the topic. How many books are there on "Colorful Leaves Placed in Foreground by Photographer"? I think it's comparing apples to oranges. Again, why not put it to the subscribers?</p>

<p>I like the suggestion of renaming it Critique of the Week.</p>

<p>I agree with you in part LG. It is the art that counts. I just look at them as very different forms of art. To that end, there are photography books specifically about HDR and specifically about B/W. They are recognized on their own merits. (Ugh. It doesn't help that at the bottom of this page is a garish HDR I did of the Kern R. years ago. One of my first.) Photo.net separates Gallery photos into 30 different categories already. One could argue one end of the spectrum that if the main point is that it is the art that counts, then why have any categories at all? Why not just have one big gallery? And one could argue the other end to categorize and subcategorize to make it all meaningless. I'm stuck somewhere in the middle. Maybe just a different middle from where you are standing:) Thanks for responding.</p>

<p>I propose that photo.net create 2 new Gallery categories: HDR Landscape and also Black and White Landscape. Stylistically these are so very different. This is not a knock on either one. I have posted HDR, B/W, and color landscapes at one time or another. But I think it would be nice to be able to easily browse through a gallery of just these categories. What say the rest of you?</p>

<p>I highly recommend Bowling Ball Beach(Schooner Gulch SB) north of San Fran. It's pretty neat if you can get a sunset with a favorable tide(~1 ft or so). If you walk about 10 min north of the "bowling balls" there are some interesting rock formations exposed at low tide. Contrary to what you might read online about accessibility, it's accesible. Erosion has worn out the end of the trail down to the beach so what would have been a nice stairs is now like a rope ladder, but accessible nonetheless.<br>

You may want to check out Robert Hitchman's Photograph America Newletter. He has several issues that would be relevant to where you are headed. </p>

<p>If you head to Canyonlands, check out Mesa Arch at sunrise. But get there early. I was there twice and each time tempers flared between others over who was in position first. Stunning scene. Get there an hr before sunrise to get a spot. (Maybe bring a Tazer). On your way to Bryce, you may want to take SR 24 to SR 12. Very pretty. Factory Butte. Capitol Reef, etc. Agree with Charles Wood about L. Martres book. Priceless!</p>

<p>If you go the usual route from Phx to Vegas, spending a night in Sedona and a couple nights in Williams or Tusayan to explore the Grand Canyon could be fun. But traveling some alternate routes may show you a little more of the SW. You could take AZ 93 out of PHX towards Vegas and go through Laughlin. Beautiful Joshua Tree forest in AZ along that route and a very scenic drive. Also going N from Flagstaff on 89 (Sunset Crater and Wupatki) and then winding west towards Vegas would add another night or two if you're stopping along the way. Or like CS's suggestion to go a little further east than north thru the rez. Canyon de Chelly is one of the most amazing places I've ever seen. You could spend a few nights on that route and then get back on 40 to go to Vegas for a few nights. A jazillion options. You can't go wrong. You may want to look at Laurent Martres book on Photographing the Southwest. It may give you some ideas about places to check out.</p>

<p>If you're looking for wildlife, Elkhorn Slough(ElkhornSlough.org) area at Moss Landing is nice and a little off the beaten path (plus it's close to Phil's Fish Market for tasty eats after shooting) . Or venture about 75-90 min north along the coast to Ano Nuevo to see the elephant seals. David Gubernick has an awesome website about photography in the Big Sur area. Doug Steakley has a really nice book about photographing in Big Sur. Both may be worth a look before you travel.</p>

<p>Check out Bowling Ball Beach near Schooner Gulch Beach just south of Point Arena on Hwy 1. It is an odd but beautiful sight at low tide. I've never been at high tide but i hear the "bowling ball" rocks are under water. Google the images for it and you'll see. <br>

Fort Ross grounds are fun and depending on the weather can look almost eerie in a fog.<br>

Have fun. </p>

<p>If you park at the bottom of the Salt River Canyon in the lot you can walk around quite a bit and get some good river and canyon shots. There are turnouts on the way up and down with some nice vantage points. It's fun to do the dirt roads down there if you can but you can see some great stuff without. You can cross the river here and there at the bottom and it's not that rough a road if you have the proper vehicle but I'd be wary of doing it in a rented SUV. Those rental contracts usually restrict your driving to pavement so even if you purchase the insurance or are covered on your own, you could get a heckuva bill if you run into problems down there. Hwy 191/180 would be a LONG day trip. It's a beautiful road but you'll be in the forest already. Consider checking out Chevelon Canyon and also consider going north a little into the Painted Desert area. You are very close. It's very different from Sedona area. There's a beautiful county park on 87 about 8 miles N of Winslow(not Homolovi) that has fantastic colors at sunset. You're also very close to Petrified Forest/Painted Desert National Park. You could easily spend a day there. You may see some pronghorn and ravens (sp. Ubiquitous parkinglottus) out there but not much else in terms of wildlife. In terms of colors and formations and desert vistas, it's tough to beat. <br>

As an aside, instead of buying more memory cards, you may want to just but a storage gizmo. I bought a Colorspace Hyperdrive from Sanho a few years ago and it's fantastic for trips like this. I think the prices have come down quite a bit for the smaller 80gb one I have.</p>

<p>Check out Slab City. It's where the first photo above was taken. It's worth the drive. There are a number of great areas along the Salton Sea to take pictures. Bombay Beach is probably one of the most popular. Have fun. Don't mind the stink. Be ready for the flies.</p>

<p>I would try it from along the levee at the southeast end of the bridge. There are a couple parks there as well. You may want to try getting to one of the higher floors in the Metairie Marriott. It's 16 stories and at the south end if the bridge. Maybe they have a restaurant or conference room up top. Or, fake car trouble and stop on the bridge. Of course, that is more dangerous and probably would get you a ticket. At least. I've taken some from the car while driving. I think one only appreciates those if one has experienced the agony of driving across it. </p>

<p>Make sure you have plenty of water. And bring your rain gear. As far as camera gear goes, you have more than enough.</p>

<p>I think Joseph W hit it on the head. </p>

<p>The last time I attempted a similar project I needed to research some lesser known coordinated non-sequential determinants on CMOS-CCP. Pragmatic cross-disciplinary parameters just don't apply. A computerized transformational dialogue with contemporary educative insights was extremely helpful. If you can tweak a coordinated terminological reappraisal back towards a more intuitive vertically-structured context, then I think you'll have it.<br>

Dang it, the pancake fell off my head again.</p>

<p>I think John Jennings has said it best.</p>

<p>I think the current DSLRs can equal the quality. But not in a strict one shot comparison test. What if you shoot your MF scene and then take your >20megapixel DSLR and divide that scene up into 5 or 6 separate images that you stitch together? </p>