johncasey

Hi David, I wish you and Tonya a great trip!! There are a lot of great suggestions above. Echoing William, the only things I might add are: Take plenty of water, more than you think you need. Take warm clothes as a back-up for cold weather and the desert this time of year can get cold, especially at night. There is another storm moving through and as you probably know, they recently had snow in Phoenix; with that said, I would check with the local AZ Highway Patrol/Sheriff's office and be sure to let several friends and/or family know where you'll be and when you are coming back. I would also leave a note inside your trailer telling which way you are going each day; that coupled with your flight plan, if something goes awry, help will at least know where to start looking. Have a great trip and take lots of great pics!!

I shot a lot of ISO/ASA Kodachrome 25 in the 70's and 80's; I even tripped across a roll of ISO/ASA 4 (Microbiology film). The slower films are very fine grained and can produce some fantastically detailed images, use your tripod and set up. As those before have said, it would be used when you want the highest resolution & finest grain, i.e., really big enlargements, very fine grained detailed images, etc. Yes, it requires more light than 400 ISO/ASA film wil, but landscapes and similar "Stills" can be captured with fine detail and low graininess. Good luck!!

I agree with "Clothing should be appropriate for the job". I don't have tattoos and really don't understand why people wear them, but I wouldn't necessarily hold them against the photographer nor require them to be covered. However, the neat professional appearance is expected. John

I just joined and am looking forward to seeing your pics and reading your posts. I enjoy Landscape, Wildlife, and am trying to get my feet wet in Astrophotography.

First, I am a Newbie to this blog and want to thank you all for allowing me to join. Wow, this is an interesting thread and having used a predator call over 30 years ago, calling Fox, Coyotes, Bobcats, Wolves, and Deer; I quit using a call when I picked up the camera. By the way, Predators actually get used to the sound of a call real quick and more specifically, to individual calls; and these call-wary Predators will refuse to come in and even ignore the call. I do not believe it is ethical for a "photographer" to use a call to coax animals in for a close pic or even so the animal shows itself. I get a ton of satisfaction from getting my pic and departing without alarming the animal. There seems to be both sides to the argument and I look at it like religion and politics, there will be different opinions. I guess I just don't believe it is sporting or right to use calls to lure animals in for a photo, but then I don't bait or take pics of birds at a feeder either That's just me and I respect other's thoughts and feelings as well. (The young Doe pic was feeding by the road and had raised her head to see what was there; I was behind the other vehicle and quietly shot a number of pics with a 150 - 600mm from a window beanbag, and eased away as she returned to her meal).