Need some tips on photography for national Parks.

grandpaw

Senior Member
My wife and I are planning a trip to Utah in May and we are planning to visit Yellowstone, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, and Zion National Parks and go to Dead Horse Point state park and a few other places around Salt Lake area. We will fly out there and be there for 2 1/2 weeks with a good buddy of mine showing us around to these different places. He has lived near Salt Lake for around 45 years an will be diving us to the different locations. We are not able do do any hiking or long walks. I am wondering if anyone has any tips for taking photos in these National Parks or suggestions for us on our tip. It will be in May and we already have our plane tickets. Thanks for any photo suggestions or tips you may have to offer.
 
We did this a couple years ago with the exception of Yellowstone.
Zion you can do with very little walking. There is a bus that carries you through. You get off at different sections and stay as long as you want and then board the bus to the next stop and repeat.
Arches you need to do a few different times. Sunrise and Sunset especially. Different light gives you different views. Again, mostly from short walks from your car.
Bryce can be done with short walks and see a lot of it. I could not go on the hikes down into the canyon but wish I could have.
Dead Horse State park is doable with short walks from the car and is worth the drive to get to it.
Canyonland is a must for shooting the MilkyWay Take the time to try this. It is amazing. Hopefully you will be there when the moon is down.

Be sure to get your senior pass for the national parks. I think they have gone up in cost but it allows you and your passengers to get in all these parks for life.

https://store.usgs.gov/senior-pass

I got mine for $10 and the only place we had to pay was Dead Horse Point since it is a State Park
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
We did this a couple years ago with the exception of Yellowstone.
Zion you can do with very little walking. There is a bus that carries you through. You get off at different sections and stay as long as you want and then board the bus to the next stop and repeat.
Arches you need to do a few different times. Sunrise and Sunset especially. Different light gives you different views. Again, mostly from short walks from your car.
Bryce can be done with short walks and see a lot of it. I could not go on the hikes down into the canyon but wish I could have.
Dead Horse State park is doable with short walks from the car and is worth the drive to get to it.
Canyonland is a must for shooting the MilkyWay Take the time to try this. It is amazing. Hopefully you will be there when the moon is down.

Be sure to get your senior pass for the national parks. I think they have gone up in cost but it allows you and your passengers to get in all these parks for life.

https://store.usgs.gov/senior-pass

I got mine for $10 and the only place we had to pay was Dead Horse Point since it is a State Park

Thanks Don for the information. Both my buddy and I have the senior passes. Do you have any tips for the canyon photos? I was planning on taking my Nikon D500, Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 lens and my Sigma 17-50mm F2.8. I am also going to take my 20E III 2x teleconverter for my longer lens.
 
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Bikerbrent

Senior Member
I would recommend taking your Sigma 10-20mm. You will want wider than the 17-50mm. In fact, I would leave the 17-50mm home before I would leave the 10-20mm.
 
Wide angle is the key. you might use the long lens but I can't remember a time when I wanted one. Most of the views in all those places are wide open vistas. Just sent you a friend request so you can see some of the photos I did there.
 

nikonpup

Senior Member
make room reservation as soon as possible. I would skip yellowstone and do the grand tetons. I would ship 2 cameras and a bunch of lens to your buddy, lots of memory cards/storage/backup. And a couple more weeks if you could squeeze them in. As don said bryce-canyonlands-zion very easy to shoot with
little walking. A super ton of info on when and where to shoot the parks on the internet or just go in blind every wide spot in the road will yield many photos. Cp filter a must have, blue skies and big white clouds abound.
 

Marilynne

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
We did this a couple years ago with the exception of Yellowstone.
Zion you can do with very little walking. There is a bus that carries you through. You get off at different sections and stay as long as you want and then board the bus to the next stop and repeat.
Arches you need to do a few different times. Sunrise and Sunset especially. Different light gives you different views. Again, mostly from short walks from your car.
Bryce can be done with short walks and see a lot of it. I could not go on the hikes down into the canyon but wish I could have.
Dead Horse State park is doable with short walks from the car and is worth the drive to get to it.
Canyonland is a must for shooting the MilkyWay Take the time to try this. It is amazing. Hopefully you will be there when the moon is down.

Be sure to get your senior pass for the national parks. I think they have gone up in cost but it allows you and your passengers to get in all these parks for life.

https://store.usgs.gov/senior-pass

I got mine for $10 and the only place we had to pay was Dead Horse Point since it is a State Park

The price of the lifetime Senior Pass increased to $80 on August 28, 2017. Also, a new $20 annual Senior Pass became available at the same time. Our $10 ones are still valid for our lifetime.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
@Don Kuykendall would you suggest a tripod and taking longer exposures (such as using ISO 100)? And what camera settings would you suggest? Grandpaw, do you have an ND filter--such as a 9-stop or 10-stop in case you encounter any flowing water? You'd need a tripod for that or at least some type of steady support for the camera.
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, keep them coming!!! I have a 10-20mm lens and hadn't even thought about it. I will add that to the kit I will be taking. Both my buddy and myself have the senior passes so that is taken care of. I didn't know if I could take my tripod on the plane and not have to worry about it but he has one I can borrow while I am there. We are flying up on May 8th and flying back on the 26th. It shouldn't be hot then and the kids will still be in school so hopefully it won't be as crowded. I am very excited about the photo opportunities. I have never been West of Missouri before so this will be a whole new experience for me and something different to photograph. I appreciate all the input and welcome all suggestions.
 

lokatz

Senior Member
Two recommendations I did not see mentioned yet:

If you're driving down south from Yellowstone (which I consider the most beautiful park in the U.S., and I've visited MANY), make sure to take Hwy 12 from Torrey UT across Capitol Reef NP on your way to Bryce Canyon. VERY scenic and lots of picture opportunities.

The second one is close to Lake Powell, assuming you'll go that far south: join one of the daily photo trips to Antelope Canyon. Can't think of a better place for photographers than this canyon. It is on Indian land, so the only way to get there are these tours, but they are very worth it.
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
Just want to add the reason for the telephoto lens and 2x teleconverter are for animals and cridders that I may get the opportunity to photograph.
 

todd7500

Senior Member
https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/kodachrome-basin/discover/

A little ways from Bryce Canon NP is Kodachrome Basin SP.

We missed it when we visited Bryce/Zion. We were there Mid-September and there had been flash floods. Looks and sounds like a great spot. On the road into Bryce, 20 miles or so South if memory serves, there is a great area of Red Rocks. (Not like Red Rocks CO) but worth stopping to see if the light is good and you have time.

As I am sure you know, the National Parks (the ones I have visited anyway) do not have set times that you have to be out. So plan your day accordingly and you can be there for twilight.

Do remember, depending on where you are staying, the roads out of some of the parks can be VERY dark and twisty so plan to stay close.

If you aren't "packing" lots of gear, you might do well with a medium zoom, 18 to 200, and one wide angle. Tripod... not so much. Polarizing filter is worth keeping in the bag.

I bought a cheap shoulder bag, its actually for a pistol and some extra ammo. Its VERY handy for one camera body with medium lens, one additional (short lens) a couple of filters and a cleaning cloth. It slings over your shoulder and it hangs (I keep mine at waist level) as high or low as you like. If your planning on walking, less weight is great.

Most of the trails start by going down-slope. My motto is.... what goes down, must come up!

Have a great trip...
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
If you're driving down south from Yellowstone (which I consider the most beautiful park in the U.S., and I've visited MANY), make sure to take Hwy 12 from Torrey UT across Capitol Reef NP on your way to Bryce Canyon. VERY scenic and lots of picture opportunities.

I discovered Torrey UT in 2004 on a motorcycle trip, and absolutely love Hwy 12 and Hwy 24 out of Torrey. I’ve been wanting to get back there with the ‘real’ camera, but for now just enjoy the images I got with digital point and shoots that I carried on the bike.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

pnomanikon

Senior Member
Here is a link to Photograph America Newsletter. They put out monthly 12-page articles on various locations with details about photo spots and logistics. You can buy (PDF download) individual locations or buy the whole shebang since 1989 on a flash drive for $140. Maybe buy one and see if you like it first. Good source for scouting out possible locations to shoot.

Photograph America Newsletter | Travel Newsletter for Photographers | by Robert Hitchman

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Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
According to the TSA they can be checked or carry on. You do need to check with the airline to find out if it meets your carriers carry on requirement. The last time I flew I just put it in my luggage but I have a MeFroto travel tripod.
 
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