Trip to Southwestern US, ANY TIPS?

[PowerShotA720IS]

So in May my dad and I are heading out West for 2 weeks to visit National Parks in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Yes, this is "Four Corners". I am very much excited about both going here and being able to shoot this amazing part of the US. What I am asking is if anybody has been or shot there, do you have any tips, advice or suggestions on shooting there? What should I look for and what should I make sure to do to make sure I capture the best of this majestic area.

[eddarr]

Start with a road atlas. There are about 20 national parks within a few hundred miles of 4 corners that offer incredible photo ops. Plus there is Durango, CO; Sedona, AZ; Taos, NM etc. If you have any time left hit everything in between. Search through this forum for pictures that include the park names you may want to visit.

[Barb42]

My favorite place in the world is the 4 corners area. I love Mesa Verde and stay in Cortez because its a centrol location to the Nation Park just over the border in Utah. I would get online and check out the parks. One of the tribes will also, for a price, take you out to see ancient drawings on their lands. Very cool.

[airfrogusmc]

The high road from Santa Fe to Taos. North from Taos the Chama north to Durango Silverton Ouray.

[Jubilee32]

Walnut Canyon just 7 miles east of FLagstaff is wonderful but has had the island trail closed due to landslides. Site says it will be some months before re-opening (if lucky) so check before you go. Great hike and cliff dwellings

[irishman]

Buy a series of books titled "Photographing the Southwest", it will save you time and money. The classic places are of course the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyons, Monument Valley, Lake Powell. That's more than 2 weeks right there.

[primoz]

We made two 3 weeks summer holidays in that area (last one in last July), and it was great... a bit hot but still great. It depends where you want to go, but as someone who is living in middle of Alps desert landscape of SW of USA was really something. Now all I need is to come back once in spring, when it's not really +45c :mrgreen:
My favorite parks would be Joshua tree (probably a bit too far from rest of them for 2 weeks), Arches, Bryce and Sunset Crater Volcano. Zion is nice too, but if others were crowded, Zion was completely overbooked, so for my taste, way way too much of people.
But it's hard to tell, since personally I love to be out walking (preferably without 100s people around), and someone else might love to drive with car all the way to favorite spot. So for that, above mentioned parks are not really best.
And as someone suggested... get "Photographing the SouthWest" (Vol.1 (http://************/24nacg), Vol.2 (http://************/yvr36v)). It's book written by photographer for photographers. It has bunch of cool tips, and nice locations which are not all that well known.
And one more tip... if you are renting car, get SUV. Backcountry roads give you so much more then normal most traveled roads.
Oh and one more... if you are anywhere even remotely close to Page... don't skip Antelope canyon. Compared to other parks, entrance fee is extremely high, but for me, it was worth every cent. We went to lower part, where you get guide who just let us in and left us alone, when he saw all our camera gear :) For upper, I heard you can go in only with organized groups, and that's something I don't really like.

[PowerShotA720IS]

This is some great advice and information that should really help us, thanks so much guys! I will look into purchasing those books and all the other tips I will definitely keep in mind, thanks a lot guys! :D

[gooble]

There's also Canyon de Chelly (pronounced like deshay) which is right near Chinle,AZ and only an hour or two from the four corners area.

I'm sure it's mentioned in the aforementioned books.

[fireman93514]

So many places. I love Mesa Verde. Moab and Arches National park are great. Drive around moab though there are places where the rock is so red it appears to be on fire. Chaco canyon is another great place. Sedona also has great red rock formations. Don't forget about monument valley. Grand Canyon is not too far from the four corners area either.

[Tdragone]

IF you are near yosemite; remember Mono Lake and the ghost town of Bodie are not far away

[argyle]

Buy a series of books titled "Photographing the Southwest", it will save you time and money. The classic places are of course the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyons, Monument Valley, Lake Powell. That's more than 2 weeks right there.

I second these books...its a three volume set by Laurent Martres and you can find them on Amazon. Books have great info such as best time of day to shoot specific landmarks, typical focal lengths that you'd most likely shoot, etc. Wealth of information at your fingertips.

I recently bought the books for a nine day trip to the SW. Started at Zion for a few days, made the two hour drive to Bryce for another two days (stopping at Red Canyon on the way), then from Bryce to Kodachrome Basin for a day trip, back to Bryce, then to Page, Arizona to catch the Wave, Antelope Canyon, Wahweap Hoodoos, Horseshoe Bend, etc. You'll find that there's way too much to see and too little time. I can't recommend the books enough.

[say_cheese]

May is a great time for this area. It's warm but not hot. Flowers bloom in the dessert areas. Couple of years back I accidentally discovered an area known as "Valley of the Gods" A beuatifull area, just as stunning as Monument Valley with the added attraction of nobody around and its free to travel through this park. At the far side of the park is a road that climbs to over 6000 feet to the top of Mokee Dugway. The views are just stunning on a clear day. I stayed in a tiny village called Bluff, UT at a little motel that looked as if Indiana Jones stayed there. I had a great time.

[FlyingPhotog]

Couple of non-photo, environmental tips:
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Wear Sunscreen
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Be prepared for wide temperture swings (could be high 90s during the day and low 30s to high 20s at night depending upon elevation)
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Keep your gas tank as full as possible. The distances between places out here in the US Southwest often suprise people.
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Keep some food in the car with you at all times
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Don't count on getting very good cell phone reception. At times you'll even get none.
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Keep an eye on the weather. Flash floods of zero to several feet deep and moving very fast in about one minute are no joke.
- Drink Plenty of Water
- If you come to a flooded area, don't drive through it. In Arizona, we now have a "Stupid Motorist" law which allows municipalities or the state to bill you for your rescue from your stranded, sinking car.
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Beware the effects of high altitude mixed with very dry air. Some people even experience "altitude sickness" which can be very debilitating.

There was something else I was gonna say but I can't think of it. Oh Yes:
- Drink Plenty of Water!!! You can easily dehydrate out in the desert but you'll never realize it's coming because you won't sweat.

Please do come visit, it's beautiful out here in the southwest!

PS...I'm a transplanted Detroiter!!

[Tdragone]

Oh my! That is too funny.

You actually do sweat; but it evaporates immediately so you don't notice.

[FlyingPhotog]

Oh my! That is too funny.

You actually do sweat; but it evaporates immediately so you don't notice.

Ok, that's actually more accurate...

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