yellowstone and grand teton trip

This is our first big trip as a family and of course I wana get some good photos. So with saying that and thinking that I have been reading and learning what I can when I can. I have the canon t3 not the t3i lol but I was wondering if anyone here would have some frindly tips for me? All I really know by hearf is small f numbers mean blurry background large f stops mea deeper dof, and I do know how to set my focus points and enjoy focusing on my subject and then composing the shot. Anyway any tips after reading what I know I can do would be very helpfull. Oh and as far as lenses go I have the 55mm and 300mm kit lens and I did get a 8.00 set of filters from amazon which r a uv filter and the other two I honetly dont know how or when to use them .

Do you have time between now, and your trip, to enroll in a basic photography class at a local college?

Barring that, continue with your reading and get outside and shoot, shoot, shoot.

I wish I did .....but I am reading alot and am picking up on dtuff a lil. Well give it a good try thou

Go outside and start shooting. Read all you want but it will start clicking when you actually do it.

The $8 filters will probably do more harm them good.

One of the best things I did with my T3 (also not the i version) was go out and pick up a different lens (I got the 15-85). That alone improved my landscapes.

Also plan to be up before sunrise and done after sunset. My best pictures come an hour before sunrise to about 1-2 hours after, then again an hour before sunset to an hour or so after.

As Littlejon said, try to be up early. The view from Artist Point at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone just after dawn is beautiful (see photo below, taken at approximately 6:30am local time). Bring your tripod.

Those $8 filters probably will not help your image quality. If you can, get a good quality circular polarizing filter for your 18-55mm kit lens. It will be very useful, especially in the geothermal areas.

Well I mainly got the filterw for uv lenw as they say spray from the geysers can leave the silica on it an ruin the glass.....will the uv filter effect my sharpness of pictures ans secondly should I bump up the saturation in camera when I get pics of those colorfull pools or do that n post?

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #16872735
Go outside and start shooting. Read all you want but it will start clicking when you actually do it.

The $8 filters will probably do more harm them good.

One of the best things I did with my T3 (also not the i version) was go out and pick up a different lens (I got the 15-85). That alone improved my landscapes.

Also plan to be up before sunrise and done after sunset. My best pictures come an hour before sunrise to about 1-2 hours after, then again an hour before sunset to an hour or so after.

Would amazon carry this lens?

tulsatom wrote in post #16872948
Would amazon carry this lens?

Yes Amazon has it. I would not put any of the $8 filters on any of the kit lens, or any lens for that matter. Shoot your images in RAW and do your post work when you get home. Also get a couple more SD cards as RAW files take up a lot more room then JPEGs

Here is the Amazon link http://www.amazon.com …=8-1&keywords=canon+15-85

I picked it up for less on sale at best buy so check around.

What would u do with the spray from geysers Is there something I can do or can I simply wipe off the lens if I get spray in it . I just donr wanna get any silica on it

tulsatom wrote in post #16872983
What would u do with the spray from geysers Is there something I can do or can I simply wipe off the lens if I get spray in it . I just donr wanna get any silica on it

I plan to just use my lens hood and cpl filter, and will clean after each shot if need be. I will be there in January for a week of winter photography. I also dont plan on being in the line of the spray if I can help it.

Sorry for all the questions for would a microfiber cloth be suffice to wipe of any spray if any

I have a few of those that will be packed, but also plan to hit up my eye glass place and get some lens cleaner. I do not spray it directly on the element, but a little on a cloth helps clean the front element when a microfiber is not quite enough. If you stick with the kit lens, then on amazon you should be able to find a deep hood, they are hard to use with a CPL but if you do not have a CPL it might protect the lens just enough.

You will absolutely need a cpl for Yellowstone's colorful pools.

Last time my brother came with me I had to lend him my $60 linear polarizer to put in front of his p&s after he saw my photos. Then I ended up lending him and his wife my polarized sunglasses every time they really wanted to appreciate the colorful pools. I would bring polarized sunglasses too - it seriously makes a huge difference.

The pools are best photographed when the sun is higher (when other landscape shots are not so good). Geysers can be shot in various light, but morning and evening are usually best. If you really want to see geysers going off you need to be patient (difficult with a family) or know the 'skinny' and have a plan.

Wildlife (except bison) is another excursion in itself. Not my forte, but dawn and dusk are going to be your best bet.

tulsatom wrote in post #16873132
Sorry for all the questions for would a microfiber cloth be suffice to wipe of any spray if any

Yes and actually spray is not actually that big of a concern, just wipe your lens. I have a thought in the back of my mind that actually with camera lenses you don't get the silica crust because of the lens coating. In any case I have been sprayed multiple times and forgotten to wipe my lens and never had a problem. The last time was with the TS-E and I was a little concerned after realizing I'd been shooting for 10+ minutes and looking at my spotted front element, but everything came off with a wipe. You don't need water or lens fluid either. Car windshields OTOH I know can get spotted with silica. There are a few places by Great Fountain your can can get sprayed, if it happens clean your windows with water.

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #16873048
I will be there in January for a week of winter photography.

I'm Jealous. I really want to do winter there, but without a guide. I was hoping fall or spring would suffice, but it's not so easy getting winter-like conditions or for me to time it right. I may try to do 5 days in the Upper Basin by myself in true winter.