Advice needed for Grand Canyon trip

davinci953 wrote in post #18535110
I'm not recommending the following tour company, but they require a tripod on some of the tours. Some of the information on the web site might be helpful for you. A friend passed along the information a few months ago when I was planning a trip to northern Arizona. I didn't have time for the canyons, so I don't have personal experience with the company. The reviews overall are positive. There are also some negative reviews that seem to be somewhat consistent in what they're reporting. Sometimes it comes down to the tour guide that you're with who can make or break the experience.

https://www.navajoante​lopecanyon.com/Photo.a​sp

In all my years of traveling and taking photo tours I have never encountered a firm that required

Many have recommended such gear but never required it. At the other extreme I've done some tours where they told you it would be made available so you didn't have to bring your own!

davinci953 wrote in post #18535110
I'm not recommending the following tour company, but they require a tripod on some of the tours. Some of the information on the web site might be helpful for you. A friend passed along the information a few months ago when I was planning a trip to northern Arizona. I didn't have time for the canyons, so I don't have personal experience with the company. The reviews overall are positive. There are also some negative reviews that seem to be somewhat consistent in what they're reporting. Sometimes it comes down to the tour guide that you're with who can make or break the experience.

https://www.navajoante​lopecanyon.com/Photo.a​sp

Thank you for the info, davinci953. I'm now thinking I will skip the tripod and just rely on my 6D's high ISO capabilities.

fishbio wrote in post #18535487
Thank you for the info, davinci953. I'm now thinking I will skip the tripod and just rely on my 6D's high ISO capabilities.

fishbio, you may want to consider throwing together a poor man's monopod, just in case. Now, I will tell you that many a person is skeptical, but all that proves is they haven't tried it. It works well, costs about $3 and weighs little.

Go to a hardware source and get an 1/4-20 eyebolt and two nuts, same size. If you can find it, you can get these items in nylon which minimizes the weight but costs a bit more. Mount the two nuts on the eyebolt and then screw the eyebolt into the camera but do not tighten it. Back it off slightly then position and lock the two nuts. This ensures you won't bottom out the eyebolt in the camera socket and possibly damage the camera tripod socket.

Then, purchase 5 to 6 feet (depends on your height) of string and tie it to the eyebolt. Tie the other end to something like 3/8 inch dowel, 2 to 3 inches long (with a drilled hole) and position it so you can stand on it and the string is taught when the camera is at eye level. I'm sure you get the idea. Seriously, by eliminating the vertical plane motion you can get some long exposure hand held shoots using this simple device. I've carried one since 1963 when as a student I found myself in Europe. I couldn't afford a tripod, nor did I have the space in my sea bag to carry it. But I was able to get great hand held shots in buildings and night time shots on the streets. I might add I didn't have the benefit of high ISO, or ASA as I believe it was called. 400 or a push to 800 was about the best you could do with Ektachrome!

[Added] My wife reminded me that in many a museum that did not permit a tripod, I could use the poor man's monopod without any issues.

I personally would recommend to take a day in Sedona for a hike. E.g up to or around cathedral rock. The photo opportunities are just getting much better if you go higher. There's a whole trail system of fairly easy and short hikes that give you a wonderful view over the spectacular scenery.

John from PA wrote in post #18535504
fishbio, you may want to consider throwing together a poor man's monopod, just in case. Now, I will tell you that many a person is skeptical, but all that proves is they haven't tried it. It works well, costs about $3 and weighs little.

Go to a hardware source and get an 1/4-20 eyebolt and two nuts, same size. If you can find it, you can get these items in nylon which minimizes the weight but costs a bit more. Mount the two nuts on the eyebolt and then screw the eyebolt into the camera but do not tighten it. Back it off slightly then position and lock the two nuts. This ensures you won't bottom out the eyebolt in the camera socket and possibly damage the camera tripod socket.

Then, purchase 5 to 6 feet (depends on your height) of string and tie it to the eyebolt. Tie the other end to something like 3/8 inch dowel, 2 to 3 inches long (with a drilled hole) and position it so you can stand on it and the string is taught when the camera is at eye level. I'm sure you get the idea. Seriously, by eliminating the vertical plane motion you can get some long exposure hand held shoots using this simple device. I've carried one since 1963 when as a student I found myself in Europe. I couldn't afford a tripod, nor did I have the space in my sea bag to carry it. But I was able to get great hand held shots in buildings and night time shots on the streets. I might add I didn't have the benefit of high ISO, or ASA as I believe it was called. 400 or a push to 800 was about the best you could do with Ektachrome!

[Added] My wife reminded me that in many a museum that did not permit a tripod, I could use the poor man's monopod without any issues.

Thanks John. I have heard of that technique (or something similar), but I've never tried it. I may give it a try and practice with it before leaving for my trip.

drmaxx wrote in post #18535526
I personally would recommend to take a day in Sedona for a hike. E.g up to or around cathedral rock. The photo opportunities are just getting much better if you go higher. There's a whole trail system of fairly easy and short hikes that give you a wonderful view over the spectacular scenery.

Hosted photo: posted by drmaxx in
./showthread.php?p=185​35526&i=i9111126
forum: Nature & Landscapes

This was mid Feb with very pleasant temperatures for being outside.

Thanks drmaxx. We will likely check out the trails around Sedona and Cathedral Rock.

John from PA wrote in post #18535159
In all my years of traveling and taking photo tours I have never encountered a firm that required

Many have recommended such gear but never required it. At the other extreme I've done some tours where they told you it would be made available so you didn't have to bring your own!

I thought that unusual too when I saw it listed on the web site. If I were going to use them, I'd probably call first to get clarification.

fishbio wrote in post #18535638
Thanks drmaxx. We will likely check out the trails around Sedona and Cathedral Rock.

Some very detailed information at http://www.sedonahikin​gtrails.com/index.html

In particular, and from the same site, Cathedral Rock details are at http://www.sedonahikin​gtrails.com/cathedral-rock-trail.htm..

In upper Sedona, go to the Open Range Grill & Tavern about 1/2 hour before sunset. Request a window seat and watch the sunset on Cathedral. The address is 320 AZ-89A, just down the street (same side) from the Pink Jeep booking place. Food is American "comfort" style and decent. Sunset will be at about 6:30 in mid-March. Might even be worth a reservation. Check http://www.openrangese​dona.com/

John from PA wrote in post #18535689
Some very detailed information at http://www.sedonahikin​gtrails.com/index.html

In particular, and from the same site, Cathedral Rock details are at http://www.sedonahikin​gtrails.com/cathedral-rock-trail.htm..

In upper Sedona, go to the Open Range Grill & Tavern about 1/2 hour before sunset. Request a window seat and watch the sunset on Cathedral. The address is 320 AZ-89A, just down the street (same side) from the Pink Jeep booking place. Food is American "comfort" style and decent. Sunset will be at about 6:30 in mid-March. Might even be worth a reservation. Check http://www.openrangese​dona.com/

Thanks for the links, John.

We just returned from our trip to the Grand Canyon area. We spent three nights at the canyon, two in Page, and two in Cottonwood. Thanks to everyone that offered advice, especially John and Wilt. The trip was great and I am happy with many of the photos I took. I took two cameras (6D and 70D), and three lenses (16-35, 24-105, and 70-200).

We stayed at Kachina Lodge on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Although the room was expensive, it was very convenient and I'm glad we stayed there. We took the shuttle bus to all of the overlooks between the Village and Hermits Rest one afternoon, mainly to scout locations. I returned the next morning (at dawn) to my favorite spot, Mohave Point, for sunrise photos. We visited most of the overlooks on the east side of the village by car. Desert View Watchtower was my favorite spot on the east side. The tower was interesting and provided a great location for pictures of the canyon.

From the canyon, we traveled to Page. AZ to check out the slot canyons and Horseshoe Bend. We followed Wilt's advice and bought our tickets at the slot canyon site (Dixie Ellis). We picked the 8:45 am time slot and were rewarded with sparse crowds. We only had five people in our tour group, and I had plenty of time to take photos in the slot canyon. Charm, our guide, was very pleasant and informative.

We had planned to spend the final two nights in Sedona, but it was too crowded and touristy for me. We traveled on to Cottonwood, which was much more to my liking. The historic district (Old Town) of Cottonwood is very nice. We had lunch at the Red Rooster and dinner at the Tavern Grille. Both were excellent. Although we stayed in Cottonwood, we drove toward Sedona each day for photos.

I'll post some photos a little later. Thanks again to everyone for their help.

John

fishbio wrote in post #18586095
We had planned to spend the final two nights in Sedona, but it was too crowded and touristy for me.

Are you referring to what is often called "uptown" or "upper town"?

I think so, John. It reminded me too much of Gatlinburg, TN. Bumper to bumper traffic moving at a snail's pace! I liked the area between Sedona and Cottonwood.

It's nice to hear back from you and to read that you had a pleasant experience. I love the area.

fishbio wrote in post #18586228
It reminded me too much of Gatlinburg, TN. Bumper to bumper traffic moving at a snail's pace!

Then do not, I repeat do not ever consider moving to southeast Pennsylvania. Where I live there are seventeen traffic lights in about 5 miles. On average about half or more you will hit on red. The dumb experts wonder what creates road rage.

fishbio wrote in post #18586095
We just returned from our trip to the Grand Canyon area. We spent three nights at the canyon, two in Page, and two in Cottonwood. Thanks to everyone that offered advice, especially John and Wilt.

I'll post some photos a little later. Thanks again to everyone for their help.

John

Thanks for posting. I'll be going out to Flagstaff in June with my family and friends and am looking forward to see your photos from your trip. I've already booked a photography tour of Antelope canyon and of course we'll hit Horseshoe bend, Grand Canyon, and other sights. So many close to Flagstaff! Thanks for the heads up on Sedona. If it's too much like what you described, we may head on past and head to the quirky town of Jerome and drink some of Maynard James Keenan's wines at Caduceus.