I will be at Bryce next month. Got any particular tips about shooting in the Canyon? e.g. time of day, position of camera, filters etc.... Is a 28mm wide enough? Thx.
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There seems to many many opinions on Bryce. Sunrise Point seems obvious for sunrise. But many also suggest (the oddly named) Sunset Point. When I checked into the hotel, they told me I needed to be at Inspiration Point for sunrise. And the sign at Bryce Point says "most photographers agree Bryce Point is the place to be for sunrise".
In any case, the Canon faces due east, so sunrise is certainly the time to be there. The points mentioned above jut out into the canyon and look back into the amphitheaters.
Personally, I preferred Sunrise Point. The spires have streaks of white that provides some contrast and can't be found elsewhere, and are more jagged than the other locations.
Don't shoot toward where the sun is rising, as 95% of the people will be. Get out to the edge of the overlook, or a little ways down the trail, and shoot back at the spires.
After an hour or so of shooting sunrise, hike down the connected Queens Garden and Navajo Loop Trails and shoot upwards as the light gets into the canyon. Sunset's a dud as it sets opposite the interesting bits, and they all fall into complete shadow before any decent light appears.
I used a graduated ND filter to avoid overexposing the sky in many places. What type of camera is the lens mounted to? I looked at the EXIF from my shots and the sunrise shots are all 24mm or wider. On a 1.6 crop factor camera, that's 38mm FF equivalent. Many are 35-40, so 28 even on a 1.5 or 1.6 body should be OK for sunrise. Once I got down into the trails, I was using down to 12mm.
You can look at the shots in my gallery - hover over the image and select the "Photo Info" from the flyout panel and you can see the focal length (and other data) for each shot. Most were with my 24-105, but went down to the 12-24 and even some close-ups with 100-400.
There seems to many many opinions on Bryce. Sunrise Point seems obvious for sunrise. But many also suggest (the oddly named) Sunset Point. When I checked into the hotel, they told me I needed to be at Inspiration Point for sunrise. And the sign at Bryce Point says "most photographers agree Bryce Point is the place to be for sunrise".
In any case, the Canon faces due east, so sunrise is certainly the time to be there. The points mentioned above jut out into the canyon and look back into the amphitheaters.
Personally, I preferred Sunrise Point. The spires have streaks of white that provides some contrast and can't be found elsewhere, and are more jagged than the other locations.
Don't shoot toward where the sun is rising, as 95% of the people will be. Get out to the edge of the overlook, or a little ways down the trail, and shoot back at the spires.
After an hour or so of shooting sunrise, hike down the connected Queens Garden and Navajo Loop Trails and shoot upwards as the light gets into the canyon. Sunset's a dud as it sets opposite the interesting bits, and they all fall into complete shadow before any decent light appears.
I used a graduated ND filter to avoid overexposing the sky in many places. What type of camera is the lens mounted to? I looked at the EXIF from my shots and the sunrise shots are all 24mm or wider. On a 1.6 crop factor camera, that's 38mm FF equivalent. Many are 35-40, so 28 even on a 1.5 or 1.6 body should be OK for sunrise. Once I got down into the trails, I was using down to 12mm.
You can look at the shots in my gallery - hover over the image and select the "Photo Info" from the flyout panel and you can see the focal length (and other data) for each shot. Most were with my 24-105, but went down to the 12-24 and even some close-ups with 100-400.
Wow, I enjoyed and inspired by your portfolio of the Canyon shots. Thank you for sharing. I recommend all photogs (or want-to-be) check out his work Awesome
I am in the market for a new DSLR. Hope to get it before my trip to the Canyons. Strongly leaning toward the Nikon D90 body. For my own use, I want to carry only 1 lens (I don't want to carry too much weight). Either a Tamron (AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC (Vibration Compensation) LD Aspherical (IF) Macro), or Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR DX. Still evaluating the lens.
Did you use tripot for all those shots?
Thanks again for sharing.
Here's a photo I snapped while on a safari at the Leopard Hills Private Game Reserve in Sabi Sands area of South Africa. (notice the blood on the right side of the cheetah's face)
Here's a photo of a YellowBilled Hornbill flicking termites into its mouth. I caught the termite in mid-flick.
Here's a photo of a lion right after feasting on a fresh kill
Location: A festering pit; a pustule of a fistula set athwart the miasmic swamps of the armpit of the Gulf of Mexico - a Godforsaken wart upon a dark crevasse of the World. (IAH)
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I can't get enough of the white-sand beaches at Fort Walton Beach. I don't think I've ever seen sand as white anywhere else.
That's Fit to Print.
