I was thinking of making a trip out to the Palouse in June. Initially, I thought of booking a photo tour since the area is so vast, but most of them are completely booked. Then I thought, "why can't I just go up there and find my own way?" Are there any resources out there with maps and suggestions on the photogenic areas?
Also, many of these tours' website recommend telephoto zooms. Is this range really needed? I'm actually in the process of selling my entire Nikon kit so I will probably not have a telephoto zoom by this trip. Maybe I can rent one for my NEX.
I think you can do it on your own, and if you are after landscapes, you don't really need a long lens.
Tell us more about what you want to do and shoot. Will you be camping, in a tent or RV? Or, looking for hotel/motel accommodations? Where are you coming from? Straight away, I'll recommend Steptoe Butte, sunrise or sunset. Palouse Falls is an icon. Almost any road will show you rolling hills with wheat at some stage. Barns are common and photogenic. Don't overlook Snake River Canyon while so close.
Some reach, like a 70-200, is really nice to have in this area, IMO. Especially if you shoot from Steptoe, you're going to want some reach to isolate the texture of the land. There is camping available at Steptoe and Kamiak Buttes. If you stay in a hotel the most central location is Colfax. Also, there are many new wind generators north of Steptoe Butte. Gravel roads constructed for these are (mostly) open to the public. One in particular does not have a gate and provides a new "mini" butte to view the Palouse.
You'll love it. Though many photographers have discovered it in recent years it is so vast that you're unlikely to encounter many others except on Steptoe Butte.
I definitely concur with Aaron. Although not mandatory, some long reach is very useful for the Palouse. It opens up possibilities that you would not otherwise have. I often use a 70-200 with 1.4TC. On this last trip, I also used the 400 w/ 1.4TC while up on Steptoe Butte.
One last thought, Steptoe Butte is a state park and requires a Discover Pass. They are not sold on-site but are checked on occasion. Check online for places that you can buy one.
I've never been to the Palouse, but as a photographer and Washington resident, I feel I can offer some suggestions:
First, wildflower season is early this year. Late June is probably too late if you're trying to catch these at their peak.
Second, the last week of May and first week of June most tours are booked. They had to plan these in advance based on historical assumptions. Go mid-May this year and you might have a better chance, and you could avoid the masses (a critical criteria for me).
Third, I think it is really unnecessary to book a tour. The main areas are Steptoe Butte and Palouse Falls. There is no difficulty finding the locations. There is no hiking involved. Unless you need some primary instruction in how to capture a photograph in an ideal location the workshops are likely a waste. In my opinion, your main worry will be trying to avoid all the traffic from the "workshops".
The telephoto will be handy for capturing the compressed images of the landscape patterns that I'm sure you've seen many times before - spring is a good time for these shots as many crops exhibit very saturated colors and textures. If all you are interested in is capturing a foreground element like wildflowers, or even the classic perspectives of Palouse Falls, the wide will do you much better.
I just went there for the first time. It is certainly easy to do with out help. We stayed at the Best Western (I think) in Colfax which was nice and close to steptoe. I think all of my favorites were taken with my 70-300 so I would really try to have a telephoto.
One mistake we made is to try to drive too far and see the whole area. We spent too long on the highways and not enough time getting lost on the backroads. Just exploring on the little roads that look good on google earth is the most fun. Enjoy. Brian
Thanks for the replies guys. I had two chats, one email and one over the phone with two tour operators, who were really nice and helpful. Unfortunately, they were complete booked. two years ago, I did the Blue Ridge Parkway, and even though, I found a lot of photo ops along the road, I felt I probably missed a whole lot.
For this trip, I was planning to stay in Colfax at the Best Western. It seems to be the place to stay. I asked about the telephoto zoom mainly because most of those farms are private property, and I do not want to tresspass. Geoffery, your suggestion about beating the crowd is a great advice.
I assume I should at least rent an SUV? Are there maps of all the easy to get to vantage points? I found one guy offering them for $25 online, but I'm not sure what I'm getting. There are maps, and then there are instructions on trails to get to those points. Last, but not least, how many days would be good to get a feel for the place? I was thinking 3 days. Maybe more?
Oh one last thing. I notice there is an airport nearby the area, however, some tour companies have people flying into Spokane. I'll be arriving from San Francisco, and there are flights into Pullman (I believe); however, car rentals maybe easier from Spokane. Any advice?
I'm quite excited to see this place. The images I've seen online are spectacular.
Pullman is a VERY small airport. I think there is usually one flight out in the morning and another flight that comes in at night (11 PM). At least that has been my experience with work-related flights. I've never rented since I live here but I would guess the choices are sparse. It's only an hour to drive from Spokane to Colfax and that'll give you a good idea of how vast the Palouse is. You'll also pass by the wind turbines just north of Steptoe. The Best Western in Colfax is the best place to stay for overall value. You really don't need an SUV. There are only a couple really rough rutted roads. Most dirt roads are maintained by the farmers and fairly good.
