gdanmitchell
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Creative Edge wrote:
great set of images, I always tend to read your posts on Utah as I often travel there and like to learn as much as I can about it.. thank you for posting.
Thanks!
I'll share a few photography tips for the place.
1. I am used to photographing in places where the very early and very late hours bring the best light, but in red rock country — especially canyon country — those rules don't apply the same way. There is certainly good golden hour light, but sometimes the intensity of the color can be overwhelming. (See my shot of sunrise light on a face in Zion for an example. I actually had to tone down the saturation!)
2. In canyons the better times are often closer to the middle of the day, when the direct sunlight strikes the upper cliff faces and reflects warm, soft light down into the canyons. It is almost as if this is a different sort of golden hour. (When I'm in a canyon I'm often scoping out what I think the light will look like much later in the day so that I can return when the reflected light appears.)
3. The big vistas can be a challenge.The distance diminishes the color intensity and contrast and using long lenses can lead to some sharpness issues with atmospheric interference. Clouds are good if you can arrange for them!
4. Wind, even a bit of it, is your enemy in the deeper and narrower canyons. Do not mention it or the wind gods may take vengeance on you.
5. Getting out on foot often can give you a bit of distance on crowds. On the day we were in Zion Canyon there were tons of people at the shuttle stop where we got off. But when we walked down canyon, photographing as we went, there was hardly anyone around!
6. There are tons of backroads in Utah that are accessible with 4WD or even, in the hands of a skillful driver, a less rugged vehicle. Many of them are worth exploring. There's lots to be discovered.
I cannot get enough of the place. A few years ago I spent the better part of October around the southern part of the state, and I've been there a bunch of other times... and I feel like I've still just scratched the surface.
Dan
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