National Park Passes
One of my retired friends told me his National Park Pass was something like $15 lifetime, once one reaches a certain age. I don't know if that's true yet. I should go look at their website. We will be ordering our passes early next year. Either way, they're a good deal. Remember, we'll be visiting two parks already. That'll about pay for them right there.
My Smugmug
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
One of my retired friends told me his National Park Pass was something like $15 lifetime, once one reaches a certain age. I don't know if that's true yet. I should go look at their website. We will be ordering our passes early next year. Either way, they're a good deal. Remember, we'll be visiting two parks already. That'll about pay for them right there.
Yep. There is a Golden Age Passport for full time US residents who are 62 or older that I believe you have to buy in person at one of the national parks. I guess they want to count the grey hairs. Anyway, there is info about it on the website. I qualify :cry and plan to look into getting one after the holidays. Or maybe I'll just get one when I get to Bryce. I'm beginning to get excited about the shoot. But gotta keep my mind on my Christmas list etc. etc. for the moment. The 25th is coming up fast.
Virginia
Virginia
_______________________________________________ "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus
Zion hiking Oy Andy! That looks excellent! anybody up for it??? I may even consider buying a 35 F/1.4 for this just a 20D and that lens will suffice for some serious shots and not being bothered by the camera while hiking!!!
One of my retired friends told me his National Park Pass was something like $15 lifetime, once one reaches a certain age. I don't know if that's true yet. I should go look at their website. We will be ordering our passes early next year. Either way, they're a good deal. Remember, we'll be visiting two parks already. That'll about pay for them right there.
One can purchase All-in-one for $40 and have it working for *all* national parks for the year. That's what we gonna do (I mean those who are doing both official and post shootouts).
Zion hiking Oy Andy! That looks excellent! anybody up for it??? I may even consider buying a 35 F/1.4 for this just a 20D and that lens will suffice for some serious shots and not being bothered by the camera while hiking!!!
Michiel, I have to tell/warn you - Zion can be very challenging hiking-wise. High altitude and steep cliffs would lay a certain burden on anybody, especially on somebody whose body still lives by Amsterdam time:-)
For instance, hike to the Angles Landing, while delivering breathtaking view, will take most of the day and all of your legs:-). And speaking of Zion's Narrows - we, post-shooters, will have plenty of the same or better later, but without the danger of dropping our precious equipment into the muddy waters...
Now it's probably too early, but at some point in February or so I'd like to start a discussion of what exactly we gonna do in each canyon (and definitely at each stop in the post shootout). I mean, those places are gorgeous, but, given the very limited time frame, like in Yosemite, sometimes you need guides..
The US Air Force has seen fit to allow me to get the $%&@ out. My exit date is 30 June and my terminal leave should start in the middle of May. That's PERFECT timing for a Bryce/Zion photo adventure and a road trip of monumental proportions (and it'll be prime beard growing time!!!). My money will be in shortly and my space is reserved with Andy. So I'm in.
Now I'll be driving from the Seattle area all the way there. I could do it in maybe 2 days but I'll probably take a little longer so I can hit sites along the way. I'm more than willing to take up to 4 other dgrinners down there with me (4 will be a bit cramped, 3 will be better) as long as you're willing to split the gas (and I've got a prius so that won't be so bad). The catch is that I'm not driving back any time soon (not until the middle to end of July probably) so you'll have to find another way back.
If there aren't any takers, I'll have a car that is wide open to help shuttle folks around (details can be worked out at a later date).
The average photographer skill level in the group has just dropped several points. :uhoh
Y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance.
Another Mod. in. Hooray! But there's not gonna be anybody left to run the store. I do have confidence that Baldy will have a vBulletin plug-in to have this joint running on automatic mode by then.
And now I won't consider myself the only one nuts enough to do a multi-day drive down there (Mrs. D_S85 now almost offering me bribes NOT to drive - she's flying).
I guess congrats are in order for the Air Force retirement then? Is that a decision you've been pondering for a while?
The US Air Force has seen fit to allow me to get the $%&@ out. My exit date is 30 June and my terminal leave should start in the middle of May. That's PERFECT timing for a Bryce/Zion photo adventure and a road trip of monumental proportions
I mean, the official part is nice, but would you miss the roadtrip?
Hi - for those of us not in the US can you tell us where Bryce & Zion are. I'm possibly interested in coming & would like to know more details so I can research flights etc.
Details to follow - I'm in the process of making reservations etc right now. This trip will require you to make a decision waaaaay in advance, and give us a deposit. Rooms are nearly impossible to get if we wait too long, so this will be a trip that'll be nailed down as far as attendees etc. very very soon!
As to costs estimates for lodging: figure about $40 per person per nght at bryce and $75 per person per night at zion.
Air Travel: in / out of Las Vegas is best.
Marc Muench will be our landscape pro in attendance.
Many more details to follow as they get decided.
EDIT: rooms will have baths/shower & loo
Who's in??
*** all official info on the trip will be posted into this thread ***
Nicola
Iconic Creative http://iconiccreative.smugmug.com "To be creative means the ability to remain thirsty and to want more, never be content...you keep on seeing, discovering and understanding the joy of creativity"
Raghu Rai
Hi - for those of us not in the US can you tell us where Bryce & Zion are. I'm possibly interested in coming & would like to know more details so I can research flights etc.
Thanks
Nicola
Fly In/Out of Las Vegas. Both Parks are in the State of Utah
I just had a suggestion I wanted to throw out there (as geeky as it may be). Many people now have the FRS/GMRS radios for camping/hiking/skiing etc... I have four, and I've used them for many such events and they come in very handy if you're within the 3-10 mile range (depending on the unit and terrain). It might be a good idea to specify a pre-determined "Call-in" channel for the event for a couple reasons:
- People that are looking for the right place to park, meet, etc can "call-in" and get info as they approach
- During the Yosemite trip, the entire dgrin group was split into several small groups to go shoot the sights with one or more people that were experienced and somewhat familiar with the area. It might be helpful for each group to have at least one of these radios so that they can kind of keep in touch throughout the day's shooting activities.
- I'm guessing there's not much cell phone coverage in the park.
The nice thing is that these radios are fairly low cost ($30-$80 for a pair typically).
If this seems to be more trouble than it's worth, no problem. Just thought I would throw it out there, realizing that I may just be a sucker for gadgets.
Agreed on the radios. Great idea, as I seriously doubt that 50 of us would be hiking in one big group.
Wish I owned a set of FRS. Diana & I will be bringing ours, but alas, they aren't FRS, but UHF (a little more range though).
Yeah, I hear that. And if there are any other Ham radio operators out there, I'll be bringing my handheld HT (up 50 miles range). I figure...what the heck...as long as I have space in the backpack, might as well bring all the gadgets.
Radios
I suggested them for Yosemite trip and I more than suggesting to get it this time - even though in canyons they are not too much usefull. But for the post shootout we'd need them, esp. if we end up with more than vehicle. I'm gonna bring a pair of my motorolas..
Motorola pretty much has the market cornered right now, and people have seemed to be the happiest with the range and battery life of their models. The "Talkabout" is the most popular series of models from Motorola.
There's a list and info about all of Motorola's models here.
You pretty much want to go with one that has decent range capabilities. Some people can be disappointed with the range of the cheapest models, but I guess you get what you pay for, right?
I have a set of Talkbout T5000s, and have been pretty happy with them. You just can't expect the world of these radios, since they are manufactured to be very low cost. They advertise up to 10 or 12 miles ranges sometimes, but that is only true in optimal conditions on the GMRS channels (channels 1-7 and 15-22), since they are allowed to have a higher transmit power level at those frequencies.
The other catch is that the FCC started requiring a license for the GMRS channels (kind of like what they tried to do with CB radio about 15 years ago). Of course, the manufactures wait till the fine print in the manual to tell you that. The good news is that you don't need a license for the FRS channels (8-14), but you have lower power (about .5 watt), which limits you to about 3 miles on a good day. Since I use them so much, and already have to pay for my other FCC radio license, I went ahead and sprung for the $100 GRMS license fee (a lot, considering that's more than most of the radios cost). I wonder if a whole group can operate under once license...
Of course, as these things go, the FCC is going to have a heck of a time regulating this rule, since soooo many people are buying these radios...so... (not an official suggestion) I wouldn't be too worried about it for occasional use...but you didn't hear that from me. :hide
Thanks for the info and the links. Not being a radio guy though, I'm a bit at a loss comparing the various models. I found these at JR for the same price, $59.99. From your viewpoint which model would you get and why?
Canon 1D Mk II N - Canon 5D - Canon EF 17-40 f/4L USM - Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM - Canon EF 85 f/1.8 USM - Canon EF 100 f/2.8 macro - Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Thanks for the info and the links. Not being a radio guy though, I'm a bit at a loss comparing the various models. I found these at JR for the same price, $59.99. From your viewpoint which model would you get and why?
Jack, the SX700R seems to give you more bang for your buck, both in features and output power (thus a little more range). Personally I would go with that model as opposed to the T6500R, even though the SX700R is a little bigger in size.
Comments
One of my retired friends told me his National Park Pass was something like $15 lifetime, once one reaches a certain age. I don't know if that's true yet. I should go look at their website. We will be ordering our passes early next year. Either way, they're a good deal. Remember, we'll be visiting two parks already. That'll about pay for them right there.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
Yep. There is a Golden Age Passport for full time US residents who are 62 or older that I believe you have to buy in person at one of the national parks. I guess they want to count the grey hairs.
Virginia
Virginia
"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus
Email
Michiel de Brieder
http://www.digital-eye.nl
One can purchase All-in-one for $40 and have it working for *all* national parks for the year. That's what we gonna do (I mean those who are doing both official and post shootouts).
Michiel, I have to tell/warn you - Zion can be very challenging hiking-wise. High altitude and steep cliffs would lay a certain burden on anybody, especially on somebody whose body still lives by Amsterdam time:-)
For instance, hike to the Angles Landing, while delivering breathtaking view, will take most of the day and all of your legs:-). And speaking of Zion's Narrows - we, post-shooters, will have plenty of the same or better later, but without the danger of dropping our precious equipment into the muddy waters...
Now it's probably too early, but at some point in February or so I'd like to start a discussion of what exactly we gonna do in each canyon (and definitely at each stop in the post shootout). I mean, those places are gorgeous, but, given the very limited time frame, like in Yosemite, sometimes you need guides..
Andy,
I finally played with the work schedule and I'm able to get the time off. Do you have two available spots left?
www.adamstravelphotography.com
Facebook
Now I'll be driving from the Seattle area all the way there. I could do it in maybe 2 days but I'll probably take a little longer so I can hit sites along the way. I'm more than willing to take up to 4 other dgrinners down there with me (4 will be a bit cramped, 3 will be better) as long as you're willing to split the gas (and I've got a prius so that won't be so bad). The catch is that I'm not driving back any time soon (not until the middle to end of July probably) so you'll have to find another way back.
If there aren't any takers, I'll have a car that is wide open to help shuttle folks around (details can be worked out at a later date).
The average photographer skill level in the group has just dropped several points. :uhoh
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
And now I won't consider myself the only one nuts enough to do a multi-day drive down there (Mrs. D_S85 now almost offering me bribes NOT to drive - she's flying).
I guess congrats are in order for the Air Force retirement then? Is that a decision you've been pondering for a while?
Nah. :nah You ain't seen any of my disasters yet.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
I mean, the official part is nice, but would you miss the roadtrip?
I may have missed the post shootout part... Lemme lookup the details
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
http://photos.mikelanestudios.com/
Glad you are coming!
Send money.
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My parents just came back and caught this dancer in perfect turn-out during this December there.
I've never been a photo person, but people on dgrin make me want to go out and shoot.
That's what post-shootout is for:-)
Cheers!
Thanks
Nicola
Iconic Creative
http://iconiccreative.smugmug.com
"To be creative means the ability to remain thirsty and to want more, never be content...you keep on seeing, discovering and understanding the joy of creativity"
Raghu Rai
Bryce:
http://www.nps.gov/brca/
Zion:
http://www.nps.gov/zion/
The coolest thing? Get Google Earth and fly there right now!
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Adam Grim (Grimace) and his GF Kendal are coming
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Hey all,
I just had a suggestion I wanted to throw out there (as geeky as it may be). Many people now have the FRS/GMRS radios for camping/hiking/skiing etc... I have four, and I've used them for many such events and they come in very handy if you're within the 3-10 mile range (depending on the unit and terrain). It might be a good idea to specify a pre-determined "Call-in" channel for the event for a couple reasons:
- People that are looking for the right place to park, meet, etc can "call-in" and get info as they approach
- During the Yosemite trip, the entire dgrin group was split into several small groups to go shoot the sights with one or more people that were experienced and somewhat familiar with the area. It might be helpful for each group to have at least one of these radios so that they can kind of keep in touch throughout the day's shooting activities.
- I'm guessing there's not much cell phone coverage in the park.
The nice thing is that these radios are fairly low cost ($30-$80 for a pair typically).
If this seems to be more trouble than it's worth, no problem. Just thought I would throw it out there, realizing that I may just be a sucker for gadgets.
What'ya think?
http://www.desertshadowphoto.com
http://aero-nut.smugmug.com
Wish I owned a set of FRS. Diana & I will be bringing ours, but alas, they aren't FRS, but UHF (a little more range though).
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
Yeah, I hear that. And if there are any other Ham radio operators out there, I'll be bringing my handheld HT (up 50 miles range). I figure...what the heck...as long as I have space in the backpack, might as well bring all the gadgets.
http://www.desertshadowphoto.com
http://aero-nut.smugmug.com
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I suggested them for Yosemite trip and I more than suggesting to get it this time - even though in canyons they are not too much usefull. But for the post shootout we'd need them, esp. if we end up with more than vehicle. I'm gonna bring a pair of my motorolas..
Researching is my middle name! Will add that to my list-to-do tonight.
Spend your money
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
http://www.pbase.com/kudbegud
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/electronics/two_way_radios/fullstory.html
Motorola pretty much has the market cornered right now, and people have seemed to be the happiest with the range and battery life of their models. The "Talkabout" is the most popular series of models from Motorola.
There's a list and info about all of Motorola's models here.
You pretty much want to go with one that has decent range capabilities. Some people can be disappointed with the range of the cheapest models, but I guess you get what you pay for, right?
I have a set of Talkbout T5000s, and have been pretty happy with them. You just can't expect the world of these radios, since they are manufactured to be very low cost. They advertise up to 10 or 12 miles ranges sometimes, but that is only true in optimal conditions on the GMRS channels (channels 1-7 and 15-22), since they are allowed to have a higher transmit power level at those frequencies.
The other catch is that the FCC started requiring a license for the GMRS channels (kind of like what they tried to do with CB radio about 15 years ago). Of course, the manufactures wait till the fine print in the manual to tell you that. The good news is that you don't need a license for the FRS channels (8-14), but you have lower power (about .5 watt), which limits you to about 3 miles on a good day. Since I use them so much, and already have to pay for my other FCC radio license, I went ahead and sprung for the $100 GRMS license fee (a lot, considering that's more than most of the radios cost). I wonder if a whole group can operate under once license...
Of course, as these things go, the FCC is going to have a heck of a time regulating this rule, since soooo many people are buying these radios...so... (not an official suggestion) I wouldn't be too worried about it for occasional use...but you didn't hear that from me. :hide
http://www.desertshadowphoto.com
http://aero-nut.smugmug.com
Somewhat outdated review of some FRS radios:
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/electronics/two_way_radios/
Just Announced - The latest on the 2006 Motorola FRS series from the CES show:
http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail/0,,6253_6208_23,00.html
Current Motorola family of 2-way radios:
http://direct.motorola.com/ENS/phoneselect_TwoWay.asp?country=USA&language=ENS&productid=29298&web_page_name=TWOWAYRADIOS
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
Thanks for the info and the links. Not being a radio guy though, I'm a bit at a loss comparing the various models. I found these at JR for the same price, $59.99. From your viewpoint which model would you get and why?
SX700R 12-mile http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4042404
T6500R 5-mile http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3996405
Or, for $100 or less, what would you get?
Thanks!
Jack
http://www.SplendorousSojourns.com
Canon 1D Mk II N - Canon 5D - Canon EF 17-40 f/4L USM - Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM - Canon EF 85 f/1.8 USM - Canon EF 100 f/2.8 macro - Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
It's a 2W radio with a nice, consistent 5mi range.
Ian
Jack, the SX700R seems to give you more bang for your buck, both in features and output power (thus a little more range). Personally I would go with that model as opposed to the T6500R, even though the SX700R is a little bigger in size.
Just my humble opinion.
http://www.desertshadowphoto.com
http://aero-nut.smugmug.com
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky