Bryce/Zion Preview (very long post)

ChrisJ

Unfortunately, the timing did not work out where I could commit to the dgrin shootout... Thankfully, my brother and his family decided to go to Las Vegas, so on the way to meet them we took the opportunity to hit Bryce and Zion first. We were at Bryce April 14-16, Zion 16-18.

Bryce Canyon from Sunrise Point - At Sunrise



It is very difficult travelling with a 10 month old who isn't sleeping well. So we couldn't do any serious hiking. But we were early enough in the season that we could take our car and not the tram.

Rainbow Point



There was quite a bit of snow around still, but only a couple of roads were closed. At ~9000 ft, it was a bit nippy even during the day. The air smelled refreshingly clean.

Rainbow Point



Wildlife was almost non-existant. This raven posed nicely, though.

Agua Canyon Overlook



I'm not sure we ever hit it at quite the right light (see 10 month old, above), but Bryce Point was spectacular. Because of the way most of the canyons face, sunrise usually provided better light.

Bryce Point



Not far away is Inspiration Point. A short, mildly steep walk up to the overlook. I'm sure hiking further around/downward can give some really nice vantage points.

Inspiration Point



My wife and I took turns going a short way down the Navajo Trail. It got muddy toward the bottom, so we didn't go much further than this.

Navajo Trail (Credit to my wife Joy for this piccy)



The loop was broken on the Navajo Trail, so the best views of Thor's Hammer were inaccessible due to unstable rock. So this was the best we could get.



Still reading? Then onward to Zion, which I found much more difficult to photograph. It's steep and immense.

Thankfully, there are several trails which are stroller accessible here. Be careful of the wind here, my wife got soaked! Watch your equipment!

Zion - Emerald Pools



Tram service had already started, but we stayed at the lodge, so had a little bit more freedom to move around. The lodge is surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides. It's awesome.

Zion Lodge (From our Room)



I really wanted an ultra-wide angle lens, but I had to make do with what I had... This is one of the more artistic shots I tried. I really liked the tree silhouetted against the steep cliff with the blue sky. YMMV.



I'm sure the Weeping Wall would have been a great opportunity for "Porous," it was really cool.

Weeping Rock



I think to take really great landscape shots here, you need to get some elevation, which we couldn't afford to do.

View from Weeping Rock



It was a really great trip, except for the lack of sleep! The scenery is utterly amazing. This is from the Lodge park area.



I hope you enjoyed this small preview of Bryce and Zion. The weather was beautiful for the most part, though lacking of nice poofy clouds. I'm really looking forward to seeing what more experienced photographers can do.

I believe everything was taken with my 20D and 17-85 EF-S lens. These shots have minimal (crop/curves) or no processing done to them. If I had my choice of any lenses, I would have brought a 10-22 EF-S and a 24-105L, and an extra body so I could have them both accessible!

C&C always welcome. I've got some Panos that I'll post a bit later...

Full galleries are here, lots of family shots mixed in: http://chrisandjoy.smugmug.com/Vacation/180484

DavidTO

I'm getting excited!

DanielB

DavidTO wrote:

I'm getting excited!

i'm wishing i could go even more.:cry

wxwax

Wow, now I'm bumming out even more. Thanks for the tour, it's great!

pathfinder

You staying home this year, waxy??

I'll shoot some shots fer ya:):

I loved the Navaho Trail shot, Chris!

Andy

s0000000000per

wxwax

pathfinder wrote:

You staying home this year, waxy??

I'll shoot some shots fer ya:):

I loved the Navaho Trail shot, Chris!

I tried to make my finger flat, using dumbells. Didn't work, the finger's still round, but it made a bit of a mess. I can't grip or lift until right after the trip. I can shoot, with a bit of difficulty, but bag and tripod toting are off-limits, lest the bone not set properly. I'm bummed. These shots here are great food for thought.

Stef

Chris...



Wow! I love them all, but this one almost took my breath away! I really need to get up there. I'm not far at all... what am I waiting for?

Great shots!!!

ChrisJ

Thanks, everyone! There were definitely a couple places where my jaw dropped on this trip. Take the rim trail to the left a little ways (couple hundred feet?) instead of going to the right at Bryce Point, then look back to the right when you can see around the bend. I was awed. Time was close to sunset. I overexposed my pics from there because I was in a hurry and didn't review (camera was set on manual a lot).

I got up *very* early for my Sunrise pictures, and was really glad I did. The moon had set and the Milky Way was as bright/brighter than I remember Hawaii being. Just incredible.



This was taken at 6:05 am, sunrise was at 7:05 am (Click pic for EXIF, time is off by an hour). I could barely see the canyon, but the camera could. 20s exposure.

So yes, Stef, it's definitely worth it to get out there!

ian408

Thor's Hammer is a pretty classic shot and well done. Many don't visit in
the winter/spring months which is too bad because it's lovely at that time.

Glad to hear you had a good time.

Jeffro

Stef wrote:

Chris...



Wow! I love them all, but this one almost took my breath away! I really need to get up there. I'm not far at all... what am I waiting for?

Great shots!!!

Ditto!! I've never been there, but I have got to find the time!!

ChrisJ

ian408 wrote:

Thor's Hammer is a pretty classic shot and well done. Many don't visit in
the winter/spring months which is too bad because it's lovely at that time.

Glad to hear you had a good time.

Thanks Ian. There was only that one spot I could find where the hammer had a nice tree-filled background. I would definitely go there again at this time (or fall, just to be different), the snow just made it a bit more magical in some way.

One word of warning to everyone: Zion was MUCH more crowded than Bryce. The trails felt half-deserted at Bryce, and almost congested at Zion. Of course, we stayed on the easy trails, it usually gets better on the more difficult hikes.

ChrisJ

Jeffro wrote:

Ditto!! I've never been there, but I have got to find the time!!

Thanks, Jeff. Even if I hadn't taken any pictures, it would have been well worth it.

Nikolai

Nice once, Chris!
I had a very similar amazing experience in 2003: Bryce and Zion.

Hope you don't mind me posting some bland copies of your images:-)

Bryce: Thor Hammer:



Bryce: The Wall Street:



Zion: The Weeping Rock:



Zion: Upper Emeral Pool:



And I agree - those canyons usually cry for a waaaaaaaaaide lens... Darn, I am still a few benjis short of securing TS-E 24mm :cry
So I guess I'd have to live with 10-22 (and, of course, my trusty 17-85:-)

Cheers!

ChrisJ

Nikolai wrote:

I had a very similar amazing experience in 2003: Bryce and Zion.

Bryce: The Wall Street:



Cheers!

Cool shots, Nik! I enjoyed looking through your galleries too. The above shot is what I really missed seeing. We just couldn't make it into the depths of the canyon on this trip...

GREAPER

wxwax wrote:

I tried to make my finger flat, using dumbells. Didn't work, the finger's still round, but it made a bit of a mess. I can't grip or lift until right after the trip. I can shoot, with a bit of difficulty, but bag and tripod toting are off-limits, lest the bone not set properly. I'm bummed. These shots here are great food for thought.

Sorry to hear about the finger. I was looking forward to shooting with you again.