Any tips for shooting in Zion National Park?

[coffeedevil]

Hey everyone!

My name's Pete, and I'm new here! I just started getting into photography as a hobby in the past year or two. Having a pretty good time with it so far

I have a trip out to Zion National Park out in Utah planned for the end of October. Actually, I'm participating in a hike with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and we'll be out there in the park for a day or two. Our group will be hiking on a Saturday, but I'm told that we have the Friday before that to wander around the park on our own. I figured that would be a good time to get some good shots in!

I'm probably going to be hiking in the Narrows and Angel's Landing... I was wondering if there might be anybody here that is familiar with the park, or has been there before, and has some tips or info for shooting out there? Any particular spots that you would recommend checking out in addition to the hiking routes? Recommendations about equipment, etc...

So far, I'm digging taking panoramic shots, dabbling a bit in HDRI and star photography. Any tips or info about shooting that sort of thing while I'm out there (or anything else, really - I'll try anything!) would certainly be appreciated!

Thanks!
-Pete

[mosgood]

Take a polarizing filter for your camera. It'll help give you nice skies to go with the dramatic cliffs. I was just there last year in late November. It was beautiful. If I can track down some photos, I'll post some here.

[Krusty79]

I've been there before and am going again this weekend. The Narrows is one of my all-time favorite hikes. Bring some water protection for your camera. We bought waterproof backpacks for $25 on eBay. A hiking stick helps, too, since the trail is basically the riverbed. You can usually find one at the trail head. I did the hike in old sneakers, which was okay, but I took my socks off and paid by getting blisters!

I haven't been to Angel's Landing, but it's supposed to be spectacular. There is supposed to be one very hairy narrow spot in the trail that scares a lot of people away, but I haven't seen it myself. We're going to try that hike and I'll have a first-hand report when I get back.

The Zion Subway looks cool and I'll try to make it there also.

Best day hikes in Zion National Park, Utah

[cyber3d]

What equipment and camera you planning on taking?

[coffeedevil]

Thanks for the info so far!

-cyber: I have a Canon T1i. For lenses, I have the basic kit lens, and a 17-40 L which I'm sure will be my default lens while I'm there... I'll likely rent a zoom lens as well. And of course, I have the tripod and shutter release. Any suggestions on another good lens to bring would be good to hear!

-Krusty: Enjoy your trip this weekend! The Zion Subway looks awesome -Thanks for the suggestion! Please let me know what you find in there - I definitely want to check that out after looking at the page you linked to!

And I'm definitely going to pick up a waterproof bag. I certainly don't want to risk it walking through that river!

-mosgood: Yeah, I have a polarizing filter for my kit lens. But I've heard that they don't really play well with wide angle lenses like my 17-40. Or do they? Certainly worth looking into. And if you ever dig up pictures from when you were there, I'd love to see them!

Thanks!
-Pete

[cyber3d]

Well, you definitely need a sturdy tripod and remote shutter release. Especially true if you plan on doing much HDR imaging. I have a RF wireless remote (RF is better than IR because you don't have to be "line of sight" and you can even hide quite a distance away if you are doing nature shots). Bring a set of 3 plastic coasters (dinner type) for putting tripod on mushy surfaces. Also, lens hoods (much better than trying to edit glare out of your pics). Put your gear in a comfortable backpack. If you are going to hike around you may want to have either a bunch of extra SD cards or battery operated portable hard drive with download capabilities.

[mosgood]

A couple of places to check out would be the outer rim of the park to the west (approximate). The road is a little precarious in places...just a sliver of a piece of rock with steep drop offs on both sides,but it's well worth the trip. We got some lovely shots there. It's also a little strange to see people living on the edge of the park...there's even a small farm & multiple homes. I wasn't expecting to see that. Very different features from the interior of the park here, but definitely worth visiting.

Another is the drive through a tunnel to the east (approximate) since I wasn't going by a compass heading. You may find big horn sheep on the other side. We did last November. Very pretty area. Can't wait to return.

We bought the polarizer for our 18-200mm lens & it worked fine. Sure made a difference since the day before the skies were really bland in our pictures. We found a small photo shop in St. George where we made our purchase.

[SwissJon]

Wow.. I remember this place.. Haven't been there for 20 years.. Make sure you post some pictures when you get back, it'll bring back some happy memories.

If you get the chance, go see the rock formations in Coyote Bulls North.. Absolutely incredible.

The Wave on the Utah / Arizona border is one of the best hikes in the world.

[mosgood]

The Wave is a place that's on my bucket list of places to photograph. Haven't made it there yet, but hope to within the next few years.

[Krusty79]

The last time I was in The Narrows, the water was ankle to knee deep most of the time, but in a couple of spots it was chest deep. The water may be a little higher this year. So, most of the time a daypack will keep your gear dry, but for those times when the water is chest deep, you'll either need some type of waterproof bag or I heard some people blow up an air mattress and just float their gear along the water surface. I wouldn't trust that method to keep my DSLR dry, though. I bought one of these waterproof packs on eBay, which is basically a dry bag with shoulder straps:

Over-Board Premium Waterproof Backpack-Black-NEW | eBay

Here's a video that shows some of the gnarly parts of the Angel's Landing hike. Looks like I'm going to have to bring A LOT of water!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0hkc9dIfNU