Going to Utah: Bryce Canyonand Zion NP

[poker]

I've never felt so unprepared. I didn't plan this trip and I'm just tagging along. I know we will be hiking including a trail that puts us in water.

I understand that this place is a wonderful place for photography. I just don't know what I'm getting myself into. I'm nervous. How much gear should I bring? How do I protect it?

Any tips for me on the topic of long hikes and camera gear?

[mjs1973]

I love Bryce & Zion! My first piece of advice would be to relax and enjoy the trip.

What do you have for gear?

I'm guessing you will be doing a lot of landscape photography so I would say a wide angle lens is going to be important as well as a tripod. A medium telephoto to help isolate some details would be good too. For me, these parks haven't produced a lot of wildlife so I would leave the long, heavy glass behind. Since you are going to be hiking, keeping the weight of your gear bag to a minimum is also going to be important. My personal preference is to use a backpack for hiking as I hate shoulder bags. They are not always the quickest method of accessing your gear, but for me, they are the most comfortable to use on long hikes, and being comfortable makes the photography more fun. A polarizer will come in handy for making the clouds pop out against the blue sky.

They have changed some things in Zion since the first time I was there. You are no longer able to drive to some areas of the park. You will need to take a shuttle in order to reach those areas. For this reason, packing your photo gear is very important because you're not going to be able to run back to your car and grab something you may have forgotten.

[Photo-John]

What trail puts you in water? Is it the Zion Narrows? That one is no big deal. Just know that you're gonna be wet and your feet will get cold. But you shouldn't have to worry about your camera gear unless you slip and fall. However, if you're doing some real canyoneering, you'll probably want a dry bag. And a waterproof point-and-shoot.

[Toot]

Beautiful, beautiful area's. My guess is, that no matter how well prepared you are, you will know better what to take the next time. Good advise from the other posts. But be prepared for wet and/or dusty and good shoes. Enjoy

[poker]

I have a 17-40, 24-70, and 70-200. I'm thinking of bringing my Canon 7D and my old Canon A2 film camera. We re getting dry bags for $5 somewhere. My tripods are not good for these situations. One is too heavy and the other not reliable.

Too much?

Yes we are hiking the narrows.

[Toot]

Just a thought....someone once showed me a little trick to help with the tripod issue. I got an eye-bolt from the hardware store, that fit the same size hole in the bottom of the camera. Attach a light chain (maybe a nylon cord) to the eye bolt. Screw the eye bolt into the camera with the string hanging down to the ground .You want it long enough to stand on it. Bring up the camera to eye level, stand on the chain or cord, keeping it tight. This works great for helping stabalize the camera. Works great for panning, too. When you're done you can put it in your pocket. I personally prefer a light, but tough chain. I can feel it better under my feet. FYI, you want the chain long enough for when you do portraits, too. It works in a pinch. Have fun!

[mjs1973]

Are you planning on doing day hikes from a base camp, or is this going to be overnight backpack hiking? If you are doing day hikes, I don't think that is too much gear, but may be a little overkill as far as weight goes for overnight backpack hiking.

As far as the film goes, I often travel with a DSLR and a 35mm SLR. Some scenes just beg for Velvia or Provia. That being said, the vast majority of the time, the 35mm body and film are just extra weight to carry and they don't get used much at all. When they do get used, I'm also photographing the same scene with my DSLR so I don't have to deal with trying to make a print from film later on. I love the look of slides on a light table, but when it comes to traveling, I'm not sure if the extra weight is worth it.