Author Topic: Desert Trip  (Read 4499 times)

SLVR

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Desert Trip
« on: August 27, 2014, 10:16:34 PM »
I'm going on my first trip out of the country in years in a little under a month's time. I should be through Vegas, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Phoenix and all the little fun areas around.

I know there are a few FW's in those areas. If anyone would like to meet up or maybe even point us in a good direction for some non touristy shots or a great place to eat that would be great.


gsgary

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2014, 10:49:10 PM »

My ambition is to fly my motorbike to Canada and ride from the top right down to Argentina,  your trip sounds great I would love to shoot in the desert

Bryan

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2014, 11:51:41 PM »
There are over 700 ghost towns in Nevada and I'm sure Arizona and New Mexico have their fair share.  I know there are a few web sites that list the locations.  See what you can find along your route and check them out.  Rent a good SUV for the dirt roads.  Some of the web sites will list what type of remains can be found at the ghost towns which can help you select the ones to visit.  Sometimes there's nothing left.  Old mines can be interesting as well but a little dangerous if you're not careful.  People die in old mine shafts all the time, not to mention the other hazards. 

Keep an eye out for wild horses, there are over 200,000 in Nevada alone.  You will need a good zoom lens, they don't like people. 

While I was in Nevada earlier this year I found some of my best shots exploring dirt roads off the beaten path.  You can drive for a long time and not see anything but that can make for a great picture as well.  Old ranches can have some interesting stuff.  If you are venturing up into central Nevada I could give you some good locations to check out. 

In Arizona there are some interesting old cliff dwellings that you could visit.  Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation is another great location just be careful with the blowing dust getting into your camera gear. 

I find that it's hard to get off the interstate highway when you see something interesting that you may want to shoot.  The lonely two lane highways are better for that. 

Below is the web site for ghost towns that I used, just select the state at the top and then select the county.  I spent most of my time in Lander, Eureka and White Pine counties in Nevada.  If you can get over to Death Valley I highly recommend that, it's a few hours West of Las Vegas.

http://www.ghosttowns.com/

« Last Edit: August 28, 2014, 06:12:27 AM by BAC1967 »

moominsean

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2014, 01:37:26 AM »
Sounds like you will be on rt 66, plenty to shoot between albuquerque and vegas. If you are driving from flagstaff to phoenix, check out jerome. All really depends on how long you will be here. Needles is good, south of vegas. I miss the entire area!
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astrobeck

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2014, 02:47:05 AM »
I, m just outside of Albuquerque off Route 66.  Lot's to see and shoot here...beyond the tourist stuff.  Give me a shout out when you are near, we can meet up.

Late Developer

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2014, 01:06:39 PM »
Becky was an absolute star when she met up with us as we were driving Route 66 and passed through Albuquerque last October.  Sadly, we missed the hot air balloon festival by a day - but Becky really showed us round and we had a great lunch in an excellent Mexican restaurant....... ::)
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Chalky

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2014, 01:15:08 PM »
not an expert but last year went to death valley which was incredible and also to Bryce canyon which is further away in Utah and that was amazing too.

I loved (being from the UK) just driving around, seeing all the towns and 'stuff' alongside the roads, I would have stopped every 2 minutes.

Although I didn't do the same trip as you parts were similar.  some pics here http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=5368.0

enjoy it sounds great fun. 

Late Developer

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2014, 01:27:14 PM »
not an expert but last year went to death valley which was incredible and also to Bryce canyon which is further away in Utah and that was amazing too.

I loved (being from the UK) just driving around, seeing all the towns and 'stuff' alongside the roads, I would have stopped every 2 minutes.

Although I didn't do the same trip as you parts were similar.  some pics here http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=5368.0

enjoy it sounds great fun.

Looks fantastic, Chalky. We could have stayed in the mid-west all the time.  Don't get me wrong, we really enjoyed Chicago, St Louis, Oklahoma, etc, etc. but there was something huge sense of freedom when staring for miles down the open road.  Los Angeles isn't a place to which I'd want to return but everyone I know who has ever been to San Francisco insists that it's a "must do" if we get back over to the USA.  That and the canyonlands....
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

SLVR

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2014, 04:00:42 PM »
Wow lots of input! This is great.

I'm hoping to get more off the beaten path than the touristy places. Though I will still likely hit up the touristy places.

Im planning on bringing my P67 with my stash of cheap portra 160 220 and FP4. M5 with Portra 400 and FP4 likely also. Maybe some XX if timing is right and maybe some APX 25. Who knows. The M5 will be more candid snapshotty while I'm going to shoot more seriously with the pentax.

Ive always wondered about metering in the desert. I assume its like metering off snow here in Canada.

02Pilot

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2014, 04:02:45 PM »
This thread is doing absolutely nothing to quell my interest in getting back out west - I haven't been there in many years. It has also compelled me to revisit a few of my photos. Apparently I was working toward a predictable postcard landscape aesthetic back then....

Colorado:





Arizona:




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Francois

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #10 on: August 28, 2014, 04:42:24 PM »
Is there a bit of place in your luggage for me?  :'( :'( :'(
Francois

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SLVR

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #11 on: August 28, 2014, 05:03:00 PM »
Well its either you, or the pentax.  :P

Francois

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #12 on: August 28, 2014, 05:36:32 PM »
I guess I'd cost too much in excess baggage...
Francois

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Indofunk

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #13 on: August 28, 2014, 05:56:21 PM »
Looking forward to your photos from the trip, TinTin! Coincidentally, I'm going to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons tomorrow!

Bryan

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2014, 06:17:15 PM »
Looking forward to your photos from the trip, TinTin! Coincidentally, I'm going to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons tomorrow!

let me know how crowded Yellowstone is, I'm thinking about driving out there as the tourist season calms down.  The crowds start to get smaller as the kids go back to school.  It's been a long time for me and my wife has never been there. 

astrobeck

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #15 on: August 28, 2014, 06:22:48 PM »
Off the beaten path is what I do and live..

Albuquerque is full of touristy stuff, but there is tons of cool stuff the tourists bypass so it's pretty neat to be able to do whatever makes your shutter happy.




thatguychad

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #16 on: August 28, 2014, 06:32:05 PM »
let me know how crowded Yellowstone is, I'm thinking about driving out there as the tourist season calms down.  The crowds start to get smaller as the kids go back to school.  It's been a long time for me and my wife has never been there.

Yellowstone traffic should be fairly calm right now, but the weather is about to cool down quite a bit. The bears will probably be fairly active as the juveniles have recently been kicked out of the house by mom and are looking for their own place.

Indofunk

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #17 on: August 28, 2014, 06:55:57 PM »
let me know how crowded Yellowstone is, I'm thinking about driving out there as the tourist season calms down.  The crowds start to get smaller as the kids go back to school.  It's been a long time for me and my wife has never been there.

Yellowstone traffic should be fairly calm right now, but the weather is about to cool down quite a bit. The bears will probably be fairly active as the juveniles have recently been kicked out of the house by mom and are looking for their own place.

Hm, interesting thoughts. I'm almost scared about taking pictures there, because how am I going to photograph something that hasn't been photographed 100x better by someone else? "Oh, look! a bear!" or "cool mountain, bro" shots are a dime a dozen. Maybe I'll just stick to the touristy shots. And shots of my sister's kids :)

SLVR

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #18 on: September 19, 2014, 03:59:10 PM »
it's less than 24 hours before my journey begins. Hopefully all goes well. astrobeck, I'll be sure to send you a PM once we get close. I believe we will be spending the majority of our time in albuquerque.

astrobeck

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #19 on: September 20, 2014, 04:33:03 PM »
Please do. You are really going to like it out here!!

02Pilot

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #20 on: September 20, 2014, 05:04:38 PM »
Interested to hear this trip turns out - thinking about going to the Southwest (probably flying in and out of Phoenix) over New Year's and would welcome additional guidance.
Any man who can see what he wants to get on film will usually find some way to get it;
and a man who thinks his equipment is going to see for him is not going to get much of anything.


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SLVR

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #21 on: September 20, 2014, 11:19:55 PM »
Dang it's hot here. I can't help but think about how my Pentax is cooking in our trunk.

It's very different from what I'm used to here. Almost like another planet.

mcduff

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #22 on: September 21, 2014, 04:35:15 AM »
I'm jealous. I love the heat and felt ripped off this year. Maybe ya need to buy one of those cheapo styrofoam coolers for film and cameras
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Francois

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #23 on: September 21, 2014, 04:05:47 PM »
I love the heat and felt ripped off this year.
I don't blame you. The weatherman said this morning that we had a total of 5 nice days during the summer and no heat waves...
Francois

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SLVR

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Re: Desert Trip
« Reply #24 on: September 23, 2014, 05:01:36 PM »
Well perhaps an update. We have worked our way from Vegas to Albuquerque. Made some stops at arches national park, and horse shoe bend. Both not really my thing as all you hear at this places is cameras beeping from auto focus and dslr shutters firing. Still though, I'm glad I experienced it, seeing it first hand was very cool.

I've started an Instagram account after years of boycott. While I'm not posting up any thing actually good, it's neat to have a timeline. My username is BLKRCAT.




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