The best parts of Zion are on the trails. The Narrows is the one people mean when they say that. You are in the Virgin River, the walls close in, and you make pictures with wet feet and a camera you are willing to care for. It is not a viewpoint you pull into.

I have had a lot of adventures out photographing. This is one of them. The portfolio those frames belong to is on the <a href="/zion">Zion</a> page, with the rest of the canyon and the fall work. If you want the season rather than the river, <a href="/blog/photographing-zion-in-the-fall">Photographing Zion in the fall</a> is the other door.

The Narrows in Zion

Fall in this country is not a stable season. Flagstaff can turn. The North Rim is already high enough that nights are cold in late September. Zion’s color comes later, and I have been in snow more than once when I thought I was only there for maples or aspens.

If you are planning around color, the landers are honest about timing: <a href="/flagstaff">Flagstaff</a> in early October, <a href="/west-fork">West Fork</a> the second or third week, <a href="/zion">Zion</a> late October into November, the <a href="/grand-canyon">North Rim</a> from late September. This note is what happens when the season does two things at once.

Fall and snow

I first started photographing in the Sierra Anchas in 1993. The country is north of Roosevelt Lake, close to Globe, off the beaten track. There are bigtooth maples. Fall starts from the third week of October to the first week of November, depending on the year.

The swirl patterns in the water are caused by leaves moving in a pool while the sheet of film is exposed for three to five minutes. None of these are digitally altered in Adobe Photoshop. That is what the pool did. I stood there and let it.

The <a href="/sierra-anchas">Sierra Anchas</a> lander is the portfolio and the prints. This note is how those particular frames were made.

Swirls at Sierra Anchas

I feel the best time to visit Zion is in the fall. You do not have the crowds, and the temperature is mild — warm to cool days, cool to cold nights. In summer the canyon can run 105 to 108°F. That is a photograph too. It is not the one I would plan a trip around if I could choose.

Autumn usually starts the last week of October to the first week of November, depending on the year. If conditions are right the colors can be fantastic. The best parts of the park are still on the trails. Bring a good pair of hiking shoes and use them.

The <a href="/zion">Zion page</a> is the lander for this work — the portfolio, the prints, and a way into the full shop category when it is loaded. This note is the longer walk through why I keep going back in the fall. The Narrows have their own story: <a href="/blog/the-narrows-in-zion">The Narrows in Zion</a>.

Zion sits between Bryce to the northeast and the North Rim to the south. If you are already in this part of the Colorado Plateau, <a href="/bryce">Bryce</a> and the <a href="/grand-canyon">Grand Canyon</a> are not far on the map, and they are different light.

Photographing Zion in the fall

Walhalla Overlook is one of those North Rim names that means a specific stand of light to me, not a postcard. The body of work around it was made over five years, much of it on forest roads outside the park, some of it on the rim itself.

If you want the pictures, they are on <a href="/grand-canyon">Grand Canyon</a>. If you want the morning next door, that is <a href="/blog/morning-at-cape-royal">Cape Royal</a>.

Walhalla Overlook

Cape Royal is one of the North Rim viewpoints I keep in my head when someone asks where the work comes from. Morning is the time. The rim sits at 8,000 to 9,000 feet, so even in summer you can be cold standing there. The monsoon and the fall aspens are the seasons I have gone back for.

A lot of the North Rim pictures are not from inside the park. They are Kaibab dirt roads, some of them twenty miles in. Cape Royal is on the park side of that life. The whole body of work — five years of returning — lives on the <a href="/grand-canyon">Grand Canyon</a> page. <a href="/blog/walhalla-overlook">Walhalla Overlook</a> is the neighboring note.

Morning at Cape Royal

Fence Point is one of those names from the North Rim country that does not show up on the park brochure the way Cape Royal does. A lot of this work is Kaibab National Forest — dirt, sometimes mud, sometimes a high-clearance afternoon.

The portfolio is <a href="/grand-canyon">Grand Canyon</a>. Cape Royal and Walhalla are the neighboring notes in this journal.

Fence Point

Some places photograph like a room. That is what I meant by Cathedral — walls, a kind of quiet, and a reason not to rush the exposure.

The original story will come back in his words when the file is recovered. Until then, walk the <a href="/locations">location pages</a> or <a href="/blog/the-narrows-in-zion">the Narrows</a> if you want a canyon that feels like that.

Cathedral

Sunflowers are one of those subjects that look simple until you are standing in them with a view camera. This was one of the stories I kept on the old site — a day in the field, not a how-to.

The full original paragraphs will replace this starter when we have them. Related country is in the <a href="/sonoran-desert">Sonoran Desert</a> work and the <a href="/blog">journal</a>.

Sunflowers

I have had many adventures when I am out photographing. This is one of them. The title is the story: timber, and being close enough to care.

The longer original telling belongs back in this post when the old file is in hand. Until then, the landscapes that came home from those trips live under <a href="/locations">locations</a> and in the <a href="/shop">shop</a>.

Timber!

A 4×5 has a lot of parts you can drop. This story is the one I titled Lens Rolling Down, because that is what it did. You learn to care for the kit and still finish the exposure if the light is still there.

The original telling belongs here in full when we have it. How the cameras and the enlarger fit together is on <a href="/process">process</a>.

Lens rolling down

Black-and-white infrared film can make exciting and interesting images. The film captures light at about 750nm or longer. I use a 25 red filter. I prefer to shoot it in the middle of the day, because that is when there is the most infrared light. In the Southwest, midday is usually the worst time for traditional photography — the light is so harsh. Infrared lets you work all day and still come home with something. There is a wide range of subjects that become interesting. Experiment.

Kodak stopped making High Speed Infrared in 2007. You can still find it on eBay. The price runs from reasonable to ridiculous depending on the auction. I have seen it at $35 a roll. Konica also made an infrared film which in many respects I prefer. It turns up from time to time. Freestyle Photographic Supplies in California still sells infrared stocks.

A 25 or 29 red filter is necessary. Focusing is a little different than with visible light. Lenses are designed for what we see, about 400 to 750nm. Infrared focuses at a different point. Most older lenses have a red dot or an R. Focus normally, note the distance, and move that mark to the R. If you were at ten feet, put ten feet on the infrared mark. If you were at infinity, move infinity to the R. Turn autofocus off or you will be out of focus. If the lens has no mark, guess a little past the regular focus. Wide angle has more depth of field, so it is more forgiving. Telephoto is less so.

Kodak High Speed Infrared needs to be kept cool to cold. Heat can fog it. Load and unload in complete darkness — a changing bag and a cooler if you plan more than one roll. I rate it at 160 ISO, or about 60 if I want more of the infrared look. Try both. Konica does not have to be kept as cold, and you can load it like regular film. It is much finer grain. A 120 Konica negative can print with finer grain than a 4×5 Kodak HIE negative. I rate the Konica at 25 ISO.

Newer films from Freestyle I have not all used. Do not be afraid to experiment. One that said 25 ISO behaved better for me at 12 or 6. Their staff have been helpful. Ask questions. If you have one for me, <a href="/contact">write</a>. Prints from this film are in the shop and on the <a href="/superior-mining">Superior</a> work. Process notes are also on <a href="/process">how the prints are made</a>.

Photo tip: black and white infrared

Many people feel that photography ends when the sun sets. That limits you to half the day. Night photography can give you images that are unique and dramatic. It is a good time for long exposures and for movement in the frame. Sometimes you get a surprise. Despite some inconveniences, it is worth the effort. Three things are needed: a camera that can be placed on manual, a tripod, and a cable release or the self-timer.

Many of my remarks are based on film cameras, which have advantages on very long exposures — an hour or more. On a manual film camera you are not as worried about batteries, or the digital noise that can plague long digital exposures. If you are shooting lightning you are not as worried about the camera getting wet and ruining electronics. Digital’s definite advantage is knowing at once whether the scene is exposed. If not, you shoot another. With film you do not know until it is processed, which means you can lose the shot entirely.

If the exposure is shorter than about thirty seconds you often do not see people moving through the frame. Thirty seconds to a minute is a good place for that movement. Use a shorter exposure if you want to stop more of it — you may need faster film. The point is to decide whether the night is still or whether it is traffic, walkers, weather.

Some of the city pictures were made this way. <a href="/phoenix">Phoenix</a> and <a href="/glendale">Glendale</a> after dark are part of that document. Infrared, which is a different kind of daylight, is <a href="/blog/black-and-white-infrared">the next tip</a>.

Photo tip: night

There are many ways to compose a photograph. There are several rules, but they can be broken. They are more like guidelines when you are out making an image.

The first set is the rule of thirds. Many people place the horizon in the middle of the image. You should place the horizon in the bottom third or the top two-thirds, not in the middle. The same is true of your subject. It should not sit dead center. The rule of thirds also applies vertically.

Many people, when they photograph a person, compose the shot horizontally instead of vertically. People are vertical and should be shot that way unless you have a group. Learn to turn the camera vertically if the main subject is upright — a person, a tree, a tall building. If it is a landscape, shoot it horizontally. If you question which way, shoot both. I sometimes like both images for different reasons. Other times one is clearly better. If in doubt, take the time.

When you are shooting, try to compose using the full frame. Do not do your cropping after. You are losing quality. Very rarely should you crop after the image is shot. Move in or further out until it is right. Try to have leading lines. Another trick is to frame the subject — an overhanging branch along the top, sometimes a frame all the way around. When you photograph people, make sure you do not have telephone poles or trees coming out of their heads. Pay attention to the background. An S-curve is always nice. A vanishing point can be as well. Watch the bright areas. They should never sit on the edge of the image. Your eye goes to the brightest thing first, so do not put that on the edge.

One last tip: use the right lens for the subject. Do not use a wide angle on a bear unless you want a very small bear in the picture, or to be eaten. Wildlife wants a telephoto. Portraits, 85mm to 135mm. Interiors and grand landscapes, a wide angle.

Light was <a href="/blog/drawing-with-light">the first tip</a>. Night is <a href="/blog/after-the-sun-sets">the next one</a>.

Photo tip: composition

Lighting is the most important aspect of photography. That is why it is the first photo tip. Photography actually means drawing with light. Lighting can make an average or uninteresting scene very dramatic. If you have a great location and poor lighting, you will make a poor image. Knowing what great light is, and when to photograph it, is the key.

What is going on with the sky plays a big part in outdoor shooting. An overcast sky is great because it softens the light. That matters in the desert Southwest, where the light is so harsh. Early morning and late afternoon can be the best time to shoot. Weather conditions play a key role. Inclement weather can be a great time to be out. Contrary to a lot of belief, I find a clear blue sky to be some of the worst light — especially between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Even a few high clouds can add drama to a dull clear sky. Study how other photographers capture light. Pay attention to it even when you are not shooting.

A photographer with poor equipment can make stunning images, and a photographer with the best of equipment can make poor ones, and it all has to do with light. I am not saying equipment is unimportant. I am saying light is the most important element. When I taught at Phoenix College, the second assignment in Photo 1 was a light assignment. The subject could be anything. Light had to be used in a creative and effective way. In many magazines most of the articles are on equipment — lenses, cameras. I do not think enough space is dedicated to lighting. If you could only talk about one subject in photography, light would be that subject.

Black and white is a series of gray values, so you can more readily see what lighting is doing. You are forced to look at value because you have no color. When I was a student at Phoenix College I had to take black-and-white photography my first few semesters. It trains you to see how light falls on a subject, and to study light even when you are not photographing it. I have grown to appreciate how wonderful black and white is. More important than that, it taught me to watch.

If you want prints where the light did the work, start with a <a href="/locations">location</a> or the <a href="/shop">shop</a>. The next tip is <a href="/blog/composing-the-frame">composition</a>.

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