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Grand Canyon: Need advise from those who have visited

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doni

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I am going to Grand Canyon with the wife for the first time. We are staying in Williams (about an hour away) and going to the south rim.

Any tips on where to go as far as great sunset/sunrise photos?

Also, what are the best time to start walking/hiking to these locations?

I looked at some old posts, and while there are some great photos, I could not find/locate the actual place.

I am bringing the trusty D800 paired with the 24-70, and the D2hs with either the 35 1.4 or the Samyang 8mm.

I am thinking this is also a good time to justify getting the 14mm.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

-Doni
 
Hi Don,

Last time I was there, I stayed at Williams AZ, woke up at 4am and drove straight up to the South entrance. Be careful during the early morning hours as you will pass by some wildlife (Bison, deer, etc) on the road so drive carefully. The gates were wide open so I just drove through. It was PITCH BLACK and super cold (around 20') so dress appropriately. Rest assured you will not be the only person there at 4am. There were hikers and other photographers waiting for the sunrise. Find a parking spot and start walking to the rim. You will not miss the good spots, they are everywhere. You are just a dot in a middle of miles and miles of wide vista so just pick your spot. If you're planning to do this in the early morning, I suggest you bring a flashlight and a tripod.

one of my captures that morning:

8597413577_7221cef84f_b.jpg


This is about 6:20AM. Right after I captured this, literally 10 buses of tourists started pouring in. That's the time I packed it in and left. Everyone's still sleeping when I got back to the hotel. Such is life of a landscape photographer :)

Don't forget to visit Bearizona and Slide Rock park. They're right there close to Williams AZ.. also some parts of Route 66 have great photo ops. Have fun!
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the info. Nice shot!

We are also staying in Williams. So you left Williams at 4 or arrived at 4? I just googled it and it is about an hour away.

How long was your hike? Do you remember which peak / place it was exactly? We are excited and looking forward to some awesome views!
 
Don't be shy to use a good telephoto at the GC, you may find those shots are more interesting than with the ultra wide angles. Have fun - great place!

glo
 
doni said:
Thanks for the info. Nice shot!
We are also staying in Williams. So you left Williams at 4 or arrived at 4? I just googled it and it is about an hour away.
How long was your hike? Do you remember which peak / place it was exactly? We are excited and looking forward to some awesome views!
Click to expand...
 
Doni, Lipan Point is excellent for sunrise. It's near the Desert View entrance on the South Rim Drive so it's a long haul from Williams. You can drive right to the point, park, and set up.
 
As stated above, there are great view at sunrise all along the south rim. My personal favorite is one of the quickest to get to from Williamson - Mather Point. Early in the morning, you can slip in and park in the big bus lot which is very near to Mather Point - cuts out about 10 - 15 mins of walking otherwise. I recommend getting there at least 45 mins before sunrise and staking out your place. A little before sunrise, there will be an onslaught of asian tourists. Giving the shape of the overlook, you won't have any problem getting your shots if you get setup early.

Navajo point is on the other extreme. It is about a 30 - 40 min drive from the south park entrance and there will not be very many people there.

I find that I like to shoot both wide and telephoto. In order to keep from having to manage two camera bodies or switch lenses, I have taken to shooting with my Nikon 28-300 to give me both ends of the spectrum. I find it to be extremely sharp with my D810, D800 and D700. Additionally I often shoot panoramas at 28 - 35mm in vertical orientation and then use Photshop to assemble the panorama.

Enjoy your visit!
 
Here is a link to a site that may be useful:

Loading…

www.americansouthwest.net

The Photo Ephemeris app(I think its still free) is helpful for planning prior to a sunrise or sunset shoot.

The NPS website has a map of the various viewpoints and parking spots.

Enjoy your trip. The Grand Canyon lives up to its name.
 
doni said:
I am going to Grand Canyon with the wife for the first time. We are staying in Williams (about an hour away) and going to the south rim.

Any tips on where to go as far as great sunset/sunrise photos?
Click to expand...
Been there many times. Only recently did I make the long drive around the canyon to the North Rim. I will NEVER go back to the South Rim! Sad that you already have reservations in Williams.

The North Rim is like a different planet. Most of the people on this planet speak English and are physically fit. Very small crowds. Friendly. That's the opposite of what you find on the South Rim!

Yes, they take pictures on that Rim too; you see more serious photography instead of little P&S and iPhones being used.
 
Last edited:
doni said:
Any tips on where to go as far as great sunset/sunrise photos?
Click to expand...
1, must have a lens with a good flare resistance or all the detail in shadow side of the canyon will be washed out.

2, shoot RAW

3, wear enough cloth





 
Any time there is a lodge available inside a NP, I stay there. Bright Angel is the best value but you have to book nearly a year in advance to get the best rooms or any room really.

Are you aware of the town of Tusayan that is 2 miles from the entrance gate? There are several major motel chains in this town. Maybe you can get a room there and cancel your Williams reservations.

I have gotten great images all along the sidewalk hugging the rim. To get out East toward Desert View, you'll have to drive and anything west of GC Village, you can walk or catch the shuttle.

The 24-70 will be your primary lens. This is a vast canyon. While an 8 or 14mm lens sounds like a good idea and it will get more canyon into your shot, it will also reduce detail by virtue of making everything smaller to fit said canyon into your finite image dimensions. These lenses are more effective if you are in the canyon. I'd become a quick panorama study and take the 35/1.4 instead.

doni said:
I am going to Grand Canyon with the wife for the first time. We are staying in Williams (about an hour away) and going to the south rim.

Any tips on where to go as far as great sunset/sunrise photos?

Also, what are the best time to start walking/hiking to these locations?

I looked at some old posts, and while there are some great photos, I could not find/locate the actual place.

I am bringing the trusty D800 paired with the 24-70, and the D2hs with either the 35 1.4 or the Samyang 8mm.

I am thinking this is also a good time to justify getting the 14mm.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

-Doni
Click to expand...
 
chuxter said:
doni said:
I am going to Grand Canyon with the wife for the first time. We are staying in Williams (about an hour away) and going to the south rim.

Any tips on where to go as far as great sunset/sunrise photos?
Click to expand...
Been there many times. Only recently did I make the long drive around the canyon to the North Rim. I will NEVER go back to the South Rim! Sad that you already have reservations in Williams.

The North Rim is like a different planet. Most of the people on this planet speak English and are physically fit. Very small crowds. Friendly. That's the opposite of what you find on the South Rim!

Yes, they take pictures on that Rim too; you see more serious photography instead of little P&S and iPhones being used.
Click to expand...
I've been to BOTH rims many times, and the South Rim views are more impressive. The North Rim is a 1000 ft. higher and you are looking straight into its face from the South Rim. The sight lines from the North Rim are not as good and the lodge is backed up off the rim a bit at the end of Bright Angel Canyon.

As for remoteness and solitude, the North Rim can be one's jam.
 
I've only been there once, had my (sort of) non adventurous wife with me so we compromised and signed up for a Pink Jeep Sunset Tour. The tour guide was sensitive to photographer's want for great views and sunsets... We had very limited time available, my wife was sick and it was one sunset only. We wound up having a great tour that went all the way east to the tower from the south entrance. For a newbie there were lots of places to get some incredible with out having invest a lot of time driving around. We know where to go when we go back...

If you have never been there you are in for a really amazing treat. We were just getting some easy canyon shots first stop in the morning when I realized I hadn't seen my wife for awhile. As I turned around to see where she was I found her sitting on some cut granite blocks crying. When I asked her if she was ok she said yes but it was so beautiful that she couldn't keep from crying...

Have a great time...

Phil
 
doni said:
Thanks for the info. Nice shot!
We are also staying in Williams. So you left Williams at 4 or arrived at 4? I just googled it and it is about an hour away.
How long was your hike? Do you remember which peak / place it was exactly? We are excited and looking forward to some awesome views!
Click to expand...
Thanks Doni!

Yes, left Williams at 4am and I got to the South Rim around 5. Sunrise starts around 630 so you have plenty of time. You're gonna take 64 to 180 (going North) eventually stopping at the parking lot (36.057373, -112.106525). Park your car and walk to either Mather Point or Yavapai Point. These aren't very far.. it's not even a hike, more like a 10 minute walk. Look at this map:



5013cfe58bda4eb2987a0dc491766240.jpg



Once you get to the parking lot, you are at the middle of the large vista. Just pick your spot. I also suggest a super long telephoto like a 300 f/4, this will give you a unique, compressed look.
 
Take a lightweight waterproof jacket. It can rain there like anything on a sunny day and with little warning. Has it's own microclimate.
 
5988702469_db51b749d7_b.jpg


When I went to the Grand Canyon for the first time I brought most of my lenses, 16mm fisheye, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 75-150. The lenses I used the most were the 16mm, 50mm, 75-150.

I would suggest going to the sunset bus tour. I got my best pictures when the sun was going down.

I woke up early one day (around 4:30 - 5:00) and took some Gigapans (you'll see them on the link below) and for me it was just "meh." I took photos throughout the day and again it's on the Gigapan link below with the hour of day. Again, I think sunset was the best.

I have a few photos in my album in flickr to give you some ideas: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nathantw/sets/72157627182818911/

I did take a few Gigapan panoramas on the trip too. You'll see one of the examples on the flickr page (and above) it's the one that I made into a poster for my father in law. The photo in the middle was taken with a Canon Powershot SD950 at 140mm. I admit that it would have looked so much better if I had used my D700.

The photo at the bottom of the poster was made with a D700 and the Nikon 75-150 f/3.5. I made a 2' x 11' print of the photo.

Here are the Gigapans - http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans?query=nathantw+grand+canyon

Have fun!

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathantw/
Always have a camera with you and make sure you use it.
 
Last edited:
xtm said:
I would also bring a dictionary. Who knows, you might encounter the spelling police while hiking ;)
Click to expand...
Haha! Hey, I am not ashamed to admit spelling mistakes.

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

I am digesting all the great info in this thread. The weekend is coming up and I feel like I am packing more gear that clothes.

I'll post some pictures when I get back!

-Doni
 
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