Each year I host a number of photography tours in various parts of the World but my favorites are those which are close to home here in Utah. As much as I’ve traveled during my 30+ years photographing professionally it would be difficult to recommend a location with as much grand and diverse subject matter to train the camera on as Utah. This is especially true when it comes to the southern “red-rock” regions with the many National and State Parks along with a number of other lesser know areas. Add to all of that diversity in just the landscape the changing seasons, be it snow covered desert formations and cactus, places like Zion National Park with the spectacular fall colors in November or one of my favorites springtime when the temperatures are still cool and the wildflowers are in full bloom. 

Sunrise at Factory Butte near Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Milky Way over Temple of the Sun in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

Lower Calf Creek Falls, Utah

For Spring 2017 I have a number of tours that I will be leading including one on May 21-26th which includes Capitol Reef National Park, Caineville Wash, Escalante and Bryce National Parks. Also for this season I’ve set-up a slightly different price structure allowing my guest to select the lodging they prefer instead of including it in the cost. For the spring tour the cost is $1500 which includes.

• Tour guide and photo instruction by David C. Schultz. 
• Shooting sunrise and sunsets each day
• Possible evening photography depending on weather
• Image review and post-processing instruction may be possible depending on our shooting schedule.More information may be found here.

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White Pockets Arizona

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

It had been several years since I spent time hiking and photographing in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and with a little free time on my hands I decided it was time for a return visit so set off to explore a specific location called the White Pockets. I’d seen a number of photos of the formations and it seemed like a fascinating location. Little did I know that the first trip would turn into three, each spaced a week apart and under different weather, and “road”, conditions.

The first time I visited I had to come in from the South off highway 89A since the dirt, sand and gravel road was washed out in places due to heavy thunderstorms the day before. The rain was a mixed blessing as it helped pack down the deep sandy two-track road on which you travel for several miles and it also added some great pools of water within the White Pockets. Remnants of the thunderstorms made for a more interesting sky as well as providing a bit of much needed shade. The next trip, a wekk later, allowed for night sky and Milky Way shooting.

I will not go into much detail on how to get back to the formations but I do encourage you pick up a good map like the National Geographic Paria Canyon, Kanab and a very useful book called Photographing the Southwest (Volume 2) by Laurent Martre’s. You will need a high clearance 4×4 vehicle and it takes about 1 1/2 hours to reach the trailhead once you leave Highway 89A.

There are a few tours that go back to the White Pockets which I believe are based out of Kanab, Utah but you are looking at at least a 3 hour round trip just getting there and back. That means much of your day would be spent in the vehicle and you will not be there when the light is typically best without making special arrangements. While I was there most tours seemed to be leaving by 5pm in the summer. One group was there for sunset so do some searching and make some calls. Speaking of calls, do not expect cell phone coverage and go prepared to spend the night should things go bad. Unlike the nearby North and South Coyote Bluffs you will not need a permit…yet.

The actual formations are very close to the trailhead and do not cover a very large area but I encourage you to explore and not to settle for the “tripod spots”. During the summer you may have the benefit of the monsoon season and the previously mentioned pools of water which add to the drama of the place. After a very short walk in deep soft sand there is not a designated trail. Except perhaps at night it’s easy to figure your way around and back out of the formations. Taking along a GPS with a waypoint marked where the soft sand and parking lot are, especially if you’re going to be shooting at night, would be smart.

I’m keeping my eye on the weather map and hope to get back down in a few weeks for more Milky Way shooting. Moya, my dog, is also looking forward to more fun in the pools of water!

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Utah Wild Horses: The Onaqui Herd

Last week I took a drive out to Utah’s west desert area not far from Dugway to look for and hopefully photograph the wild horses of the Onaqui Herd which is managed by the BLM. There’s plenty of discussion and opinions regarding the wild horse population, here in Utah and throughout the west, and I’m not informed enough to have a strong opinion of my own. I’m a photographer, love experiencing and photographing wildlife and animals in general. Landscapes as well and when compositions and opportunities come along to capture both then all the better.

I visited the Onaqui Herd Management Area a couple of times just recently. The first time, images seen here, produced some wonderful photos especially as the sun began to set. The next time out, which was several days later, there was not a horse to be seen and I spent most of 2 days searching. Upon my return home I happened to see a number of social media post by a friend that had captured some excellent images taken the day before I was there. She, along with a few other friends, commented on how the water to drinking troughs had been turned off and that they were upset about this and would be contacting the BLM to find out why this had happened. I was a bit puzzled about why there would be drinking troughs out there for them anyway and after seeing some of the photos posted by my friends I started to ask myself, are these really “wild horses” if they’ve become dependent on humans to supply them with water? I also noticed how they were interacting with the people around them which increased my questioning of the term “wild”. So be it.

For now I’ll just continue looking for the chance to photograph them again, not worrying a great deal as to if they are truly wild. Certainly the area where the Onaqui Herd is located is wild indeed, even if it is “managed”. I hope you enjoy these few photos.

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Southern Utah Photo Tour

Schedule now released for Spring 2015

We’ve been busy making arrangement for several photography tours and workshops for 2015 and have updated the schedule to include this popular Spring in Southern Utah Photo Tour which starts May 17th for 6 days and 5 nights. Here’s a brief overview of what to expect and more information and registration can be found at this link.

Overview:

This Southern Utah Photography Tour with David C. Schultz as your guide and instructor is geared toward all skill levels. Instructions will certainly be given but you should be able to make basic camera settings and have a fairly good knowledge of your equipment.

We’ll meet at our hotel in Torrey, Utah just outside Capitol Reef National Park by 2pm on May 17th. It takes approximately 5 hours to reach Torrey from Salt Lake City without stops. We’ll spend three nights at this location before heading farther south a short distance to the entrance of Bryce, Utah where we’ll spend the next two nights.

This tour is timed so that we can take advantage of the cooler temperatures and the wildflowers blooming in the desert. Each day we’ll assess the weather conditions before confirming that days destination. “Poor weather” can sometimes yield the most interesting photo opportunities so please keep this in mind. We will try to include at least one evening of night shooting depending on how clear the sky is when we’re at an appropriately interesting location.

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Photo of the Day:

Temple of the Sun

Today’s, Photo of the Day: Temple of the Sun, Utah. The first few times I visited Capitol Reef National Park I attempted to get back to the Temple of the Sun in Southern Utah but weather and “road” conditions made that impossible. Areas of the 15 mile long sand road get incredibly slick when wet and a few places require a higher clearance vehicle, more than my at the time, Subaru wagon could handle. Tenacity prevailed and I finally reached Cathedral Valley, the region inside the Park where the Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon, seen in the background on the left, are located.

I’ve returned there a number of times in recent years during the different seasons, the road has not improved but my mode of transportation has! Still, it can be a bit dicey if rain or snow has fallen and there are a few washes to watch out for. Sunrise, as in this photo, has always yielded the best images but recently I’ve tried some night sky shooting as well. Results have been mixed but it’s still an amazing place to hang out with the dog…and camera!

On May 2nd – 6th I’ll be holding a Photography Workshop in Southern Utah including Capitol Reef National Park. I hope to be able to get back to this location but if not then we’ll have plenty of other options. If you’d like to join us space is limited and there are 2 spots available. Here’s a link.

Thanks for Sharing if you Like!

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My little backseat driver showing some attitude, or making a statement about my driving skills while touring around Southern Utah. This was captured going around Lake Powell, what’s left of it. You can see the bridge in the background that crosses the Colorado River. I took this same shot, minus the mirror and dog a few years ago and it was the cover of AAA Tour Book for Utah.

Highway 95 in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah.

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Night Sky Photography in Capitol Reef National Park

I thought I would give night sky photography a try, especially since I travel to areas not far away that have great opportunities for interesting foregrounds along with having the required dark sky. This is just a quick post about a lens I tried, returned and the replacement. People with much more skill at this kind of shooting are out there and have made some very informative post. Several of the post suggested Ronikon/Samyang/Bower lenses for this kind of shooting. I use Nikon and Nikkor lenses but did not have a fast prime lens that would be appropriate. So, I purchased a Bower 24mm f1.4. That did not work out well… at all. VERY blurred images.

I returned it to B&H and purchased the Rokinon version, 24mm f/1.4. Big difference! Now I’ve read that Samyang’s quality control is not that great and that their lenses can vary a great deal in quality. It’s my understanding that they manufacture the lenses and market them under the 3 different names. Not sure what that’s about. The first lens I bought was the Bower and for “the same lens” it was about $100 cheaper than the Ronikon. Get what you pay for? or just quality control?

Here’s a link to an article about why this collection of lenses might be a better choice over the Nikkor/Canon versions if you’re considering a new lens for night sky photography.

http://intothenightphoto.blogspot.com/2013/02/overcoming-coma-aberration-part-2.html

Again, I’m just getting started in shooting this kind of work but thought I would post the comment in case someone else happens upon a bad lens. Don’t give up!

“Temple of the Sun” in Cathedral Valley, Utah. Yep…I need more practice on my night photo post processing but ya gotta start somewhere and since the sharpness of the lens and the resulting image was not great I decided not to spend much time on it.!

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