Utah "Mighty 5": Greetings... Wife, oldest daughter and I will be spending some time visiting the Mighty 5 in Utah the first part of May. I'm a...seasoned...individual who is still...

Bendmac Loc: Bend, Oregon

Greetings...

Wife, oldest daughter and I will be spending some time visiting the Mighty 5 in Utah the first part of May. I'm a...seasoned...individual who is still learning my Nikon D3300 and the fine art of composition.

A forum search here yields some WONDERFUL images!

Any general tips and suggestions, photography-wise (after all, this IS a photography forum, not a travel one!) for this upcoming trip? I have the two kit lenses (18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 and 55-200 1.4-5.6) plus a 35mm 1:1.8 prime...but if there is a better "one lens" suggestion, I could see about renting one.

Thanks in advance!

Rich2236 Loc: E. Hampstead, New Hampshire

Bendmac wrote:

Greetings... br br Wife, oldest daughter and I wi... (show quote)

My wife and I did the "Big Five." My advice to you is, use your 18-55 more than your zoom. Each park has its vistas. Keep a record where one park ends and the next starts so you can delineate between the 5. If this is your first trip to the 5, you will find it totally awesome. Shoot, shoot and shoot!
Rich...

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Bendmac wrote:

Greetings... br br Wife, oldest daughter and I wi... (show quote)

Take the 35 and do some panos shooting in the vertical orientation.

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

I am going to send you an email on your cable account

Ob1 Loc: Utah

Remember the best photos are taken early in the morning and just before and at sunset. One of the best photos to take is Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. You can google it to look at images and find directions. This is a must do. You must arrive at the arch 30-45 minutes before sunrise. It is worth the early rise.

miket22 Loc: Northern Massachusetts

We did the mighty 5 the year before last and with my D7200 K ended up using my 16-85 almost exclusively even though I had my 10-24 and 300 f4 with me. The 16-85 seemed to give me the right field of view in most situations. It's a trip of a lifetime. Driving around in a postcard. Have fun.

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

Bendmac wrote:

Greetings... br br Wife, oldest daughter and I wi... (show quote)

I did 4 of the big 5 in May/June 2017, I agree with the other poster that a 18-55 zoom or something like a 24-105 will do 95% of the time. I think I used the 200mm once. The parks are amazing, particularly Zion and Arches but the other three are awesome as well. We had clear blue sky weather pretty much for the entire trip. Good luck and happy trails.

Ob1 Loc: Utah

I would like to add one more bit of advice. The lens you have are great. The 35mm will get a lot of use but I am sure you will find times to use the others. The lighting should not be a problem. I often use a polarizing filter in the red rock area to take off the glare that is always apparent even if we don’t notice it. The fiery furnace walk in Arches is amazing and you must sign up for it early on line. One more activity that I would again recommend is after your morning photography session then pack your lunch and take the Angels Landing trail. It will be one of the highlights of your vacation, it always is for me. Enjoy your time in this beautiful area.

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

Ob1 wrote:

I would like to add one more bit of advice. The le... (show quote)

That Angels Landing trail is not for anyone with a fear of heights though or if you are not physically fit. Youtube it - steep with no railings. But I agree the view up there is tremendous (from what I can tell from pictures and video -- never did it myself -- developed a fear of heights over the years).

Bullfrog Bill Loc: CT

Bendmac wrote:

Greetings... br br Wife, oldest daughter and I wi... (show quote)

I suggest Photographing the South West by Laurent Martrès. And when in Moab be sure to visit Dead Horse Point State Park.

ELNikkor

For years, the 18-55 and the 55-200 are the only lenses I've had or needed for my D5100, and the shorter one is used 90% of the time. Don't think adding any other lenses will make you a better photographer, you've already got enough to do those amazing areas justice!

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

wds0410 wrote:

That Angels Landing trail is not for anyone with a fear of heights though or if you are not physically fit. Youtube it - steep with no railings. But I agree the view up there is tremendous (from what I can tell from pictures and video -- never did it myself -- developed a fear of heights over the years).

The video is gorgeous, but YouTube is close enough for me! I got dizzy sitting at my desk!

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

mikeroetex wrote:

The video is gorgeous, but YouTube is close enough for me! I got dizzy sitting at my desk!

Mark1948

As there's no such thing as too wide in these parks I used to use an 8mm ff fisheye. Now w/better lenses available for less $ I really enjoy my Sigma 8-16mm(Canon mount). You might want to see what a used model costs from a well regarded merchant costs on Amazon.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

Ob1 wrote:

Remember the best photos are taken early in the morning and just before and at sunset. One of the best photos to take is Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. You can google it to look at images and find directions. This is a must do. You must arrive at the arch 30-45 minutes before sunrise. It is worth the early rise.

Seconded!

With this in mind... maybe get a tripod so you can keep the ISO low and not have to worry about camera shake? Get one with a ball head, or upgrade an existing tripod with a ball head from Amazon - they have some nice ones for under $30 (many will cringe at the price but they work. spending more won't hurt, but may not help either)