My small tabletop RRS tripod and ball head. It has been all over the world. Light, small and it handles the weight of a ff camera and lens. We travel very light and cover amazing amounts of sites during the day. The tripod opens up the serenity of night photography, away from the rush and the crowds.

My photo gear costs a bundle. I try and protect it well. I’m not rough on my equipment, but I’m not immune to some rough handling by mistake. The most expensive bag that I can buy is the one that allowed a precious lens to get damaged with minor trauma. I buy reputable brands like LowePro, Tenba, Pelican, MindShift, Tamrac, CaseLogic, PacSafe, Thinktank, Domke, etc. They, and several more, all make exceptional bags. B&H, Adorama, Ebags, REI, Sierra Trading have all received my business at some point, usually B&H and Adorama. With photography, I never use EBay or Amazon because to often they sell through third party merchants who can’t make it as a stand alone business. I’ve had bait and switch with both and prices are typically no better than reputable sellers. There are always great bags on sale and saving 20 bucks to buy an unknown just isn’t worth it to me.

You will likely view the aqueduct vertically and horizontally, and from above and below. I like the compression that comes with a telephoto. You will have a vantage looking down the aqueduct with a long view as you walk along it. You also will be situated to take pictures from the side so a wide angle, a ff equivalent of at least a 20 mm, would also be nice. We walked the aqueduct system 35 yrs ago with no gates or supervision and again last year. The Roman ruins around Nimes are spectacular, none more so than the aqueducts.

My Nikon 16-35 now sits idle. I really don’t like the distortion in the 16-24 range and use the faster 24-70 E2.8 above 24. The 16-35 is a heavy lens, a very good one as well, I just don’t like the lower range distortion. I throw in a lighter 20 mm 1.8 along with my 24-70 and 70-200 with an extension and I’m happy in about every landscape and cityscape situation when traveling.

Option #2 buys some great gear.

Excellent. Certainly not a $12000 lens, but a better lens than I am a photographer. I have printed very sharp images up to 20x20 on metal from both a D300 and a D850. This Somali ostrich in Kenya was taken with the D850 and a 200-500 on a cloudy day. When enlarged, I can see the eye reflection, the feather strands and the scale detail on the neck and legs. I am not a birder, but use the lens for wildlife, landscapes and cityscapes and was surprised by the clarity for a $1300 lens.

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Lens pens look like a magic marker and have a retractable brush on one end and a firm sponge disc on the other with a cover. The sponge disc will take off something like a smudge or water spot. The brush is for particles and dust. Mine is made by Nikon, but there are several brands. They are much more gentle than a car wash.

I would never, ever trust my lens to a dishwasher. Hand wash only in mild detergent with my wife drying. One secret: the cleanser Barman’s Friend does give the surface a diamond like sheen, just like stainless.

Probably shouldn’t forget the National Historic Site of Promontory Point in Northern Utah where East met West for the first time and United the nation. They have special events throughout the year when COVID isn’t an issue.

Heber Valley Railroad transverses Provo Canyon in northern Utah. It’s a pretty ride with views of Mt Timpanogos. The rest mentioned above are great. I haven’t been to Altoona, but everything else, we’ve visited. The national railroad museum was Pork at its best with Senator Spectre going up against Senator Barbara McCulskie from Baltimore. The B&O in Baltimore lost but may still have the most trains. The dynamic exhibits at the national museum are a lot of fun and are well worth a visit.

The B&O museum in Baltimore has some prototype steam engines including the submissions to a contest that includes a steam turbine prototype from around 1832, 50-60 years before the steam turbine was officially invented. You can see the progression in the train engines from the Tom Thumb until the advent of combustion and electric engines up close and personal in the massive roundhouse and in the yard. I know that you asked for a tour, but if you’re on the east coast and love steam engines it’s worth a visit.

Sounds like you have previous wedding shoots with happy brides. This time a bride didn’t like your style and is complaining. Learn from it and move on. Give them the photos for cost. Offer to do some additional free shots of the couple with a higher f stop and no bokeh. (I like occasional bokeh in non studio portraits). Work on buying a camera with a better dynamic range. Use both bodies. Get a great flash with a diffuser for the odd job where the lighting is horrible. If you like doing weddings and have had success, learn from this and move forward. A lot of good suggestions here. This is part of dealing with the public and part of being a professional. She chose you and your style and now regrets it. It’s not the end of the world for either the bride or you. Learn and move on. Who knows, she might mature in her tastes and come to like them.

We did our wedding with pictures in one city because my wife liked the church and we had both moved there. A few days later we did a wedding dinner/celebration in our home town and dressed back up in wedding gown and tux because we really wanted a family friend to take pictures. Both sets of pictures are great. We were a lot more relaxed at the dinner and the pictures are better. Many were done with lighting that makes the setting change undetectable. Any option along these lines?

I have the D version of the 60 and the 105 2.8. I favor the 105. It is absolutely pristine in its sharpness and also makes a very nice portrait lens. I like having a little distance when photographing insects in the wild.

I use a RRS pocket tripod and ballhead with my D850 and 70-200 E 2.8 without a hitch. Solid steel and about 8 inches long. Mine is 8 years old and works like new.