I hiked the narrows last November. I recommend renting water boots and a hiking stick from one of the outfitters in Springdale. They have very sticky soles for walking on slippery rocks. I had my d5600 mounted on my tripod and just carried it over my shoulder. Most of the other photographers were doing the same thing. With the boots and hiking pole I never slipped but you still had to be careful walking in the rapids with the fast water pushing against your legs. Some of my exposures in the darker sections like wall street were 10 to 20 seconds so a tripod was necessary. There will be a lot of other hikers so stay patient for photo openings and the farther you hike the less people you will see. Have a great trip.

Thanks Baney. I do use a polarizer but didn't on this photo. I usually don't use it on my 10-24mm lens. it makes uneven blues in the sky. Also thank you to everyone else for the welcomes and complements.

Thanks Retired. I'm on the wrong side of 40 but still in good enough shape to get to the top of easier mountains. As far as equipment all I needed was a climbing helmet. When I'm in Glacier the bear spray never leaves my side. Your right, the sky is to bright. This is the first time I shot in RAW and processed my pic's in lightroom. Lightroom was a bit overwhelming at first but i'm getting the hang of it. I probably know about 25% of what I need too but it's fun learning. I'm also processing my pic's on a TV screen. I really should get a decent monitor so I'm seeing accurate colors while using lightroom. Here's my 2nd attempt at my 1st photo.

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Going to this area in August will be very hot so doing slot canyons is a good idea. I did Lower Antelope canyon last October and it did not disappoint. Yes it was crowded but the canyon was incredibly beautiful and the guides were very friendly and knowledgeable. They even showed you places to stand for better photo compositions. I would recommend Wire Pass slot canyon which leads into Buckskin Gulch slot. You can hike as far as you want and just turn around. The trailhead is located 8.5 miles down House Rock Valley Rd east of Kanab. The road should be fine as long as it's not raining. Horseshoe Bend at sunset is also a cant miss. Here's a good guide of Wire pass and Buckskin Gulch http://www.yourhikeguide.com/buckskin-gulch/

The Narrows in Zion is a great experience but it will be hard to get photos with all the people walking in there. I love Capitol Reef. There are no crowds and the rock formations and colors are amazing. I recommend the Navajo Knobs trail. It's about 9 miles and has the best views in the park. https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7014773/navajo-knobs-out-and-back East of Capitol Reef, Little Wild Horse slot is a really good slot canyon also. http://www.yourhikeguide.com/little-wild-horse-canyon/ Sounds like a great trip have fun.

Hi Everyone. I discovered this forum about a month ago and found it very helpful and interesting. I've been teaching myself photography for about five years now and love it. I'm into landscape photography but will also do wildlife if the opportunity presents itself. I try to take a trip out to the Rockies or desert southwest every year for my scenery fix. Wisconsin is nice but it cant compete with the western US. I shoot a Nikon D5600 with an AF-P 18-55, AF-P 70-300 VR DX, AF-S 10-24 F3.5-4.5, and the 35 F1.8. I love climbing on mountains and doing 10 to 20 mile day hikes so this light weight camera and lenses are great to carry around. Anyways thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge on this site and I look forward to learning more about photography.

Here's a photo from on top of Reynolds Mt in Glacier NP that I took last year.

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