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EDIT 9-13-10: After hiking Kachina Trail with Jake yesterday, we determined the original planned photographing spot isn't very good in the evening... Nearby ridges block the best of the evening light. So, the new, tentative plan is Hart Prairie Saturday evening. After shooting through sunset there, we'll hop on fr522 off Snowbowl road and find a place to car camp near Freidlen Prairie. Sunday morning we'll wake up bright and early (more like dark and early) and hike no more than 2 miles on the Kachina Trail to find some aspens and meadows. Plans still subject to change, of course, as we do more scouting.

Hey HAZ photographers!

Jake (hippiepunkpirate), Jon (jonnybackpack) and I are putting together an autumn photography workshop/group hike/camping trip at the Peaks, October 9th and 10th.

The plan, as of now, is to meet up late morning on Saturday, October 9th, and drive to the Freidlein Prairie trailhead. Hike the lower portion of the Kachina Trail and photograph the beautiful Kachina meadows in the evening. Car-camp somewhere nearby Saturday night, wake up pre-sunrise Sunday morning and head to Lockett Meadow. Photograph the Lockett Meadow area for sunrise, then head into the Inner Basin to capture the rest of the morning light.

Although this is obviously organized like a normal group hike, the focus will be on photography. Bring a camera and tripod! We'll be visiting prime locations during the best light, so there should be plenty of opportunity for some awesome photos... Not to mention the sharing of knowledge from fellow photographers ;)

I hope some of you are interested!

And not to mention I'll make my famous chili

Can a non-photographer with a pumpkin point-and-shoot tag along? It'd be fun to see how you all create your art in action.

Sweet idea guys

I might join the group for the Inner Basin Trail, then head up to Humphreys.

chumley wrote:Can a non-photographer with a pumpkin point-and-shoot tag along? It'd be fun to see how you all create your art in action.

But of course!

chumley wrote:Can a non-photographer with a pumpkin point-and-shoot tag along? It'd be fun to see how you all create your art in action.

Point-and-shoot carriers are more than welcome to join the fun

Jonnybackpack wrote:And not to mention I'll make my famous chili

:STP:

Is there a Plan B if Lockett Meadow/Inner Basin is still closed?

If you are looking for a "Plan B", Hart Prairie has plenty of fall colour and car camp opportunities...

http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=48163

The assumption up here is that it will be opened, considering the large area of the closure that was not effected by the fire and the popularity of this area during the fall colors. If September 15 rolls around and the Coconino National Forest institutes another closure, I myself not too concerned with finding a good "Plan B". We've discussed Hart Prairie, it is however much better in the late afternoon as opposed to the early morning. I think the best option for a "Plan B" would be a Saturday late afternoon evening at Hart Prairie and an early Sunday morning at the Kachina meadows....but I imagine we'll cross that bridge when we come to it September 15 as I haven't hashed out that idea with Jon or Joel previously.

If the closed area is not open by then, I would have no problem throwing Hart Prairie into the mix.

Either way, like Jake said, it won't be too difficult to come up with a plan B in that area if we need to.

I would love to do this! I'll definately keep it in mind

Wow, that sounds like a fantastic trip. I'll be exploring my phobias on the Royal Arch route, though. Maybe I'll get a good shot or two while I'm at it.

No matter what is going on, I will try my best to make this trip!! It will be fantastic to see the HAZ photo masters at work! I'll definitely bring my camera; but I am sure I will be spending most of my time trying to soak up the tips and tricks of the trade. (I'm such a newbie) Oh, BTW I haven't gotten a tripod yet any recommendations for a nice but pack friendly one? :A1:

Looks like Liz and Janelle are committed, along with me, Jon and Jake Hope the rest of you can as well!

Janelle- What's your price range? My first few tripods were just the cheapo Best Buy ones, I believe in the 30 dollar range. They're generally just the right size to strap to the back of your pack, but only last a few months if your taking it out in the field semi-regularly. Nowadays I'm rockin a tripod setup that's upwards of 400 bucks... And it still gives me problems (Jon has heard me throw mini-fits every time I fight with that thing, which is almost every time I use it). The ideal setup would be a gitzo in the $1200 range with a RRS ballhead in the $500 range

Janelle, mine is from Best Buy, but it was like $50-60. It's pretty big and heavy and I refuse to strap to my pack (did that for 7 flat miles in Sedona one day and it killed my back), so I have to carry it. I would recommend something a bit lighter than what I got, just make sure it's sturdy enough to handle your Canon (the boxes have weight limits written on them). I used a cheap $10 travel size tripod from Target my first couple weeks with my dSLR and the head broke while I was standing on a rock in the middle of Oak Creek Fortunately I caught the camera by the strap!

I got a decent lightweight tripod from REI for about $30. It's nowhere near as nice as my Velbon VGB-3, but it only weighs about a pound whereas the Velbon weighs about 5.

hippiepunkpirate wrote:I would recommend something a bit lighter than what I got, just make sure it's sturdy enough to handle your Canon (the boxes have weight limits written on them). I used a cheap $10 travel size tripod from Target my first couple weeks with my dSLR and the head broke while I was standing on a rock in the middle of Oak Creek Fortunately I caught the camera by the strap!

Great tip... I destroyed a $500 Sigma lens because of a poorly built tripod. It plummeted into Tanque Verde Creek last summer. Definitely wasn't the first time my camera has fallen off a crap tripod, I was just lucky the prior times that the damage was minimal. Lesson learned: Keep the camera strap around your neck while fine tuning a composition on the tripod.

Its a bummer when a "prior" commitement to something you really want to do gets in the way of some thing you'd rather be doing. I know I am gonna miss a good event