My Recent Trip to Zion National Park

National Parks have an indescribable magnificence about them. My passion for photography developed largely from visiting majestic locations and having the desire to capture what I was experiencing to remember and to share with others.  I am lucky enough to live fairly close to a lot of National Parks. Zion National Park is one of my favorites to visit.  I went there this past month and here are a few of the shots I took!  Enjoy!

Man made hoo-doo

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f3.5

Shutter Speed: 1/125

Court of the Patriarchs

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f3.5

Shutter Speed: 1/80

Trail to the Emerald Pools

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f25

Shutter Speed: 8 sec.

View Down the Canyon

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f3.5

Shutter Speed: 1/100

The Great White Throne from below Angels Landing

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/40

Late Season Butterfly

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/25

Virgin River

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f16

Shutter Speed: 198 sec.

Virgin River

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f16

Shutter Speed: 173 sec.

Virgin River

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f13

Shutter Speed: 172 sec.

Small Falls on the Virgin River

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f11

Shutter Speed: 174 sec.

Virgin River

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f25

Shutter Speed: 83 sec.

Shoe Tree outside the park

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f3.5

Shutter Speed: 1/400

Hop Valley Trail up Kolob Reservoir Road

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f3.5

Shutter Speed: 1/800

Sign outside of the Hop Valey

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f3.8

Shutter Speed: 1/60

Out in the Zion Wilderness

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f10

Shutter Speed: 340 sec.

Shed Antler on Wildcat Canyon Trail

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f5

Shutter Speed: 1/80

Kolob Reservoir Road

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f4.

Shutter Speed: 1/125

Zion out in the distance

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikkor 18-200 VRII

Aperture:  f8

Shutter Speed: 1/200

The Value of a Good Tripod

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Many People will see my photographs and ask how they were taken.  A good majority of my shots are taken while the camera is mounted on a tripod.  Many will shy away from the tripod topic either because they don't have one, don't think they need one, don't have a good one, they view tripods as inconvenient, or they don't like carrying them around.  My post today will hopefully help convince you to overcome any of these thoughts about tripods.

Worth their weight in GOLD!

There have been times in the past when I have neglected to have a tripod with me and have regretted it.  An example was a trip I took to Yellowstone National Park.  I had been hiking all day and was pretty tired so for the last hike of the day (tower falls) I decided not to bring my tripod because I figured that I could hold my camera steady enough to get a good shot. I took a few and they looked great!.... on my little camera screeen but when I got home I realized they were all blurry! (see below)

Although this picture was only 1/2 a second long I wasn't able to hold it steady enough to have a sharp image.  Now compare this Image with the one at the top of the page.  The image at the top of the page was a 116 second exposure time.  The difference was all the Tripod.

There are many different subjects that will require the use of a tripod, especially those that involve motion or if photos are taken at night.  A good rule of thumb is that if your shutter speed is longer than 1/60th of a second, then use a tripod.  I often times will use a tripod for shots that technically do not need one for to get those tack sharp photos.   

My top things to look for in a good tripod?
     -Quick Release Plate
     -Versatility (high and low)
     -Stable / Sturdy
     -Ball Head

I will do a full review in a later post but the tripod I would personally recommend would be the Vangaurd Alta-Pro Tripod  It can be found here:

http://www.vanguardworld.com/index.php/en/pv/products/photo-video/list-1-4-225.html 

I personally have the version with the pistol grip ball head and it is perfect for my needs!
 

First Post!

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II

Shutter Speed: 1/320

F-Stop: f-9