Photographing Mesa Arch at Sunrise
The glow under the arch is bounced light and it lasts roughly four minutes. The walk in is seven tenths of a mile. The hard part is neither of those — it is that the good ground holds about ten tripods, and you want to be choosing yours at 4am.
Read the field notes →
Hiking In to Reflection Canyon
Sixteen miles round trip, the last two across open slickrock with nothing to follow. No shade, no reliable water, and an arm of Lake Powell directly below the overlook with exactly one way down to it — several hundred feet of free fall. Go overnight, bring a freestanding tent, and bracket the sunrise.
Read the field notes →
Photographing Lower Antelope Canyon
I shot it handheld on the thirty-dollar walking tour, not the expensive photographer's one — and that expensive tier no longer exists. Thirty minutes, a group of ten, and thirty seconds of clear frame at a time.
Read the field notes →
Multnomah Falls Without the Crowd
The timed permit applies from 9am. Arrive before it and you need no permit, meet no queue, and get the only light worth carrying a tripod for.
Read the field notes →