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- May 5, 2012
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My photography kit has updated completely. It started last fall with the move from crop to full-frame. That necessitated replacing my venerable Canon 10-22mm EF-s lens with something more appropriate to the format. The additional heft on the new body/lens combo meant moving up from an entry-level aluminum tripod to something more sturdy.
So I snagged a deal on some carbon Manfrotto legs and picked up an Acratech ballhead to complement. The combo proved larger and bulkier than anticipated. So would I really want to carry that extra mass around when hiking/backpacking? I wanted to find out.
In March, I headed to St. George for a weekend to meet up with an old friend of mine and put the new sticks to the test. We decided to go up Kanarra Creek, which I had shot years prior with the old set-up.
Clutches of Kanarra by ashergrey, on Flickr
The conditions were prime.
Big puffy clouds moving over the sky continuously changed the lighting in the canyon depths.
Southern Utah's runoff had mostly wrapped up by that point but the water was still ice-cold. I did okay in wool socks/neo socks/Canyoneers. My friend was a bit more frigid in Teva-style water shoes. One of the old ladders remained in the upper narrow section, in pieces.
Broken Ladder by ashergrey, on Flickr
I ended up using the 24-70 on the way up and the 16-35 on the way back. Without a CPL on the 16-35, I found most of the shots I liked came from the 24-70.
Cold March at Kanarra Creek by ashergrey, on Flickr
Same location, different lens/focal length. You can see the effect of the polarizer pretty well.
It was pretty deserted. Just a few other people were in the narrows and they cleared out as we arrived. We had it to ourselves for about an hour and encountered only a few groups headed up the canyon on our way out. Early season has its advantages, if you can stand the cold.
On our way back to St. George, we decided to take the scenic detour up over Yant Flat.
Pine Valley Mountains by ashergrey, on Flickr
We walked out to the rim for lunch, then wandered around awhile.
Yant to Zion by ashergrey, on Flickr
Dragonscale Cobblestone by ashergrey, on Flickr
There were two other photographers working in concert in the area so I tried to keep my distance.
Two Towers by ashergrey, on Flickr
Stunted by ashergrey, on Flickr
The tripod setup performed better than I expected. The speed with which I could set up and frame a shot, then break down and move to another location was much improved. I can't believe I waited so long to pull the trigger on a good ballhead and quick-release system.
Domes by ashergrey, on Flickr
Skies turned mostly overcast and we even received a spattering of rain.
Stripes in Shade by ashergrey, on Flickr
Variegated by ashergrey, on Flickr
But right at sunset, the skies cleared for this amazing view.
Marbelized by ashergrey, on Flickr
Late Light on Hurricane Cliffs by ashergrey, on Flickr
Sunset at Yant by ashergrey, on Flickr
There are some really stunning shots to be had looking east from Yant Flat at the blue hour, but not without a telephoto lens. We packed up and walked back to the car under this sublime view of the Pine Valley Mountains.
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So I snagged a deal on some carbon Manfrotto legs and picked up an Acratech ballhead to complement. The combo proved larger and bulkier than anticipated. So would I really want to carry that extra mass around when hiking/backpacking? I wanted to find out.
In March, I headed to St. George for a weekend to meet up with an old friend of mine and put the new sticks to the test. We decided to go up Kanarra Creek, which I had shot years prior with the old set-up.
Clutches of Kanarra by ashergrey, on FlickrThe conditions were prime.
Big puffy clouds moving over the sky continuously changed the lighting in the canyon depths.
Southern Utah's runoff had mostly wrapped up by that point but the water was still ice-cold. I did okay in wool socks/neo socks/Canyoneers. My friend was a bit more frigid in Teva-style water shoes. One of the old ladders remained in the upper narrow section, in pieces.
Broken Ladder by ashergrey, on FlickrI ended up using the 24-70 on the way up and the 16-35 on the way back. Without a CPL on the 16-35, I found most of the shots I liked came from the 24-70.
Cold March at Kanarra Creek by ashergrey, on FlickrSame location, different lens/focal length. You can see the effect of the polarizer pretty well.
It was pretty deserted. Just a few other people were in the narrows and they cleared out as we arrived. We had it to ourselves for about an hour and encountered only a few groups headed up the canyon on our way out. Early season has its advantages, if you can stand the cold.
On our way back to St. George, we decided to take the scenic detour up over Yant Flat.
Pine Valley Mountains by ashergrey, on FlickrWe walked out to the rim for lunch, then wandered around awhile.
Yant to Zion by ashergrey, on FlickrDragonscale Cobblestone by ashergrey, on FlickrThere were two other photographers working in concert in the area so I tried to keep my distance.
Two Towers by ashergrey, on FlickrStunted by ashergrey, on Flickr
The tripod setup performed better than I expected. The speed with which I could set up and frame a shot, then break down and move to another location was much improved. I can't believe I waited so long to pull the trigger on a good ballhead and quick-release system.
Domes by ashergrey, on FlickrSkies turned mostly overcast and we even received a spattering of rain.
Stripes in Shade by ashergrey, on FlickrVariegated by ashergrey, on FlickrBut right at sunset, the skies cleared for this amazing view.
Marbelized by ashergrey, on FlickrLate Light on Hurricane Cliffs by ashergrey, on FlickrSunset at Yant by ashergrey, on FlickrThere are some really stunning shots to be had looking east from Yant Flat at the blue hour, but not without a telephoto lens. We packed up and walked back to the car under this sublime view of the Pine Valley Mountains.
[PARSEHTML]<iframe src="http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3847512/GPS/Yant_Flat.kml&t=t4" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="800" height="800"></iframe><br><br>[/PARSEHTML]
Featured image for homepage:
