Fence, Neon, Ringtail

[Howells Outdoors]

Here are photos from the second trip of the ORPT 1030 -- Intro to Backpacking -- taught at SUU.

We ventured from Egypt TH down the edge of Fence Canyon, into the Escalante and camped just upriver of Neon Canyon. The class focused on LNT principles in the backcountry and some strong emphasis on navigation (no more getting lost in the woods).

It was a blast! I love this area and I'm so, so, so, so sad I have not spent much time out in Escalante.

We arrived late Friday night at the TH so we camped up there. Gorgeous night under the stars


The next morning we dropped into BFE!



All smiles!




We hiked into the Golden Cathedral Saturday after setting up camp


This was a long exposure and the headstand was held more steady than anyone else!


Watching the sun set from down in the Escalante River.



It got below freezing Saturday night. Plus, all the moisture from the river and plants left a nice bit of frost on everything.



Before we headed out Sunday we hiked down to Ringtail and explored that super awesome canyon. It was a little to cold to venture far, but we did enter the dark slot canyon.


Selfie


We then took what I think is called the Sneak Route, maybe I'm thinking crazy. The sand dune in front of Neon Canyon.


Featured image for home page:

 

[Laura]

Looks like a fantastic class! I hope everyone was hooked. A light painting tip-don't aim the light directly at your subject, and don't paint from behind the camera. Stand off to the side (you may need to use the camera's timer for this), aim the spotlight at the sky and use the softer side light to illuminate your scene. You'll get much more even light (no blown out areas) and create fantastic shadows.

 

[Howells Outdoors]

Looks like a fantastic class! I hope everyone was hooked. A light painting tip-don't aim the light directly at your subject, and don't paint from behind the camera. Stand off to the side (you may need to use the camera's timer for this), aim the spotlight at the sky and use the softer side light to illuminate your scene. You'll get much more even light (no blown out areas) and create fantastic shadows.

Thanks! So have the light on during the whole exposure? And aim it toward the sky in the shot or outside?

 

[Yvonne]

absolutely awesome!!! Maybe I should sign up for the backpacking course at Dixie, too. So I can get out and get my credit for doing it, ha ha.
I love Fence and Neon and the Golden Cathedral and will be back next year.
I love your night shots

 

[nonameiwant]

absolutely awesome!!! Maybe I should sign up for the backpacking course at Dixie, too. So I can get out and get my credit for doing it, ha ha.
I love Fence and Neon and the Golden Cathedral and will be back next year.
I love your night shots

You should!

I'm going to have to take an outdoor class for my major when I transfer to the UofU. Let me tell you I'm disappointed having to spend time outside instead of sitting in a class all semester, what a horrible thought. The hardest part will be trying to decide what class to take.

 

[Yvonne]

I just wonder a bit if I take a backpacking class, wouldn't it be too obvious because it definitely is not related to my major
Anyway, I wouldn't care - as long as I can get out a bit more without having the feeling that I'm neglecting my class work because I want to play.

 

[Howells Outdoors]

Offer to co-instruct, that's what I did. We used university vehicles which means the outdoor rec program payed for the gas, motor pool cleans it. I got to play, but it goes towards my major.

 

[Laura]

Thanks! So have the light on during the whole exposure? And aim it toward the sky in the shot or outside?

No, you really don't need much light, especially if you're close to the subject. The closer you are, the more your chances of blowing out the highlights. Aim the light toward the sky (assuming you have a standard spotlight) and use the softer side light moving up and down over what you are trying to illuminate. You only need a couple of seconds of this. Experiment with a few shots and see what you like best. I read a quote that said light painting is like being a sound engineer: you have to do a couple of takes to see what works. For the shot below, I only painted for 10 seconds out of a 30 second exposure, and I was about 20 feet away, standing below the tree and to the left:


It looks like a lot of light but it really wasn't. And yes, it took about 6 or 7 tries until I got it right (I kept blowing out the highlights on the tree).

 

[Nick]

Well done, sir! A beautiful area down there that is often overlooked by those that are not canyoneering (although can be dicey in the spring runoff).

x2 on Laura's light comments. It's always better from the side and amount varies wildly depending on the settings and your environment. Play around with it a bit, you'll like it.

 

[Dave]

As to the light painting... it's not that much different from off-camera flash. Many similar principals apply. Just remember than when shooting at high ISO and wide open, it doesn't make much light.

If you're using a head lamp, you can also try to use a model with floods and a spot, alternating between which ever gives the best effect. Even further bonus points if it has a red (night vision) mode.

Finally, color temperatures from LED headlamps or flashlights won't usually match your scene. You can gel for it with filters or adjust your camera white balance to compensate.

 

[Howells Outdoors]

I really appreciate the help on photography. that's one reason I love using this site is getting those tips and tricks.

 

[Laura]

As to the light painting... it's not that much different from off-camera flash. Many similar principals apply. Just remember than when shooting at high ISO and wide open, it doesn't make much light.

Did you mean to say it doesn't take much light? That's what I was trying to point out with my photo. It looks like I shined a floodlight on the tree, but all I really did was use really soft side light up and down. The camera is absorbing more light than your eye can when opened way up and with a long exposure, so you really don't need much light to create a strong effect (and why what looks just right to your eye looks really blown out when you view it in camera).

 

[IntrepidXJ]

When light painting, I like to bounce the light off the ground or a nearby cliff, boulder, etc (out of the frame of course) so it picks up a little color.

 

[Dave]

Did you mean to say it doesn't take much light?

Yes, that was a typo.

 

[Michael]

Great report!
This area is - awesome! Love your night shot.

 

[Devin A.]

I am an outdoor recreation management major, and I just returned from this same area last week for my wilderness skills class at Utah Valley University. We did Harris Wash to Neon and it was quite the adventure. Awesome photos! Neon is one of my favorite places in the world, and its popularity hopefully doesn't result in the area getting trashed. I posted a trip report of our trip just today. Go check it out.