Tips & Tricks
Tips For Planning a Photography Trip to the National Parks
The temperatures are on the rise as we barrel through summer in the U.S. Many of us are possibly planning trips to a National Park for some R&R and maybe work on some personal shooting projects. National Parks are terrific places for photographers to get some images of wildlife and landscapes while hiking through mountain terrains, trekking through the wilderness and exploring the protected lands of our country.
[REWIND: GORGEOUS TIME-LAPSE OF OUR NATIONAL PARKS REMINDS US OF OUR EARTH’S ‘UNTOUCHED’ BEAUTY]
If you are planning a vacation or a shooting adventure in one of the parks this year, here’s a great video from B&H to help you prepare for your trip. In the 51 minute video, Chris Nicholson talks about shooting in some of the country’s most famous parks – Acadia, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Olympic, Everglades and Great Smoky Mountains. He shares anecdotes about his own adventures, some of his breathtaking images and tips on how to research and prepare for shooting in these parks. This video is a great watch for those who are thinking about or planning a trip.
Personally, I am planning a camping trip for my daughter’s 10-year-old adventure (I begged her to choose Paris or Hawaii, but she wanted to camp…in tents…) to Yellowstone, so this video is timely. Since I’m in the research mode, I especially paid attention to around 18 minutes in when Nicholson takes about how he uses resources like Google news alerts, Google Earth, and Flickr to plan. He also talks about some of his favorite helpful websites to use.
Watch How to Prepare and Photograph in National Parks, with Chris Nicholson
I saw that flooded boardwalk and I knew where it was photographed. The sad thing is that I live 50 miles from Congaree National and I haven’t been there! I will wait to visit the park when the temps dip below 90.
Bill Fortney, who has great national park photos, says his secret is that he’s been to each one 25 times. What special care for lenses around the mineral rich spray from Yellowstone geysers?
I was just there and had filters on most of the time (polarizer to cut or emphasize pool reflections). Some of the pools and geysers have the pH of battery acid so I didn’t want that crap on my lens. Also have a couple fresh lens wipes so you can keep one in your pocket. And have you lens hood on so when a ton of steam blows at you you can put your hand over the lens without touching it.