Well, I'm not sure about all of you, but I just had to get out of town for a few days, had to see just how grand this so called "Grand Canyon" is...

These were all shot handheld, most at F2.8:







Used the usual split ND filter, still the best photography purchase I've made in 10 years!



Time Exposure: 419 seconds @ F2.8, ISO 200, Canon 5D with 24-70F2.8L, 24mm.



Some Crazy Drunk Cacti, making a statement!



"Superior" Arizona, a former mining town, just 30+ miles from Apache Junction, and about 60 miles east of Phoenix.  Oliver Stone directed, with Jennifer Lopez, Sean Penn, Billy Bob Thorton, Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte, and Claire Daines; the movie "U Turn" shot in 1997.  Not much has changed from the movie, and the place is still very very creepy....



Well time to head home!  Grand Canyon from 30,000 feet


Down through the clouds around 10,000 feet, and Mt. Hood:


Recollections:  Not only is the landscape different, but it's just a different attitude there.  Women are a lot more friendly, people a  lot more curious,  people just seemed overall a lot happier.   The landscape changes a lot as you pass from rolling mountains and from one valley to the next.  You could see a dry desert scape with Cacti one minute, and then be in the rolling hills with flowers everywhere.  The tree/desert areas reminded me of Southern Oregon a little, but it was just different.  Everyone talks about the "dry" heat, but it wasn't bad at all, perfect balance, I guess April is a good time to visit!  You can buy a lot of home for $180k down there!!!!!

Great pictures, thanks for the report. Having spent a couple years in Phoenix en route to the Northwest, it's nice to see some desert landscape to remind me of the place I met my wife :-) The Grand Canyon is definitely the "Big Daddy" of 'em all. There are many beautiful, wonderful places I've seen in this country (my current love being the Columbia River Gorge). But the Grand Canyon should be somewhere near  the top of the list for any nature lover.

Thanks again,

Adam

What an enticing preview for a first time trip I'll be taking down there later this year.  I imagine the dry heat of April is pretty nice.  I can't think that would be a sane thing to say for conditions in August.

I have a 58 mm adaptor tube for my camera.  What split ND filter would you recommend as I'd like to get one?

Wow!

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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey

I used a "77mm Color Grade CLR/ND 0.6" made by Tiffen.  It's the kind that screws onto the lens, not those cheesy overated square plastic annoying fragile filter setups that won't take any abuse, unless you're curiously obsessive compulsive about your filters....Bring a polarizer as well.  It may not seem like the two will work together, but in some cases it wil make sense if you're patient and you have a decent tripod....I was too lazy to check my gitzo cf one....so I had no tripod and did everything handheld with the exception of the time exposure shot, which was just the camera resting on a rock...and my feet dangling on some cliff edge at night.......

Being a transplant from AZ (After 20 yrs) I really enjoyed those pics. We would go to the Grand Canyon everytime we had out of state company as a kid so it got boring. NOw that I haven't seen it a few years, though, it really is beautiful.

That time lapsed photo is awesome!!!!!!!

Next time you find yourself in AZ you'll have to check out Jerome and Sedona. They are pretty close to one another. Jerome is my favorite ghost town and Sedona offers some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen!

 

Thanks to all with the compliments n such!  Jerome and Sedona will be on the list the next time I visit, along with Bryce Canyon, Zion, Monument to name a few....I Think a road trip would prove to be costly but fruitful in terms of photographic success!! 

markesc:

I used a "77mm Color Grade CLR/ND 0.6" made by Tiffen. 

This look about right, for the 58mm version?

Yeap that is the one!  I think I got mine from www.adorama.com  I've bought tons from them and never had any issues...

Looks like you can get a 58mm here for $44.90
http://www.adorama.com/TF58CGND6X.html?searchinfo=58mm%20nd%20tiffen&item_no=4

They also have one that's supposed to be even better if you have money to blow:
http://www.adorama.com/TF58CGND6HT.html?searchinfo=58mm%20nd%20tiffen&item_no=1