Photo Safari Noobs

First of all, we did not wake up at noon. I was up around 8AM (after falling asleep around 4AM) and Todd was up around 9:30AM. What Hawk fails to mention is that Todd and I did he and Andrew a favor by sharing a room because the two of us snore like grizzly bears. So, they got a good night’s sleep while we kept one another up … sort of. The sacrifices we make for art and our comrades. Yeeeesh!

So, after fueling up our bodies and the Blackbird, we headed for Page, AZ, Four Corners and ultimately Durango, CO. The drive was full of photo opps which were alternately atmospheric and unsettling. Along the way, I broke out the awesome lenses I rented from Pro Photo Rental out of Boulder, CO. Jared really hooked me up with a solid kit which I put to good use today. Photos and additional thought below.

The ride was made shorter by in-vehicle wifi and Kevin Smith: An Evening Harder which, while not as strong as the first DVD, is still pretty damn funny.

Peace,

Doug

PS: 20 Geek Dollars to the person that leaves a comment explaining where this post title comes from!

Blackbird Loaded Down

I should not have dropped that quarter!

Random Chunk of Road

Hawk on the Prowl

Mexican Hat

Red Rock Breaks

Party House on the Res

The Lucky Appaloosa ... Statue

doug Doug Daulton arrows, AZ, CO, Durango, FJC, kevin smith, mountains, NM, UT

Day One is in the books. We started out more or less on time with a target of Page, AZ before we crashed. I ignored the TomTom and jumped off the I-15 a little early, which took us directly through the hairpin turns of Zion at night. Even in the dark, Zion is pretty gorgeous.

Todd made the awesome call of stopping to try out some long exposure shots of the brilliant night sky. Thanks to Todd, John and Andrew, I learned a lot about my Canon 30D and long exposure photography. Thanks fellas! Photos below.

Todd and Hawk are their usual snarky selves. Andrew, who I just met today, is already breaking my balls; which means he’ll fit in just fine to this motley crew.

Tommorrow should see us through Page, AZ, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Four Corners and Durango, CO. Weather and time permitting, we may make it into Telluride, CO for the night.

Love to Kelly and Finn. Thanks for letting me go for a few days. I miss you guys already.

Peace,

Doug

PS: 10 Geek Dollars to the first post to nail the title quote in our comments!

Todd and Blackbird II

My God Its Full Of Star!s

Zion Tunnel in Ghostly Non-Focus

Sharper Focus - Pattern Study

doug Doug Daulton kanab, Long Exposure, psn09, stars, zion

Todd suggested that we pass through the “Four Corners” where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet. So, I’ve updated the itinerary below. I figure we’ll make it to Kanab, UT or Page, AZ tomorrow night, Telluride, CO on Thursday and pull into Denver around 6PM on Friday. If you’ve made this run before, leave us a comment with sites to see along the way.

Peace,

Doug

doug General

Colorado Cruisers by COAF

Because this photo safari is mostly in the mountains, during winter, the expedition vehicle is my 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser (FJC), which is well suited to the conditions. The FJC community is rich, active and very supportive. When building up my first FJC (2007 Special Edition … totaled … another story altogether), my local FJC club and the national FJCrusier Forums were great resources. So when planning this trip, I naturally asked for feedback in the national forums. They did not disappoint.

Shane from FJC Magazine reached out about doing a photo shoot and covering the expedition for the April Issue. Lix10 gave some great advice on the route and possible wildlife along the way. Finally, Coaf volunteered to set up an off-road run with us as well. It sounds like we could have some pretty cool photo-opps along the way.

This is shaping up to be a good thing … a very, very good thing. I don’t know about the rest of the crew, but I am hoping I get something worth submitting to the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops. Learning from Scott Bourne and company at Yellowstone would be amazing.

Peace,

Doug

PS: Here is the updated route.

doug Doug Daulton