This was a photography class through Lake Tahoe Community College. Richard "Dick" Johnson was the instructor, and has taken many classes on the trip. We started out as a class of 8 (in Lake Tahoe), but ended up with only 5 students in the valley. One student stayed in a motel in Beatty, NV which is about 40 miles away from the Furnace Creek Campgrounds. Not a big fan of sleeping on the ground myself, but did it anyway. Dick is also a musician and entertained us with the mandolin around the campfire and an indian flute in in Titus Canyon.
Our first morning was up at 5:15 and out at Zabriskie Point by 6 am for the sunrise. I took my old school Nikon F for black and white film, and the Canon 20D digital for color. Also brought two tripods (one for me, one for Susanne). After I set up the digital, it wouldn't turn down. I had brought three battery packs for it, and had left all back at camp. So I shot B & W that morning. Also, one of the tripods had a 3/8" bolt in it instead of the standard 1/4" bolt. I had modified it a few years ago for another camera. All of the cameras we had took the standard 1/4" bolts. So we were down to one tripod. This was remedied at noon with a visit to the one and only gas station who let me rummage through their old nuts and bolts.
After shooting from the point, we headed into the canyon for a hike to the otherside down on the vally floor. One student didn't do the hike, but met us at the bottom to shuttle some of us back to the cars at the point. After eating lunch and resting, we went out in the afternoon to Hole In The Wall. This is an area about three miles at the end of a dirt road that is an opening between the mountains. Many blooming cacti and a great sunset.
The second day was also an early rise and a 30 mile trip to the Sand Dunes for sunrise. Great photo opportunity. Afterwards, after coffee at Stovepipe Wells, we headed to Ryolite and Beatty. Filled up in Beatty, then headed for Titus Canyon. The fellow staying in Beatty stayed there for the mid afternoon, and two young men in the class were having car trouble, so they headed home from there back to Tahoe. Found out later they got a new heater hose in Beatty, so the trip back was not as stressful. In the afternoon, we went to Twenty Mule Team Canyon for more late sun shots.
The next morning we awoke at a regular time (not o dark thirty), had breakfast and broke camp. We headed for Las Vegas late morning, going through Death Valley Junction and Pahrump. Continued on the next segment.
Our first morning was up at 5:15 and out at Zabriskie Point by 6 am for the sunrise. I took my old school Nikon F for black and white film, and the Canon 20D digital for color. Also brought two tripods (one for me, one for Susanne). After I set up the digital, it wouldn't turn down. I had brought three battery packs for it, and had left all back at camp. So I shot B & W that morning. Also, one of the tripods had a 3/8" bolt in it instead of the standard 1/4" bolt. I had modified it a few years ago for another camera. All of the cameras we had took the standard 1/4" bolts. So we were down to one tripod. This was remedied at noon with a visit to the one and only gas station who let me rummage through their old nuts and bolts.
After shooting from the point, we headed into the canyon for a hike to the otherside down on the vally floor. One student didn't do the hike, but met us at the bottom to shuttle some of us back to the cars at the point. After eating lunch and resting, we went out in the afternoon to Hole In The Wall. This is an area about three miles at the end of a dirt road that is an opening between the mountains. Many blooming cacti and a great sunset.
The second day was also an early rise and a 30 mile trip to the Sand Dunes for sunrise. Great photo opportunity. Afterwards, after coffee at Stovepipe Wells, we headed to Ryolite and Beatty. Filled up in Beatty, then headed for Titus Canyon. The fellow staying in Beatty stayed there for the mid afternoon, and two young men in the class were having car trouble, so they headed home from there back to Tahoe. Found out later they got a new heater hose in Beatty, so the trip back was not as stressful. In the afternoon, we went to Twenty Mule Team Canyon for more late sun shots.
The next morning we awoke at a regular time (not o dark thirty), had breakfast and broke camp. We headed for Las Vegas late morning, going through Death Valley Junction and Pahrump. Continued on the next segment.
1 comment:
Great pictures man! This is why I need a camera. You also got to go camping, how cool is that? I am glad you two had a great time on your trip!
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