Without really getting settled in after my first-ever trip to France, I set off on another closer trip to do some photography in Utah with UTadventure. I flew in the day before so that our first shooting day would be more relaxed. Our group had two models I had worked with before, Anoush Anou and Melia Josefina, and because we had a larger group of photographers they added one more model who was new to me, Jennifer Jones, who is based in Santa Cruz.
Bonneville Salt Flats
After our traditional kick-off lunch, our first shoot of the tour was a sunset shoot at the Bonneville Salt Flats. This is the third time I’ve been here and it is always interesting. It was very windy during our shoot, which was a bit of a challenge in shooting as well as for the models. However, it was still an interesting and unique place to get some nice shots. We skipped the usual stop at the late-night Indian food place as we had brought some take-away, so we got back to the hotel at a decent hour.
Heading South
On the morning of our second day, we headed down to southeastern Utah to check in to our hotel in Green River, which would serve as our home base for several days. We went to the traditional Stan’s Burger Shack in Hanksville for a quick lunch, then we headed to one of my favorite locations, Leprechaun Canyon. It was warm, but not too hot. As usual, the narrow slot canyon provided some amazing colors and textures for shooting. I ended up pairing up with Robert from the Netherlands with whom I worked pretty well, and we worked together a lot on this tour.
After a few hours of shooting, we headed back, and despite the wind decided to go to the overlook at Burr Point. After traversing 10 miles of a bumpy dirt road we arrived, and while it was windy it wasn’t unbearable. We got some nice shots in the light of the setting sun. We again had a picnic dinner with food we had grabbed at Stan’s, and then we headed back to the hotel after a long travel day.
Around Moab
We began the next day traveling to Professor Valley near Moab. It turned out to be a bit overcast which was a bit of a blessing in keeping the light soft and the temperatures a bit cooler than usual. This made for good shooting conditions. The surrounding landscape looks amazing as usual. After a few hours of shooting as the light started to become a bit harsh, we headed into Moab for lunch at the food truck Quesadilla Mobilla, which filled us up. We then headed back to the hotel for a bit of a rest.
In the later afternoon, we headed back towards Moab to Onion Creek, a beautiful rocky area requiring a 4-wheel drive to get to, surrounded by beautiful southwestern landscapes. I ended up enjoying the shooting there as much as anywhere else on the tour this year, probably because of the quality of light at sunset.
Slower Pace
We got a morning off for a rest day, which is always needed after several early mornings and late nights. We gathered for lunch at Tamarisk and then headed into the San Rafael Swell along the Buckhorn Wash. We stopped at the archeologically interesting pictograph panel, and looked at the ancient drawings. We then headed up to the Wedge Overlook (Little Grand Canyon) for a sunset shoot. The overlook is beautiful and we got some nice shots of models on the edge as well as in some of the crevices over the edge. As darkness set on we headed back. Robert managed to identify the Milky Way, so after dropping us at the hotel, Dmitriy and a couple of the photographers headed out to do some star shooting. I wish I had joined them, but it was late and I was pretty tired.
A Long Day
We began our last day down south with a trip to the White Wash Sand Dunes, which provide one of the unique photographic settings on the tour. It wasn’t too hot, but there was a bit of a breeze, which caused the models to have to deal with sand blowing in their faces. We got some nice shots on the dunes as well as along the rock walls out of the direct sun.
Afterward, we went back to the hotel to check out and then had another lunch at Tamarisk. We then went to Crack Canyon. This is another location on the tour which requires 4-wheel drive vehicles to get to our desired starting point. It is another one of the amazing slot canyons which has stunning geologic forms and a variety of settings to photograph. We shot relatively late, and then headed back up north to Salt Lake City for the night. The group stopped along the way for some fast food, but it was late enough, and I was trying to not veer too far off of my diet, so I just had some peanuts.
The Final Day
On the morning of the last day of the tour, we went to shoot at the Great Salt Lake. It was a bit of a hike to get out to the edge of the water, and away from where the public might view us. It was noteworthy that the waterline had pulled back about 100 yards from the last time I was there. Apparently, this is a big cause of concern as it exposes more land which affects air quality in the area. We got some nice shots in the morning and then headed back to the hotel to clean up. The tour ended with the traditional farewell lunch at Hub and Spoke. This group had gotten along quite well, and we was a bittersweet parting.