Sharing a 25 year dream..The Grand Canyon expedition
The seed was planted some 25 years ago. Seeing the Grand Canyon, from anywhere the first time is monumental. It's a bookmark for the brain like where you were when a landmark event took place. This event was more like where I was when the landmark took place! I was smitten instantly and knew that I wanted and needed more. That thought has never subsided, nor have the questions. The swarm of though was mind boggling and some of those thoughts now have actions and answers. Thoughts such as, where is the river? How do you get there from here? and the big one, How do I photograph this?
I think most of us that have photographed Grand Canyon have had some success and much failure. I find that in approach the very word "Grand" is overwhelming and the concept just gets bigger from there. So if this is the case then how do you get smaller. Closer was my answer but how? The Grand Canyon was the last mapped place in the lower 48 states. It was just listed as wilderness some 140 years ago. It still looks pretty much that way in most places. I needed to find out what it took to get into the canyon.
Over the years I've been in a lot of remote places around the area, mostly on the rims. I've covered most of the BLM areas on the north side and have done many of the back roads on the reservations of the south rim as well. I've hiked to the river and back from the south rim and have also ridden mules from the north rim to roaring springs and back, a couple of times.
I've even driven to the river in the lower gorge at Diamond Creek. It was there that I realized that the way to see and photograph the intimate places of the Grand Canyon was to do it from the river. But how?
That day at Diamond beach I began talking with a tribal member about the canyon, the river and what was possible and on what scale. It became apparent that it was a mammoth undertaking that would not be accomplished easily or soon. Some 25 years later I finally accomplished what could only be described as a scouting trip. A public journey through the Grand Canyon with a commercial outfitter that offered a whirlwind tour with very little time or opportunity for photography. It was a beginning.
Just how you get to enough locations quickly in such a remote location with time allowed to understand the Canyon and photograph it. How to do this with a small enough group of people as to make all this possible became the task. I've witnessed as many as 45 people on a photo workshop in the Grand Canyon and thought the experience and result would not be satisfactory but did not see another way offered.
Photography workshops are many and varied. Finding the right one is as personal as finding a vehicle, or even a mate! Research and time into how they are planned and conducted are as important as any photo equipment you might take with you. They are all different in approach and execution and differ in physical as well as psychological concepts. Some are demanding in some ways as others are deliberately not in others.
The right workshop for you is usually more important in most cases than where the workshop will take place. Some are classroom oriented while others are strictly field workshops. Some are a combination.
Skill level is another important concern. I've found over the years of workshop experience that in the field most levels can be accommodated. We are mostly equals in the field. We have opportunity, equipment and time available. There is time for individual instruction as well as structured time to go out on one's own. Working and being in the field together has been the staple of my workshops. Sharing the experience of photographing together seems to build from the foundation, an understand of subject and technique in a group atmosphere that is not possible under most circumstances. Most seem to benefit from the interaction of a group along with it's discipline and dedication to landscape photography. It is unique situation many ways.
An expedition is different from a workshop in many aspects. At its core is the fact that it will take you into and out of territory not well known. The word means to explore. This seemed the perfect idea. The grand Canyon is an ever changing wilderness and if one is to photograph what is available at any given time then setting an itinerary would be foolish. One must be free to go where the photographic opportunity is found and how would you really know this until you were there! So freedom to explore at will and go where needed was a concern along with the time to photograph once there.
The Colorado River, through the entire length of Marble and Grand Canyon, is 277 miles long. It's still longer now that Pierce Ferry is silt and South Cove is the take out point instead. Expeditions launch from Lee's Ferry some 15 miles below Glen Canyon Dam. A public permit to do this trip is on a lottery and 8-15 years is the wait time. Commercial trips take from 3-17 days. The dilemma is how to cover such a great deal of time and space with the intent of photography with a small group.
Out of my workshop experience and the scouting trip came the formulation of our f-8 and be there Grand Canyon expedition and workshops. Working with a commercial outfitter we secure just one boat. Most outfitters launch two boats which encompasses almost 40 people. We have no itinerary other than consulting with our boat crew over the months before hand and taking into consideration their recent trips and our shared past experiences. We discuss possible shooting locations along with logistical considerations. Our time is our own once we hit the river. We have only one demand. On the last of our 8 days in the canyon we must meet a speed boat at Separation Canyon.
It's a private trip with a commercial outfitter! I know of no one that offers this in quite the same way. Photographically, I know of no other opportunity like this one. We have all the provisions and experience of a commercial trip along with the knowledge and experience of guides that have run the river for almost 30 years. The benefits are numerous. The history and geology of the canyon are taught and explored. Meals are good and plentiful and most importantly, prepared for us. The daily routine is set as we go and worked around our photography. We utilize a motorized boat that can get us between the locations we want to cover quickly and still have the fun and camaraderie of a shared river experience. In many ways it is the trip of a lifetime.
What is a day on the river like? What and where are photographic opportunities, how do they present themselves and how are they approached?
More about our unique expedition and workshop.
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