I just booked this Thur and Fri nights at Grand Canyon south rim.

[Ryan10]

Wife, kids, and dogs are all camping two nights this Thanksgiving at Mather Campground in the South Rim area. Our first time to the GC. @JimFox told me last night that sunrise is very difficult from the sout rim, but sunsets are magical.

Any advice on where to shoot the sunset? I imagine we'll get to our campsite at 3ish in the afternoon, so Thanksgiving sunset may be tricky, especially since we'll need to scramble to get tent up and start cooking before nightfall.

Friday may be my only real opportunity for a sunset picture, so i'll take iconic locations as suggestions since it's my first time there.

Thanks for the help.

 

[JimFox]

Glad you are going Ryan, are you camping in the Park by Desert View?

 

[Ryan10]

We are at Mather Campground next to Grand Canyon Village.

 

[Jeffrey]

Ryan, it may take a few visits to dial in your imaging there. It is not easy to leave with something meaningful. For sunrise, I'd suggest Desert View at one end or Hermit's Rest at the other. The view from Yaki Point is good for that too. Even Yavapi could be good. It's all about the sky. Good luck out there.

 

[JimFox]

Have you shot there before Ryan? I don’t remember.

At Mather’s campground you aren’t too far from the rim. I like camping at the campground by Desert View because it’s closer to the viewpoints I like most. But with the wife and kids staying at Mathers gives them more things to do closer to your campsite.

 

[Ryan10]

This is my first time there. Desert View campground is closed during winter months such as now.

 

[Ryan10]

Thursday and Friday call for partly cloudy, so that could be good.

 

[Kyle Jones]

I really liked Desert View for sunset. There are options both shoot into the sun or look north and get some nice side light. Here's a shot looking north just after sunset at Desert View:

My only sunrise at GC was from Yavapai. Even with no clouds I thought it worked out pretty well, although there is a lot of dynamic range to deal with...

 

[JimFox]

I really liked Desert View for sunset. There are options both shoot into the sun or look north and get some nice side light. Here's a shot looking north just after sunset at Desert View:
View attachment 3395

My only sunrise at GC was from Yavapai. Even with no clouds I thought it worked out pretty well, although there is a lot of dynamic range to deal with...
View attachment 3394

Kyle, what I had told Ryan was that since he was with his family was this, the Sunsets there to me are better then sunrises.

One thing I have noticed, and I don't know if you have, is that the light is softer for longer at sunset. Usually for a good hour before sunset the light is soft and is less harsh. Maybe it's all the LA smog that diffuses the light? At sunrise, they can sure be spectacular sure, but typically within 15 minutes, the light turns harsh and so the chance to shoot with the nicer conditions is less. So my suggestion was to go shoot the sunset while telling the wife and kids they can sleep in and have breakfast in the morning.

 

[JimFox]

As to view points, Lipan is my favorite followed by Desert View.

 

[Kyle Jones]

Kyle, what I had told Ryan was that since he was with his family was this, the Sunsets there to me are better then sunrises.

One thing I have noticed, and I don't know if you have, is that the light is softer for longer at sunset. Usually for a good hour before sunset the light is soft and is less harsh. Maybe it's all the LA smog that diffuses the light? At sunrise, they can sure be spectacular sure, but typically within 15 minutes, the light turns harsh and so the chance to shoot with the nicer conditions is less. So my suggestion was to go shoot the sunset while telling the wife and kids they can sleep in and have breakfast in the morning.

I'd say that's a very accurate assessment. Once the sun breaks over the rim in the morning your sunrise is pretty much done. Lipan is awfully nice too!

 

[JimFox]

I'd say that's a very accurate assessment. Once the sun breaks over the rim in the morning your sunrise is pretty much done. Lipan is awfully nice too!

yeah, so since Ryan was bringing the family where his shooting time might be limited, I was just trying to help him choose the right times so he could get the most bang for his buck.

 

[Ryan10]

Does this sunrise information hold true for this time of year? According to the Photographers Ephemeris, sunrise will be in the South East and Sunset will be in the South West. During the summer months the sun is rising in the North East and setting in the North West. This means the sun will be rising and setting behind me and never from the other side of the canyon.


sunrise and sunset orientation on link below for 11/24.

http://app.photoephemeris.com/?ll=3...245&z=11&spn=0.35,0.92&dt=20171124100256-0700

 

[AlanLichty]

Good that you are checking TPE - I was wondering about the same question. My last visit was in the month of April and I did have dynamic range issues as Kyle mentioned but the sun angle will be quite different for you.

I have been following this thread and looking at maps to consider including this info for a trip of my own sometime.

 

[JohnC]

As to view points, Lipan is my favorite followed by Desert View.

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but when I saw this comment I felt the need to post this ...

 

[JimFox]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but when I saw this comment I felt the need to post this ...

This is a very nice view John!

And it reminds me that I should make a Travel Guide for the Grand Canyon View Points. As they can be a bit confusing to know which View Point shows what. It also might force me to have to visit there and take the Shuttle Bus to the West Rim, something I haven't done since the Shuttle Buses have been instituted.

 

[JohnC]

This is a very nice view John!

And it reminds me that I should make a Travel Guide for the Grand Canyon View Points. As they can be a bit confusing to know which View Point shows what. It also might force me to have to visit there and take the Shuttle Bus to the West Rim, something I haven't done since the Shuttle Buses have been instituted.

Thanks Jim. It's a bit over processed but it was one of my earlier renditions. The photo is about 3 years old.

I was just there again this past December. If you go in winter (Dec-Feb?) the shuttle bus doesn't run and you can drive everywhere.

 

[JimFox]

Thanks John. I may just have to stop by there on my winter run to Colorado this year so I can get the west rim.

 

[JohnC]

My two trips to the south rim tell me that good or bad viewpoints are much more dependent on weather/sky than on the viewpoint itself. My first trip was quite barren of clouds and I wasn't that impressed with all the "great" views. My second trip I was fortunate to have some clouds and some of the previous boring viewpoints were much more interesting.

I've been to the north rim once and might consider another trip if I can make it work with some of my other plans.