Traveling to Colorado this weekend, any suggestions for shooting film?

[hky0125]

Dear folks, this weekend I will be visiting Alamosa, Colorado for the first time. I am going to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park and likely some area to the west of Alamosa (like Rio Grande National Forest).

I plan to shoot BW rolls and some E100. For now I plan to carry Yellow 8, Warm 812, POL filters. Do you have any suggestions for vising there / weather / shooting sand dunes? Or do you have any secrete landscape spot that worth for a visit? Any advices are welcome

Thank you so much!

 

[jimjm]

For B/W film, I'd also take along a darker orange or even a red filter. If you're shooting landscapes you can see some interesting clouds and weather up there and the darker filters will help to dramatize the skies.
If you have a graduated ND filter that could also come in useful for both B/W and color. Sometimes you'll get scenes with bright skies but darker foreground/terrain in shade and the split-grade helps to lessen the exposure difference. Galen Rowell was a big proponent of graduated filters.
That area's over 7000 feet elevation, so take it easy at first if you're not used to altitude. Drink plenty of water too. Have fun!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Consider using an Orange filter too for the black & white film. And a polarizer for black & white and color film.

 

[4season]

I don't know the Alamosa area, but I've lived in the Denver Metro area for a number of years. If you're acclimated to sea level, consider paring back the weight of your camera gear, and don't expect to have the same level of physical endurance as you might back home. Sunblock and sunglasses are a definite plus when exposed to the sun at high altitudes. If you've got one, a hat wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

[Chuck1]

Durango was nice 30+ years ago.
550 the road from Durango to Telluride is nice.
Canyonlands np is beautiful. brutal sunburn though

 

[xkaes]

Make sure to position yourself on the road INTO the Sand Dunes just after sunrise and just before sunset. You can scout it out before hand to decide on what lenses to use. You won't have much time, the sun rises and falls very quickly. That's when you get the most dramatic light. Make sure the 14ers are in the background where you want them. You'll need to reposition yourself to make the shots you want and that will take a lot of preparation. You might decide to get way off the road. Make sure to be very careful with your gear. The sand gets into everything, and I mean EVERYTHING -- not just your shoes & socks and underwear!

Look on the map just SOUTH of the sand dunes for the BLM & Forest service area called ZAPATA FALLS. You can take many short or long hikes in the area on trails created by the CCC during the Great Depression.

Look on your map WEST of the Alamosa area, and check out CREEDE, Colorado if you want some small town fun. There's also the Narrow Gauge railroad in Antonito -- to Chama New Mexico.

https://cumbrestoltec.com

 

[GregY]

Durango was nice 30+ years ago.
550 the road from Durango to Telluride is nice.
Canyonlands np is beautiful. brutal sunburn though

Durango to Pagosa Springs & down to Chama is pretty nice too....

 

[abruzzi]

The Alamosa area is an agricultural area. The Dunes are a great place to visit, with a small warning--hiking in loose sand is exhausting. You can get some great photos around the perimeter, but if you want to hike in, be careful.

If you have time to drive some distance, you won't be very far form the San Juan mountain range in the southwest of the stste. Its the most dramatic range in the Colorado rockies. Alamosa to Durango to Montrose to Salida to Alamoso forms a square that will give some amazing mountain views. There are some other shorter options like Alamosa to South Fork over Slumgullion Pass to Lake City to Gunnison, over Monarch Pass to Salida and then back down to Alamosa is much shorter and still has some great views. My favorite section is from Creede to Slumgullion pass where you have lots of open fields and meadows at 11,000 feet.

That skips 550 (the "million dollar highway") which is the most dramatic, but also very heavily trafficked by tourists driving 20 miles an hour.

A little closer is to drive south to Antonito, and take the narrow gauge train to Chama New Mexico. It goes through some stunning scenery and you don't have to drive just enjoy the views and take pictures. If the cost of the train is too much (it has gotten pricey) you can track the same route (mostly) by driving Route 17 to Chama.

There are a lot of other great places in Colorado but those are closest to the Alamosa valley. If you want something completely different than the rest of Colorado drive to Gateway. The road to the east of Gateway and to the south of Gateway (Rt 141) is my favorite ~100 miles of pavement on the planet and absolutely stunning the whole way. But that is quite a distance from Alamosa.