Introduction
What I am aiming to do with this series is to talk through my inspiration for a particular image, and where, when and how I took it. Plus, where appropriate share any hints or tips you could consider if visiting the area yourself, in essence my hindsight; learn from my experiences!
The inspiration
I first became aware of Antelope Canyon through the wonderful work of Phil Malpas. He had some of his work up around the work place and it was hard not to be impressed with the surreal shapes and colours of the canyon, not least the quality of his work. You can see some of the images he has of the canyon here. So, given the fact we were heading out to the SW USA it seemed the ideal time to add a leg to the tour to spend time in and around Page, AZ, to get to see the canyon. It’s an experience I will never forget but not for all the right reasons…
Where and when
Antelope Canyon consists of two separate slot canyons, Upper and Lower, I will primarily be discussing the Upper Canyon. These are situated just outside of the town of Page, Arizona, USA, in the Navajo territories. The canyons have formed over many millenia through the action of flashfloods washing sand through the canyon causing the canyons to deepen. The distinctive flowing forms are caused by the swirling action of the water on the sandstone walls as it forces its way through the Canyon. What would have started life as a small crack in the ground has now developed in to a deep slot wide enough for people to walk through. One thing that’s not immediately obvious from many of the pictures you will see from the inside of the canyon is the scale of it. The image taken below is from the first section of Upper Antelope, but I am reliably informed that the floor level has risen by several metres over the last 10 years through the action of sand being deposited in the last flash floods. Parts of the canyon rise to 120 feet above the stream bed you can see me and my wife Deb standing on in the picture below.
The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is called Tsé bighánílíní, “the place where water runs through rocks”. It receives the most tourist focus due to ease of access and its promotion through tour companies, it is all on ground level so is suitable for almost all age groups and abilities. It does involve being shuttled to the canyon entrance in 4 wheel drive vehicles though which in itself is a bit of an adventure. You can only access the Upper Canyon with a Navajo guide, unlike the Lower Canyon. The other reason for popularity of the Upper Canyon is it has many more of the characteristic light beams, shafts of light that radiate down from the top of the Canyon roof when the sun is in the highest part of the sky.
When approaching the entrance to the canyon you really get no idea it is there, on arrival you are confronted with a narrow vertical slit just wide enough for a couple of people to walk through. Initially you are struck by the darkness as your eyes readjust and the drop in temperature, 10 degrees or so. My first thoughts were blimey high ISO or long shutter times then! More about that later.
Lower Antelope Canyon, called Hazdistazí, or “spiral rock arches” by the Navajo, is located a few kilometers away from Upper Antelope. Exploring Lower Antelope is a little more challenging, it requires navigating metal stairs, it is longer and in some spots narrower. The canyon is a little more exposed towards its rim, so the best light tends to be in the early hours or afternoon before the sun reaches it’s peak. There are still some sections though where light beams can be seen. However, as a photographer you do have a little more freedom to roam not requiring a Navajo guide to be with you at all times.
You should be aware that flash floods do occur through the canyons, but the tour companies and guides are fully familiar with the weather patterns so don’t fear! You’ll see evidence of these floods with debris lodged between the walls in narrower sections of the canyon.
So with the geography lesson over let’s move on to the interesting bit…
Taking the image
I had high expectations of Antelope Canyon and it certainly delivered on many fronts. From amazement and wonder, to disappointment and bewilderment!
There’s no doubting that nature is surprising and nowhere more so here. The way natural forces have sculpted the walls of the canyons is amazing, beautiful curves and sweeps of red sandstone that evoke sensuous forms. Every section of the canyons have their own identity, it’s like a voyage of discovery seeing new shapes at every turn of the head, both left and right and up and down. Many of the wall profiles have Navajo names, where outlines and silhouettes of spiritual creatures can be seen. If you have children they will love spotting these as you move through the canyon.
Photographically it is like being a kid in a sweet shop, at first there seems too much opportunity, the temptation is to point your camera in every direction and hope for the best. There were certainly a few adopting that technique when I was there, the high speed rattle of shutter releases sounded like gunfire echoing of the canyon walls!
A few things to bear in mind, certainly with Upper Antelope is how busy it is. We were there in mid-season and it was still like a motorway at rush hour. There were so many tours in the Canyon at the same time they were literally tripping over each other and parts of the canyon are so narrow they became bottlenecked. The sunbeam tours at mid-day are the worst. This was the disappointing bit, you had to virtually fight for a spot to get the best angles for the sunbeams, try and avoid people walking through your shot, then only given a few minutes before being moved on. Coupled with the fact the environment became dusty as the guides threw sand into the air to accentuate the light beam, and the darkness from the depth of the canyon made working with a tripod in a considered and systematic manner very challenging. I can only imagine it can become intolerable in peak season at the height of summer!
If you are going to try for the busy periods then you might want to consider shooting handheld and travelling light. You don’t need to lug tons of gear in with you, you’ll be on a fairly wide focal length for most of your time there. Plus you need to think really carefully about changing your lens in the dusty busy environment. If I had a super zoom it might actually have been the best option. Ironically I got most of my favourite images handheld, shooting wide open at f2.8-f4 @ ISO800 using a D700. There are plenty of places to brace yourself against a wall or the floor to stabilise the camera.
Of course using a tripod will give you the option of a slower ISO and larger f-stop and the resulting increase in exposure times. This may actually restrict some creativitiy though as there is much to see vertically as there is horizontally, having an articulated LCD screen is an advantage if using a tripod and shooting up or going for some creativity and having the camera at ground level. In fact shooting vertically may be the only way you can get pictures with no-one in them! That said, if you’re working in a less time constrained and crowded environment, as is the Lower Canyon or an early morning or late afternoon slot in the Upper Canyon, it’s probably the best way to go. Also, with the longer exposure times you could get away with having the odd person wander by the front of your lens, just don’t let them stand still!
In the end I used a combination of tripod and handheld techniques. Whichever, it is quite dark in sections of the canyon so you need to be familiar operating your camera by feel.
Processing the image(s)
The wonderful abstract forms of Antelope Canyon lend themselves to many different options over how they are processed. From extremes of over saturation, cloudy WB and over-exposure to beautifully subtle mono conversions. All have their merits but for me I wanted to portray the canyon as I saw it, shadow and light working together on the rich sandstone walls, an essence of the deep Navajo spirituality that pervades your soul as you contemplate the natural wonder that is Antelope Canyon.
I chose to slightly desaturate and tone down my pictures, even some mono conversions, letting the line and shape do the talking. For me the mono conveys the strongest memories and feelings of the experience. Some sections of the canyon are dark so it’s actually not that far from a true representation of what’s there. For some images I like the fact that areas have completely blocked out and I have consciously not tried to pull any detail out of them. This strong contrast reflected areas where the strong sunlight penetrated deep into the canyon. I also tried a few crop options to accentuate the flow and shape of the canyon walls. The options are pretty limitless really.
Hints and tips
Things to think about before venturing into the canyons:
– Make sure you go in with a fully charged battery to avoid having to change them and open up the battery compartment.
– Start with an empty memory card for the same reason above.
– Don’t change lens if you can help it (consider taking an extra body with a different focal range or use super zoom).
– Carry the bare essentials of kit. You need to be able to move about freely without the incumbence of tons of gear on your back.
– Take some water to stay hydrated (if heading in to the Lower Canyon for the day take some food as you’ll soon lose track of the time).
– Something to put over your lens / camera when the dust starts to fly.
– If going to Upper Antelope book well ahead in peak season (There are plenty of tour options but I found Chief Tsosie’s tour to be great, the Navajo guide Leonard was really helpful).
– Consider skipping the light beam (mid-day) tours (scrum!) and go for the early or late tours. The light is actually more consistent then and colour just as nice.
– Alternatively do the Upper Canyon mid-day tour (scrum!) then spend the rest of the day at your leisure in the Lower Canyon.
– Not sure of it is possible but consider going as a group and take over a whole tour slot and set your own agenda with the guide.
– Be prepared to get dusty so wear good sturdy shoes and comfortable clothing.
– Make friends with the Navajo guide, he’ll show you where all the interesting silhouetes and profiles can be found.
– Regardless of my whinges have a great time!
Things for your partner or family to do
Bring them along. The shorter length Upper Antelope tours are geared up for families. Otherwise, there are plenty of other things they can be doing, such as being on a beach on Lake Powell, a boat cruise on the Lake or rafting along the river through Glen Canyon, a tour of the Glen Canyon Dam or just chilling beside a hotel swimming pool.
Other photographic opportunities in the area
– Horseshoe bend on the Colorado river – A couple of miles south of Page on US-89 with a 30 minute walk across sand dunes to the lip of Glen Canyon. Quite a breath taking view!
– Lake Powell at sunset and sunrise – There’s a scenic viewpoint a mile north of Page on US-89.
– Glen Canyon Dam.
– The weird mushroom forms of the Paria Rimrock – North of Page on US-89 between mile markers 18 & 19. A mile walk up along the wash. (weirdest things I’d ever seen!).
– Rainbow Bridge – Natural sandstone bridge, accessable by boat on Lake Powell.
– and the list goes on…
Photographic opportunity rating
This is an amazing photographic experience. For that reason I’m awarding five stars out of five.
