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USA 2011 - Antelope Canyon

• Theodore Roethke.

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Since the day I first experienced it, deserts fascinated me. The fact that they seem so barren, so devoid of features on the surface, adds to the attraction. But deserts are full of surprises, from slot canyons that appear as a crack in the ground to hidden rivers badlands formations that last for miles.

One of the desert spots that hold a special place in my heart is the lower Antelope slot canyon. I was skeptical of taking a photography tour after my lackluster experience at the upper canyon photo tour. But I knew I would shell out the extra cash when I learned that they only allow tripods in with a photo tour. Our tour guide's name was Armando, and he turned out to be the genuine surprise of our whole lower antelope canyon experience. Unlike many of the guides there, Diego was an aspiring photog in training, so he had useful insights on compositions available. I enjoyed getting a second opinion on some of the frames. Now it is not a secret that both the antelope canyons are a bit of a tourist trap, and it is tough to take the time to set up an image when crowds of people are trying to navigate a space constricted canyon. Where he became invaluable is during the actual shoot, whenever we found a good composition, he would buy me time by entertaining the crowd. He offered to take photos for them, played his flute to give me precious seconds without offending the masses.

So when I heard about the news that photo tours are ending in Antelope canyon by 2020, I remembered the great visit we had with Armando. I am a bit conflicted that the photo tours are ending. I went on two photo tours, enjoyed one, and was underwhelmed by the other. Still, I felt the photo tours made the place famous and slowed down the traffic a bit, but I do feel for the people who get blocked every time a photog decides to set up an image. The reason I am not worried about is that in the last few years, we learned that the southwest I littered with slot canyons. I learned that we have enjoyed exploring these often empty locations as opposed to the crazy rush of Antelope Canyon. So my advice for fellow photographers would be to be adventurous, and to do a bit of research, there are tone of slot canyons all around the southwest if you are willing to look.

I decided I haven't posted enough of these shots from Antelope Canyon. This was the most amazing photographic experience I've ever had. The light had...

Areas of light and shadow create different tones of orange on the Navajo Sandstone of Lower Antelope Canyon.

Photo taken near Page, AZ (USA).

No need for extra introduction, it's Lower Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona. Image is part of the south-west tour. Enjoy...

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• Ella Maillart.

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I have professed my love for slot canyons countless times in many a Flickr posts. During our life on the west coast, both my wife and I have explored a food number of slot canyons. Each turned out to be unique in its geological features as well as the mood and drama they reveal in photographs. Of all the slot canyon that we have visited in the American southwest, the lower antelope canyon is my absolute favorite. Its less of a tourist trap than the short upper canyon but provides some equally intense compositions.

I was lucky enough to get a much-coveted photo tour of the canyon, the first time we visited. I also lucked out in getting a fantastic tour guide, Armando. Who gladly dipped into his bag of tricks, to keep the other visitors occupied while I enjoyed the luxury of time composing my images. I believe my overall experience at the canyon had a lot to do with the reason why it’s my favorite slot canyon that I ever visited. Here is another beautiful view of the stunning lower antelope canyon.

• George Bernard Shaw.

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Another shot of Lower antelope canyon and 7 shot HDR nonetheless. The light conditions at this location were extremes, we had a super bright noon sky and completely dark canyon walls. I don't know how my guide managed to stave the crowds off from the frame for that long but I am really happy how the photo came out.

Hope you all like it, thanks for visiting, have a nice day..

• Paulo Coelho.

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Posting images of slot canyons, especially from Antelope slot canyons, always gives me a lot of engagement on social media. So much that I consider them cheat posts. I suspect the dramatic changes in light and color grades create a visual impact even as thumbnails that they attract a large audience. This remarkable play of light and shadows, while impressive to behold, was challenging for me to master. When I first visited a slot canyon, I solely relied on HDR photography to capture the scene. While images looked good, it felt like something was missing. As I spent more time looking at slot canyon images, both mine and other talented artists, one thing became clear. It’s the shadows that make these images click. That’s why the HDR images looked ordinary, as they often by default lift the shadows. It also meant that I had to get it close in camera rather than relying on post-processing.

Here are a few strategies that helped me. First, Avoid the sky as much as possible in compositions as the light difference is too much to make sense in a slot canyon image. There are exceptions, but it is better to shoot the sky separately and blend it in later in those scenarios. Secondly, pick your bright areas carefully and balance them with the shadow areas. ETTR or exposing to the right is super helpful here, I often meter at the brightest spot in a scene and push setting until the highlights clip. A quick tip: You can usually push your raw images a little more than what your camera histogram suggests. And the last tip is to white balance correctly, have a grey card or a microfiber cleaning cloth with you, and get the correct white balance. Because the light is limited in a slot canyon, even the best cameras struggle to judge white balance correctly, and it’s hard to get it right in post-processing; at least, that’s my experience. On the other hand, the difference is extraordinary when you get the colors right in a slot canyon. And there it is, all my tips for shooting in a slot canyon.

It can be a little bewildering walking through Antelope Canyon. This is what the way forward often looks like, in one arrangement of dizzying curves...

A place i could visit every time when i'm in Page, the Lower Antelope Canyon. And although it seems the crowds are getting more and more, there are...