| facebook | 500px | ferpectshots |
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.