Return from Las Vegas Trip - Lower Antelope Canyon

Curves of Lower Antelope Canyon

I love living in the Southwest.  As a photographer, I don't think there are many other places in the world that offer such a diverse array of exciting, interesting, unique, and amazing locations to shoot.  This is especially true if you like shooting landscapes.  There are deserts, mountains, lakes, canyons, waterfalls, sun, storms, snow, trees, clouds, and on and on, and the vastness of it all seems a little bit greater in the Southwest. 

None of this prepared me for my first trip to Antelope Canyon.  I have wanted to go to a slot canyon for several years now, ever since I got serious about photography.  Slot canyons are well known to landscape photographers, one of those jewels that seem to be a badge of honor on your list of credentials, as if you can't call yourself a landscape photographer if you haven't been to one.  I do not really believe that, but nonetheless it is something that I had high on my list.

Antelope Canyon map.  Page, AZ is on the left, the facility on the right is the Navajo power plant, and right where the orange pin is is the start of the canyon, which goes north from there

Antelope Canyon is generally regarded as the best slot canyon around.  It is actually two separate canyons, an Upper and Lower, on Navajo Indian land just outside of Page, AZ.  The Upper is the more popular, and there are stories out there of people packed shoulder to shoulder going through it.  Not what I was looking for if I want to take my time and get some images.  The lower canyon is just across the road from the other, longer, and has fewer visitors due to the fact it has several levels to it and requires navigating some stairs and ledges.  They also offer a photographer's pass at the lower canyon, which allows you free roaming access for up to 2 hours inside.  Makes my choice an easy one.

The entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon (Iphone shot)

After I paid my admission fee ($26), a guide led me to the entrance.  He explained the rules (no food, littering, climbing, defacing, urinating, etc.) and told me how the canyon is considered sacred to the Navajo people.  He stopped in the middle of a sand arroyo and pointed me to a small crack in the ground, and said have fun.  I could not believe this was the entrance!  Just a small crack in the ground, barely big enough to squeeze through, but after taking the first flight of stairs down, it was obvious what the draw was.  From the outside, one would never expect to find such beautiful shapes and colors down below.

Lower Antelope Canyon path

 The canyon, like most canyons, is formed by water, the rainwater from summer thunderstorms that washes down the hills and forces it way into the cracks.  As a result of how narrow the slot canyons are, flash flooding is a major safety issue.  In 1997, 11 people died in a flash flood in this very canyon when the thunderstorms came too quickly and they couldn't escape the canyon in time.  Since this tragedy, strict guidelines have been put into place for when to close the canyon and safety measures are throughout, including water rescue boxes along the top that have rope and other life saving gear inside.

Lower Antelope Canyon, looking up from the bottom

Photographing inside is amazing.  Almost every direction you look there is a new angle to capture or a new formation that intrigues.  In general, tripods are a must, most of my exposures were a couple seconds long.  Even looking up, the colors and shapes are beautiful, as long as you avoid getting what would turn out to be a very blown out sky in the frame.

Just a hint of sky in Lower Antelope Canyon

There were a few people that came through while I was inside, but everyone was courteous and we all took turns taking pictures for others or getting out of the way of a shot.  I was in the canyon from about 10:30 till 12:00 in the morning, and the light was fantastic.  Because of the depth of the canyons and the small openings at the top, the best time is during midday, exactly the opposite of your typical landscape hours. 

The canyons are carved out of red sandstone, and constantly changing

 During certain times of the day, the canyon can have light beams shinning all the way down to the canyon floor.  These light beams are a very popular photographic subject, but I was too early in the year to get these, which are best in the summer months right around noon.  Throwing a handful of sand in the light beam helps to make it stand out, and can lead to some very dramatic images.  Just means I'll have to go back some other time!

A natural arch that has been formed in the canyon

Distant walls of the canyon play peekaboo through this keyway

I had a fantastic time inside Lower Antelope Canyon.  There is an abundance of slot canyon images out there, and now I can add mine to the mix.  While it is not a totally unique location because of it's popularity, shooting the slot canyons is more than just getting some images of something no one else has seen.  It is an experience, where each turn of the corner in the canyon provides a new, fantastic perspective to take in and capture for myself.  Being inside the magical place, one so hidden from above, is what I cherished about the experience, and the images I brought back are just an added benefit that I can share with others who have not had the pleasure of experiencing the slot canyons.

Happy Shooting!