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Entrance to Antelope Canyon at Night

The name should be changed, As I told the young Navajo Guide!!! How many have passed and never saw the entrance rider and horse. Looking back while standing at ...
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The name should be changed, As I told the young Navajo Guide!!! How many have passed and never saw the entrance rider and horse. Looking back while standing at truck before putting gear in bag. The end of a night tour of Antelope Canyon where the tour guide left his light on while doing a final check. Lucky to get stars it started out very cloudy. A tribal chief inside. A horse to the left and its rider to the right at the entrance. The faces of past warriors on the rock walls.
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SONY ILCE-7RM2

settings

Aperture f/4 ISO 6400 Shutter 25/1 Focal Length 120/10

location

Page, Arizona, US

upload_date

Jul, 2019

Views

1168

Likes

+102

Awards

Hidden Gem Award

Top Shot Award 21

Featured

Peer Award

+389

Outstanding Creativity

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Superior Skill

Absolute Masterpiece

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Emotions

Impressed

Happy

Behind The Lens

Location

Antelope Canyon next to Page Arizona, just up the road to the west on route 98 at the second tour place Adventurous Antelope Canyon tours they have the Night Tours. You have to go online to make reservations.

Time

This was taken after the night tour at about 1:07am can not be exact due to it was in October and daylight saving was still on BUT Arizona does not use DST. To clarify Page Az. is right next to the Utah state line and they observe DST. Setting your camera time is rather difficult if you use your phone's clock because sometimes it will use a cell tower in Utah and then again use a cell tower in Page Az. And to make thing even more problematic some tribes in Arizona observe DST. So as you drive up to page your phone's time will change back and forth several times. I had a reservation the night before this night and waited for a hour and no one showed but I was really late. That night I set my watch and truck clock to the hotel time and the next night I was on time. But as far as camera time I can not remember if it was set right!!!

Lighting

This area is rather dark and has dark skies. But be aware there is a coal electrical plant behind me that is very bright and lit up the outside entrance. But this edit was in 2017 and not adjusted for it because it was noisy at ISO 6400. To the point of lighting, this was at the end of the tour and the Navajo tour guide was doing is after tour check and left his lateran on inside. And before putting my gear away I took the capture. Also the Navajo tour guide had never seen it like that because well he always had the light with him, also a photographer.

Equipment

This was 2017 and I just bought the A7Rii that has the new IBIS and 42MP's. And also the new FE12-24mm f/4 G lens. Used the sturdy Manfrotto L190 tripod, it has as extending to the side center post allowing to get very low but capture straight up from ground level if wanted. At the time the widest most photographers had was maybe a 16-35mm if it was available but most only had a 35mm during the day tour and all were on tripods due to no IBIS. What I was able to do at the time was capture at 12mm getting a wider shot than anyone else and in correct perspective and not a fisheye that was popular at the time. Sony full frame cameras at the time had only been out for 2 years and mod ii's came out in 2017. I had been using the Voigtlander 12mm f/5.6 with the A7s since 2015 the widest non fisheye available at the time and great lens, still have!!

Inspiration

This photo was taken because of being in the right place at the right time and with lighting no one really has seen or paid attention to. This was taken after a night tour of Antelope Canyon. Not many if even few pros take the tour at $250, I did not know about the night tours till I took a day tour and asked about it. To be clear you have to go online to get the tour and if it is raining or has rained within a certain distance on your tour night it can be canceled for water rushes through for days sometimes. I was lucky or it was a gift from the photo gods that the night Navajo tour guide was available or said he would do it. I am also a Asto Milky Way and night city photographer so darkness I am used to because of my use with the A7s for two years. I was the only one and having fun the whole tour up and back in the canyon. but it came to an end and I was outside at the truck and turn and looked at the lit entrance. Like looking at shapes in clouds I could see a horse's head and a face at the entrance and what looked like a statue in side lit up. So while the Navajo tour guide did his last check I took a couple captures in both landscape and portrait orientations to get some stars above also. I am an old navy sailor and when I showed the young tour guide I said you need to change the name!!! He laughed!!!

Editing

This was post-processed in 2018 when software was not so good with noise control. It was done fast in Lightroom and shadows not brightened due to noise. But later with Lr and Topaz noise app looked better and lately with Topaz Denoise AI is like daytime. Capture One did a great job but for the noise, at the time it did not do very well. Yes i did dodge and burn on the inside but that brought more detail. The A7Rii is very sharp with a lot of dynamic range that helps a lot in post and also the f/4 lens gathers a lot of light, new at its time at 12mm.The stars are even pinpointed at 25s which falls into the NPF rule default but not known about then.

In my camera bag

This was 2017 and I was traveling to see my dad in Arizona but more gear is available as time goes by. But that year three lenses Voigtlander 10mm f/5.6, Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G and the Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS with the Sony A7s and the A7Rii. And the heavy but useful Manfrotto L190x. But after the years these two lenses are my main lenses in a teardrop over the shoulder bag with either the A7s for night or the A7Rii for day capture. I am covered from 12mm to 240mm (360mm in aps-c) used for Astro Milky Way's to Birding to even lunar and solar eclipses. The 10 or 12mm you get a panorama like image in 3:2 ratio and at 360 you get closeups of birds in flight or a far off place up close.

Feedback

Advice for the same type image, well first do some night captures and get used to camera setting as well a using manual focus, believe it or not used AF. Use AWB it is faster and the camera is right 99% of the time. Make a laminated checklist with elastic band for your wrist and always look before a capture, there is always a step you forget, like aperture setting or to focus!!! Also read the online user guide (if there is one) or watch the many YouTube videos on your camera. Also understand or remember it is not the camera or gear that get a great capture it is the eye behind the camera. Also any camera made in the last 5 to 10 years will do great with anything for it is post processing that gets the sharpest image. Exp. I shot at f/4 for two days at the Grand Canyon at 12 to 24 but got tack sharp in post, just forgot it was my night setting!!

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Entrance to Antelope Canyon at Night

The name should be changed, As I told the young Navajo Guide!!! How many have passed and never saw the entrance rider and horse. Looking back while standing at ... Read more

Behind The Lens

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The name should be changed, As I told the young Navajo Guide!!! How many have passed and never saw the entrance rider and horse. Looking back while standing at ...
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