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Light at the End of the Tunnel



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Upper Antelope Slot Canyon in March. Near Page, Arizona

Upper Antelope Slot Canyon in March. Near Page, Arizona
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40 Comments |
trainwoman Platinum
 
trainwoman April 15, 2016
This is fantastic Mark.......love the varying colors and the light flare.........super WOW
marnie333
 
marnie333 April 15, 2016
Breathtaking! Amazing light shining through!
sweetpea72
 
sweetpea72 April 17, 2016
Amazing!! ت
mihrt PRO+
 
mihrt April 18, 2016
fabulous capture Mark. This spot always looks different-love how the sun was there just at the right time.
JoyceDickens
 
JoyceDickens April 19, 2016
Talk about a breathtaking composition Mark....you have captured it perfectly and at the ideal time....so awesome my friend!!! :-))
jwemery
 
jwemery April 19, 2016
Love It!!!
Yulius
 
Yulius April 21, 2016
Nice shot!
Bazz PRO+
 
Bazz April 21, 2016
Brilliant!
nina050
 
nina050 April 22, 2016
Fantastic capture!!! Glenda said it....WOW!
Flosno
 
Flosno April 25, 2016
Beautiful
chuckrickman
 
chuckrickman April 26, 2016
Natures wonderland! Amazing!
lizziemellis Platinum
 
lizziemellis April 27, 2016
Beautifully composed, love the, formations of the Rock ,colours and lighting:-)
Rose_betty
 
Rose_betty May 09, 2016
Would love this on my wall
KayBrewer Platinum
 
KayBrewer May 09, 2016
Fabulous! Perfect timing!
RDVPhotography PRO+
 
RDVPhotography May 16, 2016
Excellent! What time of year and day did you capture this?
adavies PRO+
 
adavies May 19, 2016
Beautiful...love the starburst shining through! :)
JoanLoBo
 
JoanLoBo June 07, 2016
Always a beautiful shot
Bruz Platinum
 
Bruz June 29, 2016
This is such a cool shot Mark. I have to get here this year.
Bozzzzz
 
Bozzzzz July 04, 2016
Perfect!
SuzMDixon
 
SuzMDixon November 27, 2016
Congratulations on your finalist award! I love this shot!
KayBrewer Platinum
 
KayBrewer November 27, 2016
You're on a roll - congratulations on this image being a finalist in the Glitter/Flare contest!
carolcardillo PRO+
 
carolcardillo November 27, 2016
Perfection. Congrats on being a Finalist, Mark!
UnkleFrank
 
UnkleFrank November 27, 2016
Way to go Mark. Nice catch on the contest finalist award.
Kazza60
 
Kazza60 November 27, 2016
congratulations on the finalist award Mark .. awesome work
KayBrewer Platinum
 
KayBrewer November 28, 2016
Wow wow wow - and here we were just chatting about contests 5 minutes ago. And your photo is a finalist again. Sure deserves it. Now win the damn thing!
brigittebonnefoidremiere
 
brigittebonnefoidremiere January 19, 2017
Antelope Canyon , un site magnifique et là quelle chance ce soleil qui entre juste au moment ou il faut. bravo
brigittebonnefoidremiere
 
brigittebonnefoidremiere January 19, 2017
site magnifique et pas non magnifique!
trainwoman Platinum
 
trainwoman January 21, 2017
Congratulations on finalist finish in glitter and flares contest....very much deserved my friend
nina050
 
nina050 January 25, 2017
Congrats on being featured with this beauty...did you post on FB??
estercastillo08
 
estercastillo08 February 01, 2017
Congrats on your win !!!
dotnorvo
 
dotnorvo February 03, 2017
Where is this
carolyns
 
carolyns February 23, 2017
Another beautiful shot Mark! Love the way you caught those sun rays. Amazing features in this part of Arizona.
doubleplay Platinum
 
doubleplay June 02, 2017
amazing capture!
ErinJ
 
ErinJ July 01, 2017
WOW
juliesazhnyeva
 
juliesazhnyeva September 01, 2018
This is amazing!!
MRueffer PRO+
 
MRueffer February 24, 2021
How very beautiful
Eddieuuu071 Platinum
 
Eddieuuu071 November 03, 2021
Love this, Mark! Excellent timing!
Jilala
 
Jilala February 16, 2022
Fantastic \u2764\uFE0F \u2764\uFE0F \u2764\uFE0F
Rmay1
 
Rmay1 October 03, 2022
Stunning
billcrotts PRO+
 
billcrotts Mar 05
Awesome pic
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Upper Antelope slot canyon near Page, Arizona in mid March.

Time

In doing a bit of research before coming to the canyons, I discovered that the morning hours prior to noon were usually best during this time of year, as the sun's position in the sky would determine where light beams fell inside the canyon.

Lighting

The slot canyons have unique challenges for photographers - lighting can be extreme, not only during different times of the day, but also during different times of the year as it all depends on the position of the sun in the sky. Because no flash photography is allowed inside these canyons, tripods are a must, and those can only be used on the "photographer's tours". There are constant shifts in lighting throughout the day, and deep shadows are always a problem, so trying to photograph handheld is very difficult. In order to capture the unique colors of the sandstone walls, slower shutter speeds are essential as well as a white balance setting in the kelvin range.

Equipment

This photo was taken using my Nikon D800 full frame DSLR with a 17-35mm Nikkor lens mounted on a tripod. No other equipment was used.

Inspiration

The Navajo people call the Antelope canyons "where water makes a picture of itself in the stone". It is a magical and beautiful place, and because they are becoming very popular, they have been photographed countless times from every possible angle and under all types of lighting conditions. However, I knew that by waiting till just the right moment, the sun would send a shaft of light down onto the sandy floor. I was lucky enough to capture it just as the light appeared as a flare.

Editing

Even though the overall colors were rich and warm, the extreme variations in lighting required a bit of post processing in Lightroom to pull out some of the shadows. Some adjustment was also made for clarity.

In my camera bag

My camera of choice is a Nikon D800 full frame DSLR. I normally use a Nikkor 28-300mm zoom lens which I feel to be very versatile under normal shooting conditions. For this photo I used a Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 lens. I also carry a Nikkor 35-105mm lens. I always have 2 64gb cards in my camera as I shoot in both Raw and jpg Fine and I keep 2 spare 64gb cards in my bag as well. Additionally, I use a Manfroto tripod with a ball head, and have UV and polarizing filters for all lenses. In my camera bag I have ND filters and cleaning supplies.

Feedback

Travel, patience, researching information about your destination and a partner who enjoys photography are all essentials in my opinion!

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