Antelope Canyon 1
Dec, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on a tour of Antelope Canyon (Upper) in Arizona, USA, on a guided tour I did in March of 2013.Time
I booked this tour 6 months before, to ensure I would be in the slot canyon during the middle of the day. At this time the beams of light are most prevalent and the images I had formulated in my head would come to fruition. I took many shots but this particular one is my favourite - the perfect shaft of light surrounded by the rich, red walls and a few people, just visible, to give an idea of the canyons size. I also like the bright spot, where the light is landing. To me, it seems like a portal to the unknown.Lighting
All natural light here, the beam of light, from directly overhead, was strong enough to illuminate the walls and bring out the rich colour..Equipment
I shot this with my trusty Canon 5D Mark 11 with a Canon 24mm to 105mm F4L IS USM zoom (at 24mm for this photo), fixed to a Manfrotto 804RC2.Inspiration
I had known about Antelope Canyon for a long time before I decided on going to the USA for a holiday and marvelled over images many, many times. It was a must do for me and as soon as I had firm travel dates I booked one of the mid day tours to ensure I wouldn't miss out on seeing it at its best. Before I even got there I had visualised what images I wanted and went through exactly what it would take to ensure I got them. Nothing really prepares you for when you actually get there - many people flowing through the tight, confined space and very little time (that hour goes very fast!), but I was glad I had spent all that time on the net and knew what I needed to do. For this particular image I was set up and ready to go before our guide had thrown the dust in the air, accentuating the crepuscular ray that shone through the tiny gap in the canyons ceiling.Editing
Every photo deserves, well thought out, time in post-processing to bring out its maximum potential. I look at all my photos as art and they deserve nothing less than as much time as it takes until I am completely satisfied I have the final image I want. I generally shoot in raw and do some minor alterations before I open in Photoshop. I crop first then do adjustments with curves, levels, brightness/contrast before adding saturation and vibrance before a final sharpen (unsharp mask). Before I am finished I will look at it carefully at 100% to clean up any spots or blemishes, signs of noise or dodgy pixels. I find it often takes a long time until I am truly satisfied and I can come back to an image many times to make minor adjustments here or there.In my camera bag
Aside from my Canon 5D mark 11, I always have my Canon 24mm to 105mm F4L IS USM, a Canon EF70mm to 200mm F2.8L USM, Canon EF 2x 111 extender, Canon 320X Speedlite flash, various filters, spare batteries and charger, extra memory cards, a notebook and pen in my camera bag.Feedback
To capture great images of Antelope's slot canyons make sure you plan well ahead. Get that midday photographers tour (this is essential) and look at all the images you can find, read everything you can. I can't stress this enough - you get very little time and you don't want to waste it trying to get the right settings, (plus, it's pretty dark inside and it's difficult and time consuming to do!). Make sure your batteries are fully charged and you have a spare one handy. Be sure you have your camera on the tripod before you get out of the tour jeep and have the legs extended, ready to go as soon as you enter the canyon. I sincerely wish you all the best, shoot until your fingers are sore and I know you will do me proud :)
