Ray of Light
Bright sunny day at Antelope Canyon and we were blessed with the sun rays.
Bright sunny day at Antelope Canyon and we were blessed with the sun rays.
Read less
Read less
Jan, 2016Views
765
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
Hero Award
Member Selection Award
Spring Selection Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Love it
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo the upper canyon of Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. It was my first time at Antelope Canyon. I went the day before to get the lay of the land. This day I was on a photography tour with Lionel Bigthumb and a few other photographers.Time
I took this photo at high Noon on April 25, 2011. There were many photographers set up so we all stayed in one spot. We sat there for about an hour watching the sun beam enter the canyon and then once it was in the right spot, I put the camera on burst mode and shot away.Lighting
The canyon was very dark. There was no lighting except for the sunbeam that entered the canyon. Since I had the camera on a tripod, the settings were as follows: f/10, 16mm, .5 sec, ISO 100. I recall Lionel helping me set the NR (noise reduction).Equipment
I had just purchased my new camera, a Canon 5D Mark II and was not entirely familiar with all the settings so I feel very fortunate this photo turned out as well as it did. The lens I used was a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM. My tripod is a Gitzo GT 1545T Carbon Fiber with a RRS-BH40 ballhead. I used a remote switch and did not use a flash.Inspiration
I have always been in awe of photos taken at Antelope Canyon and one of my goals was to go there. The day before I took this shot was overcast so there were no sunbeams to be found. The day I took this photo, however, was a different story. Bright blue sky and I was there at the canyon all day. Lionel took us to other canyons but made sure to be in the right spot at high Noon in order to capture the sun beaming into the canyon. There were many other tourists wandering around that day and when it was time to set up, he made sure to keep all the tourists out of the way so we could get shots of the beams as they passed through the canyon. This is probably my favorite photograph. I love the colors and texture of the sandstone. I printed this photo on metallic paper and it worked really well as it appears to 'glow' on the wall.Editing
Since I always shoot in 'raw', I initially process my photos in Adobe Lightroom, as I did with this photo. I did minor editing to minimize the highlights and open up the shadows. It had a reddish color in the raw file so I warmed it up a bit to be more natural. I also cropped the photo because it had a huge bright spot in the front. I almost deleted the photo and actually took a second look at it a couple years later once I was more experienced in Lightroom. There was a spot of land in front of the initial beam that hit the canyon floor so I was able to crop out the big annoying blob of sunlight that I didn't want in the photo. I had printed the photo 30x40 and then someone pointed out once it had been framed that the lower right sandstone was a bit bright and could be darkened a bit to enhance the photo. I made that edit in Photoshop and then reprinted and framed the photo. It is now ready to hang on the wall.In my camera bag
As for equipment in my bag it depends on what type of photography I am doing at the time. I actually have multiple bags. I now shoot with a Sony A7R II, which is smaller and lighter than my Canon 5D Mark II, however, I carry another bag around town with that camera and some lenses as a backup. I have a Sony Zeiss 55mm 1.8mm lens. I purchased a Megabones IV adapter in order to use my Canon lenses with the Sony camera. Other Canon lenses I use are 70-200 2.8L, 100mm macro, 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, 24-105mm f/4L, 300mm, 85mm f/1.8. I recently rented a 180mm 3.5L Macro and fell in love with it. It will be my go-to lens in future for abstracts and macros of flowers.Feedback
If anyone wants to capture dramatic photographs and abstract images, I highly recommend a trip to Antelope Canyon. If you want to capture the sunbeam, you will need to go on a sunny day. Remember to take a tripod and learn your camera settings before you go because you won't have a lot of time to figure them out in the dark canyon. Wear comfortable shoes as you may be climbing on ladders in some of the canyons. Since the rocks are not moving, you can use a relatively low ISO to minimize noise and f/11 or higher. I have recently learned to expose to the right (but not clip the highlights) because I can lessen the exposure post process and it minimizes the noise level. Choose a spot at the 'beam' site early as it will fill up with photographers. And one final bit of advice, I recommend using burst mode.
