Canyon Light

Canyon Light. Slickrock formations in lower Antelope Canyon, Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona
Antelope Canyon, Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona

For all the equipment I’ve purchased over the years, from camera bodies to lenses and filters, the most important tool of my craft is one I’ve never had to buy. The world of natural light provides landscape photographers with a constantly varied selection from soft light to lightning and everything in between. Here canyon light illuminates the subtle hues of Antelope Canyon, and best of all there’s never a cost.

Unlike a studio strobe, it’s sometimes a challenge to harness the light Mother Nature provides. But therein lies the art of outdoor photography – knowing how to work with what you’re given or having the patience to wait for something better.

In previous posts I’ve mentioned various ways to work with challenging conditions, but there is one place where the light is constant and never leaves you wishing for more – the indirect, reflected light found deep in the canyons of the Southwest.

Its consistent, ethereal glow could easily be mistaken for artificial light, and its true colors can hardly be discerned by the naked eye in the dark recesses of a slot canyon. In sharp contrast to magic hour, the best time to experience this light is when the sun is high overhead and able to penetrate these deep fissures in the earth’s crust. And only when the scene is revealed on the sensor or emulsion do you see the true beauty of the canyon light.

 

©Russ Bishop/All Rights Reserved

Antelope Canyon Magic

Delicate slickrock formations in upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Delicate slickrock formations in upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Antelope Canyon on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona is arguably one of the finest slot canyons in the American southwest, and certainly one of the most photographed. Although beautiful to witness with the naked eye, these jewels of the desert really shine when a long exposure reveals the light and color our eyes can’t perceive – the subtle shades and hues of the sunlight as it plays off the wind and water sculpted sandstone.

Unlike most landscape photography, which benefits from the warm light of dawn or dusk, slot canyons are best photographed midday when the greatest amount of light penetrates the steep and narrow canyon walls. A tripod is mandatory for sharp images with the long exposures necessary to capture the light in these dimly lit passages. And once your eyes have adjusted, the challenge is to create meaningful compositions that lead the eye into the frame and showcase the myriad textures that surround you.

This image was made with a wide 24mm lens and a 30 second exposure – no filter or artificial lighting was used!

 

©Russ Bishop/All Rights Reserved