Techniques, Tips, Trips, and Musings about my Work

Image 1: The interior walls of Upper Antelope Canyon glow from sunlight penetrating from above. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f14 for 2 seconds.

Image 2: Reflected light reaching down into Lower Antelope canyon literally causes the walls to glow. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 28mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f14 for 2 seconds.

I was searching through some of my site statistics and noticed I had a request for the best lenses for shooting inside a slot canyon. So here are 2 images shot this year in Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon in April. At this time of the year the sun is rising higher in the sky and the light more fully penetrates into canyon. The first image was shot at 10:30 in the morning and the walls were glowing.

Slot canyons do come with some challenges including diminished light and narrow, almost claustrophobic space. Additionally, the light moves within the canyon as the sun passes overhead. Within minutes a once glowing wall will be plunged into shadow. My Sony 20mm f2.8 lens is one of my favorites for tight spaces. I also use a Zeiss 24-70 f2.8. The advantage in using the 24-70 is getting the wide angle view but having the flexibility to zoom in for more detail or to isolate an area. My exposures range from 1 to 2 seconds to well over a minute at ISO 100. To mitigate camera shake I recommend shooting in mirror lock-up mode. I shoot in manual mode: manual metering and manual focusing.

I have been asked about filters and I do not use them in the slots. For a shot like Image 1 I will increase the white balance to 6000 to accentuate the warmer colors. You can also achieve this effect by shooting with the shade color balance setting.

Image 2 was shot in Lower Antelope canyon in the early afternoon. This canyon is deeper and the light penetrates later than Upper Antelope. The effect here is other worldly. The canyon wall appeared to glow from within. Again no filters were used, only an adjustment with the white balance.

I would encourage anyone visiting the Page area to take the time to go to Antelope Canyon. If you do you can book your visit with Carol Bigthumb at Adventurous Antelope Canyon Photo Tours.

As far as equipment you will need a good wide angle such as a 20 or 28mm, and a medium range zoom can help isolate details. A tripod is a necessity. And flash is not allowed inside the canyons.  When you go please respect the canyon and your hosts. They are places of immense beauty and serenity. And perhaps if you are lucky, as the soft notes of a flute echo off the canyon walls you will feel the heartbeat of the place.

Bob