Posted by Robert Dayton on December 25, 2008 at 5:11 PM
I took this image from the lower slot canyon near Page, AZ. The
light was good and I checked the weather report in advance concerning
the prospects of rain and flashfloods.
Canon Elan 35mm
Canon 35-105mm zoom or 24mm
Kodak Ektachrome film
I appreciate your comments.
Posted by Derek Sedillo on December 25, 2008 at 7:26 PM
Wow! Nice shot.
I never get tired of seeing images from that place. Great lines, composition and color variation. The only thing I would try to do is bring out more detail in the shadow foreground area. But either way it is still a very nice shot. Obviously the dynamic range was extreme. It is probably a good candidate for HDR or a manual blend in PS. I don't know how you would do this with film. Maybe push/pull the same negative so that you have two scans (one for fg, one for bg). Then combine in PS.
Derek
Posted by jeff miller on December 26, 2008 at 10:48 AM
Love the shot. One of my goals is to get to Antelope Canyon. Any opinion on the best time of year for optimium light and shooting conditions?
Robert, one of the challenges of shooting AVC's is getting different looks from other shots. As such this is very nice giving a bit of different perspective from most. I like what the Kodak has captured too, some impressive saturation & color renditions here.
Jeff, I have been to the AVC's usually in May and June with good light & low danger issues. However, one week after one of my visits a large group of tourists got caught in a major flash flood and were all swept away. Part of the problem is not knowing if it is raining in the mountains around the area where the main collection of water gets started.
Posted by jeff miller on December 26, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Paul, thanks for the insight, I hadn't even thought about the flash flood aspect...I was thinking about light only. Thanks for bringing some practical perspective into my planning. I was considering a trip in January,Februrary or March. Jeff
Jeff, I'm not sure about those times of year for runoff issues. Typically, the flash flood season is in the June thru August time frames as I recall. I cannot remember the photographers name, but he was a long time Large Format shooter from I think Santa Barbara or the Bay area. Sadly, he and his wife were trapped just this last year in a flash flood in the Escalante area with his son and daughter-in-law. He and his wife did not make it; thankfully the son and daughter-in-law were on a different level and escaped.
To be honest if I ever went again my wife would not go with me after what we know now. We really enjoyed our visits and got some really nice images, but as with a lot things in life there can be risks. I have been known to hang myself out there a bit, but not to a point of being fatalistic either. Common sense is the key here. A well-planned trip with ALL CURRENT weather information is critical IMHO. As it was I was not that tuned into the flash flood thing until we barely missed the one catastrophic event simply by days.
Posted by Bryan Pezman on December 26, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Robert, I love this image, but agree with Derek in wishing the foreground right side could have a bit of detail in the shadow but overall I love the lines and the lighting! Fantastic work.
Having never made the trek there, I've always wondered, is that area free to explore or do we have to have guides during peak season?
Posted by Robert Dayton on December 26, 2008 at 3:21 PM
The canyon that I went to for the above image is on Navajo Indian land. You pay them in the
parking lot. I was escorted from there about 100 yds. by a young Indian lady to a crack in the ground that I let myself down into. I'm vey small of stature, and as I recall, it seemed
like a rather tight fit. This, I believe, is designated as Lower Antelope Canyon. Nearby is
Upper Antelope Canyon. It has different photo possiblities. You can only access that slot
canyon by going on a tour. The tour office is in PAGE, AZ, approximately 3 or 4 miles from the canyon. The tour bus accomomdates about 20 to 30 people, and, I believe, makes several trips a day. Once the tour vehicle lets you off at the mouth of the slot, you're pretty
much on your own. It's more open than Lower Antelope Canyon. I simply walked in with
no climbing around as in the lower slot canyon. As I recall, the guide announced that we
had about an hour before we had to load up for the ride back to Page. In looking back it
seems to me that the danger of getting caught in a flashflood in the upper canyon was
substantially less than in the lower one. But always check the weather, and try to go into
the slots when the sun is fully out and directly overhead to illuminate the interiors.
All of the above is subject to change. The last time I was to the canyons was about
5 or 6 years ago. It was memorable, and I plan on returning some day, but as mentioned
by other NPN members, it can be very dangerous.
I hope that this has helped. If I can be of any further assistance, don't hesitate to contact me.
Posted by Eric Good on December 28, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Nice range of colors and harmonious sweeping lines. Not much to add other than I never tire of seeing images captured from this location. Well done!
Discussion
8 replieslight was good and I checked the weather report in advance concerning
the prospects of rain and flashfloods.
Canon Elan 35mm
Canon 35-105mm zoom or 24mm
Kodak Ektachrome film
I appreciate your comments.
I never get tired of seeing images from that place. Great lines, composition and color variation. The only thing I would try to do is bring out more detail in the shadow foreground area. But either way it is still a very nice shot. Obviously the dynamic range was extreme. It is probably a good candidate for HDR or a manual blend in PS. I don't know how you would do this with film. Maybe push/pull the same negative so that you have two scans (one for fg, one for bg). Then combine in PS.
Derek
Jeff, I have been to the AVC's usually in May and June with good light & low danger issues. However, one week after one of my visits a large group of tourists got caught in a major flash flood and were all swept away. Part of the problem is not knowing if it is raining in the mountains around the area where the main collection of water gets started.
To be honest if I ever went again my wife would not go with me after what we know now. We really enjoyed our visits and got some really nice images, but as with a lot things in life there can be risks. I have been known to hang myself out there a bit, but not to a point of being fatalistic either. Common sense is the key here. A well-planned trip with ALL CURRENT weather information is critical IMHO. As it was I was not that tuned into the flash flood thing until we barely missed the one catastrophic event simply by days.
Having never made the trek there, I've always wondered, is that area free to explore or do we have to have guides during peak season?
parking lot. I was escorted from there about 100 yds. by a young Indian lady to a crack in the ground that I let myself down into. I'm vey small of stature, and as I recall, it seemed
like a rather tight fit. This, I believe, is designated as Lower Antelope Canyon. Nearby is
Upper Antelope Canyon. It has different photo possiblities. You can only access that slot
canyon by going on a tour. The tour office is in PAGE, AZ, approximately 3 or 4 miles from the canyon. The tour bus accomomdates about 20 to 30 people, and, I believe, makes several trips a day. Once the tour vehicle lets you off at the mouth of the slot, you're pretty
much on your own. It's more open than Lower Antelope Canyon. I simply walked in with
no climbing around as in the lower slot canyon. As I recall, the guide announced that we
had about an hour before we had to load up for the ride back to Page. In looking back it
seems to me that the danger of getting caught in a flashflood in the upper canyon was
substantially less than in the lower one. But always check the weather, and try to go into
the slots when the sun is fully out and directly overhead to illuminate the interiors.
All of the above is subject to change. The last time I was to the canyons was about
5 or 6 years ago. It was memorable, and I plan on returning some day, but as mentioned
by other NPN members, it can be very dangerous.
I hope that this has helped. If I can be of any further assistance, don't hesitate to contact me.