Restricted Space Ahead (3 Images)

The warm, clear weather a couple of weekends ago was ideal for a bit of class 1 canyoneering. I visited this place a month ago, but at a poor time of day for photography, resulting in 'The Bridge'. A couple of hours earlier in the day brought me much different light (see 'View Larger Photo'). I also had more time to explore further downstream.

As an aside, Floris van Breugel explains why cool color spectrums are visible to our cameras in deep, narrow canyons in this
short blog post.

'Vortex'

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Good stuff, John! I like em both--no nits or suggestions from me, sorry!

Thanks, Stan. But...there's three of 'em there!

"Vortex" may well be THE finest slot canyon image I've seen - ever. Holy hell, John. You outdid yourself!

Wow. The Vortex is incredible---seriously. Never seen an image showing those rocks off that well! Sorry to disappoint---no suggestions...

Another vote here for Vortex. Phenomenal shot. Here's a suggestion... take me there.

Having just come home from lower antelope, I want to find all of the slot canyons around that area to explore, These are all great, but I really like #3. What kind of hassle would it take to visit this canyon? And what type of canyoneering?

Thanks, folks!

Peter,
Some places where you can get your feet wet include Water Holes Canyon, Rattlesnake, Owl & Mountain Sheep Canyons, Secret, Passage & Staircase Canyons and Cardiac Canyon & Canyon X.

Oh ok, I missed #1--well #1 is #3 for me, but it's still an awesome shot, which just shows how good 1&2 are

John, count me as another admirer of #3, but I also really like #1 as well. Great stuff ... as usual, amigo.

Beautiful set, John...and thanks for all your help over the years.
Joe Rogers

Absolutely stunning collection, John!

Incredible visual journey in #1. This would require a lot of my time standing in front of a large print of it.

The contrasts in #2 are just outstanding. And, the colors in all of them are marvelous.

#3 , if it's possible, is the strongest of this set. But, not by much because they all are SO strong! This one is, indeed as Bret said, possibly the best slot shot I've ever seen, with a comp that is pure genius. It literally makes me feel of being in the process of being transported. Wow, wow, and wow.

Great collection, John, I have never had the opportunity to experience the canyons but I hope to someday. In the meantime, I really enjoy seeing your work.

The best images ever

Excellent shots, John, My favorite is The Bridge, but Fire and Ice is really strong too, love the simplicity of the comp. and the complementary colors.

Thanks so much for the kind words, folks. I really appreciate it!

John, your new version of The Bridge is about perfect in my opinion. Looking at The Vortex, I feel like I'm being sucked into the image. I cant think of anything I would consider changing from these versions. Congrats on a couple of stellar desert abstract images!

Winner-Winner with Vortex and Bridge. I like the Vortex best with the tight canyon and curving twists.
With the Bridge, the details of the darker bottom show better with a darker backgound. The upper brightness/highlights seem a little much for the rest of the scene, imo. Maybe try and recover some of the red channel in the brighter area above the bridge.

Oh my goodness are those all amazing images. Have to say "fire and ice" is my favorite. Of all the canyon images I have seen, this one really strikes me as having very unique composition and color combination. It's a breathtaking image for me.
The only small distraction for me for the other two, was a slight very bright sun reflecting from the rock. That said, I wonder if some blending could be beneficial?
John, your images along with others, I have seen has convinced me I must start my own canyon quests. Thanks for mentioning some places to start.

Damn fine work John.

What gets me first is the textures. So clear the feel of being there. Awesome DOF.

From a graphic arts perspective, #2 is visually amazing.

From a unique slot canyon shot, #3 is equally amazing. And it would be so easy to turn the camera and screw it up. But you captured it all.

From just an in-your-face, #1 wins as well.

Just a nice set overall. Great colors, great comps, but what brings it home again is the sharpness of the textures.

These aren't any good at all! Just send me over the RAW files and I'll dispose of them properly.

#1: Wow. #2: Wow. #3: Wow. My only suggestion is that you keep posting photos like these to inspire the rest of us. Very well done!

Simply outstanding !!!!

The best rock art I've seen and I've seen a lot over the years. Way to go John, exceptional!!

You know, Amigo, the more I look at #2 (Fire & Ice), the more it appeals to me. I guess that might be because I do so much enjoy the intimate landscape and contrasting colors. But all of them are just gorgeous!

ALL are outstanding !
When anyone gets "tired" of slot canyon images, they just need to look at these.

I'm very late to this party, but I'm glad I stopped by. This is some really outstanding work, John. Having just recently visited my first slot canyon, I can really appreciate the effort you put into these images.

Thanks very much for the kind words, folks!

I am absolutely enamored with photos #2 and #3. Excellent photos and very interesting lines. Good grief