Stunning Photograph’s of Antelope Canyon
I just returned from Arizona and had a chance to visit a very beautiful place called Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon is called Tsé bighánílíní, “the place where water runs through rocks” by the Navajo and the formations under the ground are some of the most beautiful you will see. The canyon is deep but it still allows for lots of natural sunlight to come through the slots. That makes this a more beautiful place than many caves that I have visited which are lit up by a variety of colored lights. All the light in this canyon is natural which makes it the most beautiful to photograph. There are two canyons, Upper and Lower Antelope Valley. The Upper canyon is very famous for light beams that shoot from directly above into the canyon and make for some marvelous photos. The lower canyon which I had basically to myself for 2 hours is a more difficult and narrow canyon than upper canyon and does not have the same light beams. People usually come to this place during the summer months because the sun is literally overhead and provides the most dramatic light into the canyons. That’s probably why I had this place to myself. But the pictures came out very well and I had as much time as I needed in the various places.
It was cold in the canyon (about 30 degrees that day) but it was very calm and peaceful inside the canyon. I could literally hear every breath that I took since I was all alone. The canyon is owned by the Navajo Indians and they charge $26 dollars for a photographers pass but you need to bring a tripod and an SLR lens to get that pass. Also the photographer pass allows you to go on your own without a guide so you can avoid the crowds. The canyon can be a bit dangerous because it is subject to flash floods and the slots can fill up very quickly when the rains come. If it starts raining you need to exit very quickly to avoid drowning in the canyon. In 1997 12 tourist died in the canyon when flash floods two hours earlier miles away poured into the canyon. The ladders in place at the time were swept away by the flooding waters through the cave so they had no way to get out of the cave as the raging water swept them to their death. This canyon is beautiful but can be dangerous.
http://www.frankiefoto.com/Travel/Antelope-Valley/20623144_F3WstH
