Upper Antelope Canyon. Despite the hordes of foreign tourists holding their cellphones above their heads, there were scenes to be found, mostly by tilting upward. The dust was on everything since the guides were throwing it in the air to accentuate the sunbeams. It was my first, last, and only trip to the slot canyons. I would recommend wrapping equipment thoroughly in plastic and taking along a rocket blower or can of compressed air if you go. I did use a tripod since I’d paid for the photography tour. Unfortunately, we were not alone. Miraculously, the camera body and lens cleaned up very well after the dust bath we experienced.
Feedback Requests
I elected not to do color processing with this frame since the canyons can be quite overwhelmingly red on a Canon sensor. I really wanted some texture and, unfortunately, I was so frazzled by the crowds and the dust that I sometimes muffed the focus. This photograph wasn’t too OOF. The main photographic problem was the extreme dynamic range of the light in the canyon. Any light from above was ±12-stops brighter than the surroundings so there were a lot of irretrievable highlights.
Pertinent Technical Details
Canon EF 5D Mark III, EF 16-35 f/4 @ 16mm, f/8 @ various (HDR), ISO 200, tripod-mounted. Processed with PhotomatixPro, ACR, and Photoshop CC.
Hi Fred
This is a well composed image. I love all the swirls, temporal markings by wind and dust and sun. I am surprised you were able to come away with an image without a person in the way. And I actually prefer the bnw so our focus is drawn to patterns, textures, grain, etc. My only query is the lower left corner of the image. Was this in shadow, or is it possible to lift the shadows in this area.
I really like this image Fred, and your choice of the black and white processing was a good one. Everything looks sharp to me, and you handled the high dynamic range very well. I also went on a photography tour through that canyon and found the experience disappointing. Too crowded and not enough time to effectively compose the shots I wanted. I’m glad your camera survived the dust storm.
Fred … So good in B&W… The Tone and the whole Composition of this image is just unreal…The Light works great showing the Lines and Textures… Great Image !!!
@Ted_Forman Thank you. It was very frustrating. This was shot in 2015 and I have read that it’s far worse now. Too many people and too much money to be made. @Gill_Vanderlip Thank you for the kind words. It’s a great site but I’d never go back.
Hi Fred,
This works so well in B&W; especially the rework with the small tweak suggested by @madd_laura. I think that lets the viewer focus on those wonderful lines, shapes and textures without being overwhelmed by the color. I have heard the place is a madhouse now and I have no desire to be jostled by all the tourists. I would think they could do small photography tours as well as ones strictly for tourists. Glad your equipment survived. This is beautifully done IMO.
