Skip to main content

Return to Antelope Canyon

It had been a year since my first visit to Upper Antelope Canyon. That visit was too brief and too many other folks in the canyon at the same time. This time I was determined to linger a bit. I planned a trip that would include my birthday and made my way this time to Lower Antelope Canyon.

The earliest I could get into the canyon was 8 a.m. as that is when it opened.  I was there and ready well before 8. I was the first visitor of the day and the guide took me to the far, lower end of the canyon to enter. I descended to the canyon floor. Alone. Completely alone. . . in Antelope Canyon. . . on my birthday. . . and I could stay all day!

Lower Antelope Canyon, like Upper Antelope, is a slot canyon.  Slot canyons are narrow at the top and wider at the bottom, having been carved out by periodic flood waters. These are places that need to be visited more than once because it takes some experience to begin seeing the canyon the way your camera will see it. What looks unremarkable to the naked eye comes alive through the camera lens. It is only after seeing, photographing and then examining the images that I began to recognize these subtleties.  This is one of my favorite images, I call it Heart Of The Canyon.  It reminds me of that place within ourselves where we find the Peace of God.




There is so much to capture here.  Shapes, textures, hues and tones.  The canyon walls are  constantly changing as the light inside the canyon changes.  I have visited this canyon twice now and feel like I am just barely getting to know it.



Many people come here in search of light shafts.  As the sun reaches its mid day height in the sky it shines down into the canyon through openings at the top forming shafts of light.  When the shafts show up in the canyon they capture your full attention.  This alcove was one of my favorite places in Lower antelope.  To the left of the light shaft behind that rock is a little ledge where one can sit in quiet contemplation.




This canyon,  located underground, allows us the privilege of visiting with the inner natural beauty of the earth.  It reminds me of those people in my life who have allowed me the privilege of knowing their inner beauty. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mesa Arch & The Washer Woman

When the first light of the day hits the underside of an arch in Canyon Lands or Arches National Parks they glow a beautiful shades of crimson much like those found in slot canyons. A magnificent example is Mesa Arch located in Canyon Lands, Utah. However, as with many of the more popular photography spots, if you want to get a good shot you have to be there early. We were staying in Moab and it was about an hour’s travel time from the motel to getting on site at the arch. But arriving at or near sunrise would not be sufficient, we had to be there at least two hours before sunrise in other to have assurance of a front row seat. This is one of the parts shooting sunrises that I enjoy tremendously. Getting up around 3 am, traveling to the site under the stars, walking in to the location in the dark and setting up without being able to see the whole scene that is going to unfold. On this morning we had a treat. We were the first ones there so we could pick our spots. But more...

Art Display At The Center For Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa

 The Center for Spiritual Living Santa Rosa, has a wonderful program that encourages artist members to display their work.  The work is hung in the Social Hall and typically has about twenty pieces hanging for two months at a time.  On March 1rst I will be hanging several images taken in Iceland, along with some wildlife images, including foxes, coyotes, eagles and kites.  I will also have some paintings by my mother and two of my own.  I am pretty excited about this showing.   One of the pictures I will have in the show is of Godafoss, a beautiful waterfall in Iceland.  When I first saw pictures of this waterfall I knew I wanted to go to Iceland to take pictures of it.  This composition required gettin into some very cold water.

Aurora Borealis May 10: A Northern Lights Extravaganza

As a quick update: All of these images were taken on the night of May 10-11, 2024. on San Juan Island WA.  We were taken by surprise in the middle of our vacation when it was announced there was to be an aurora display that would likely be visible from our location.  What an understatement!  What we witnessed was simply out of this world.  We saw colors I did not know existed in the auroras, especially the light pinks and, of all things, orange (neon).   There were four of us on the grounds at the Trumpeter Inn during the "show".  I was the only one with a DSLSR camera so the others would see something interesting and I would point my camera in that direction and take a timed exposer.  Most were in the 15 to 20 second length.   At one point, Jan looked up straight overhead and saw something that was quite unusual; it looked like some kind of convergence.  I pointed the camera overhead and took this picture, which I find startling....