06/09/17 Horseshoe Bend

The sun begins to rise at Horseshoe Bend outside Page, AZ

On June 9th, I finished up some photography at Horseshoe Bend outside Page, AZ. This is where the Colorado River makes a bend in the shape of a horseshoe. It's quite a unique place to photograph and after doing lots of research beforehand I decided that I would wake up very early before sunrise to photograph this location. It was well worth it on a couple occasions  over two days as I was able to achieve some visually pleasing shots of Horseshoe Bend with consistent lighting conditions. I captured these photos with my Canon 5D Mark III and my Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 II L lens. I was kind of surprised even at sunrise just how few people were present shooting photos. I guess most are not as willing and crazy as I am to head out the door before sunrise. Anyhow, I've added several images below that I shot from a few morning shoots and an afternoon shoot as well below:

"Tranquility and serenity"

On my way to Arizona I visited another new state...

En-route to Arizona!

 Wide-angle view!

One of my favorites!

 "Black n' white perfection"

 "Blue-hour"

 "First light"

 A wide-angle black n' white!

 "The light that comes through"

 "When your destination is unknown you never know what may be around the bend so keep exploring and keep your eyes open"

 A close-up!

Mid-afternoon shot!

Closer-view!

The sun begins to light up the canyon walls at Horseshoe Bend!

Love this one!

 "Destination unknown"

Another great wide-angle shot!

That will end this post. Horseshoe Bend was another great place to visit and to have the opportunity to photograph. On June 10th, I headed northeast to Monument Valley for a couple days of photography as well. I'll have another post from those couple of days of photography in the coming days as well.

06/08/17 Upper Antelope Canyon

A morning photographing Upper Antelope Canyon outside Page, AZ

On June 8th, my day started early in the morning shortly after sunrise. I photographed Horseshoe Bend and then joined up with a tour to head to Upper Antelope Canyon outside Page, AZ on a 4x4 truck. After a little off-road driving we made it to the canyon. It was another brutally hot day and the tours were all filled to capacity except for the early morning. I quickly discovered upon entering the canyon just how much darker this canyon was at this time of day. It was a struggle to get what I was hoping for out of this tour as the ambient light was much lower than my tour the previous day in Lower Antelope Canyon. Add to the fact that tripods are not allowed on the normal guided tour it was a struggle to say the least. Toward the end of the tour enough light started to filter into the canyon to allow me to get a few images out of the morning however. I shot these photos with my Canon 5D Mark III and once again with my Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 II L lens. I've added a few photos that I shot during this particular morning below:

"The dark-side"

It was a little creepy and disorientating in this canyon at first until we got some light into the canyon...

Outside of the canyon...

A favorite despite how incredibly dark it was in the canyon!

"In the house of stone and light"

More unique formations!

Beautiful!

"Try to leave a light on"

"Sandstone"

Neat colors!

Leaving the canyon...

Overall, I would have loved to have toured this canyon at a more optimal time of day, but unfortunately with the extreme heat and peak times booked that wasn't in the cards. With that being said, I was able to capture a few good images of this canyon as well. I also photographed Horseshoe Bend on this day and on June 9th as well and I will add photos from those days of photography in an upcoming post.

06/08/17 Lower Antelope Canyon

Morning light begins to filter into Lower Antelope Canyon outside Page, AZ

On June 6th, I began making another long drive en-route to Page, AZ to check out a few destinations on the bucket list. After rooming in Page, AZ for the night I woke up and headed to Lower Antelope Canyon just outside Page, AZ to take part in a guided tour through the canyon. It was brutally hot on this day and over the next few days which meant I had to pick some early morning times for photography. I ended up photographing this canyon on two separate occasions over the next couple of days. I took my first tour on June 7th and also on June 8th I returned once again to polish up some shots from the previous tour. I must say this is one of coolest places to see and you leave with a mesmerizing feeling after hiking in this canyon. I'm really not sure how to describe it, but many like myself tend to come out of the canyon feeling the same experience. As for photography, I shot all these photos with my Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 II L lens. To capture high-quality images you must have a fast wide-angle lens in this canyon to capture the amazing formations along the canyon walls and a camera with great low-light performance. It was a tough task dealing with the tour crowds, extreme heat, and being forced to shoot handheld in a low-light environment. With that being said, I feel like I managed pretty well with the results I was able to achieve. I've added another large assortment of photos from two separate guided tours below:

"The underworld"

One of my favorites!

A painted landscape!

Incredible light and incredible formations in every direction!

"You be the artist!"

"And I'll chase your voice through the dark; fix my eyes on the unexpected, in the wonder of your shadow step"

Looking up from another world!

"We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark"

"Waves"

Crazy mix of colors...

You feel like you are in Egyptian times in this canyon!

"Captivated in the dark"

It's a tough hike with very little space in spots!

"Masterpiece"

On fire with color...

"Walk like an Egyptian"

An astonishing place!

"Shadowplay"

"Light awakens the underground"

Nature formed these canyon formations from flash floods!

 "A hole in the heart of the canyon"

"Pillars of sandstone"

The sun's location at different times of day in the canyon will lead to quite different results!

 Canyon formations can provide their own artwork!

 "A different world"

 A light beam sneaks into the canyon!

 "Stairway to heaven"

 It was quite sandy down in the canyon...

 "Spinning"

 "A window through the soul"

 The ups and downs of nature!

"There's a light that you give me when I’m in shadow"

 Absolutely amazing!

 The vertical shots were just as good!

The light that comes through...

"Curves"

 I was quite happy I took two tours since it allowed myself to get more creative!

An arch!

More hiking deeper into the canyon...

"Magic light"

"Crest of waves"

Sometimes you have to go vertical!

Neat stuff!

"Fading light"

Photography tip: Hang close to the tour guide and stay in front of everyone in the tour...

I don't think I've spent as much time in my life photographing canyons as I did on these two days!

Beautiful art!

"The balance between dark and light"

"Canyon on fire"

Simply amazing works of art by nature!

Claustrophobia?

"Enchanted"

Keep heading into the light!

Shadows turn to light around the corner...

The balance of light!

"Tight corners"

Another view of the underworld!

More great color!

One last shot as I finish up my couple days of photography in Lower Antelope Canyon

These were a couple exciting days of photography at Lower Antelope Canyon and it's quite an awesome place to be able to tour. I completely understand why more and more people are visiting this canyon from around the world after a couple days of photography in the canyon. On June 8th, I also visited Upper Antelope Canyon to photograph that canyon as well and I'll add another future post in the coming days from that morning as well.