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Antelope Canyon- One Last Time

I went to visit Antelope Canyon the other day in Page, Arizona, hoping to tour the Lower Canyon. However, that was closed temporarily so my friend Alison and I went to Upper Antelope Canyon. Even for January, it was fairly crowded.

The one rule change they have instituted is that tripods are no longer allowed! Panic set in as I have always used a tripod here as it is highly needed due to the low light conditions inside. So I did the best I could by setting my camera to a higher ISO which makes my sensor more sensitive to the low light but produced digital noise. To get rid of the noise, you use software to eliminate it at the expense of detail. I was mostly shooting at a shutter speed of 1/40 sec. which is slow but manageable at a focal length of 24mm.

The Lower Canyon used to have a photographer’s tour during the winter where you could go by yourself for 2 hours. That has been eliminated. They do have a photographer’s tour at the Upper Canyon but the cost was quite steep. This will be the last time I or Ali will visit Antelope Canyon

Entrance to Upper Antelope Canyon

Another Northern Arizona Sunset

Arizona, Desert Southwest, In The Country

But they’re all good, especially the light from a setting sun.

The Magnificent Waterhole Canyon

Arizona, Desert Southwest

Page, Arizona has its Antelope Canyon including crowds and guided tours that whisk you through. Waterhole Canyon is not quite like Antelope Canyon but it is a reasonable alternative especially since very few people know where it is. No tour buses here!

It’s a bit tight but not claustrophobic.

Using a tripod for longer exposures helps to reveal the natural hues.

A Day In The Life At Lake Powell

Arizona, Desert Southwest, National Parks

One day’s images from Lake Powell at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near Page, Arizona

Boaters patrol the calm waters of Lake Powell near Page, Arizona

The skies above Lake Powell’s Lone Rock at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona

Kayakers patrol the calm waters of Lake Powell near Page, Arizona

The Glen Canyon Dam is the reason we have Lake Powell.

A jet airliner navigates its way through the partly cloudy skies above Lake Powell in Northern Arizona

Spring Photography Workshops- Here In The Desert Southwest

Photo Workshops, Photography

I will be conducting personal 1 on 1 photo workshops here in the Desert Southwest. I will bring you to those “hard to get to”places that you may have seen in my photos at Dawn2Dawn Photography

Contact me for details or thoughts on a personalized photo expedition. I will not only teach you new photography techniques, but as a former interpretive guide, you will learn about the areas we explore.

I will also be conducting a multi-day group workshop at Zion National Park the first week of November when fall colors are at peak. Stay tuned for details.

Some More Moon Rising Shots………

Arizona, Desert Southwest

Taken from the Lake Powell Area in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. These images and many more available as a downloadable file or print at Dawn2Dawn Photography.

Next up are images from Coalmine Canyon on the Hopi Indian Reservation in Northern Arizona.

Antelope Canyon. Upper or Lower?

Arizona, Desert Southwest

If you can only do one of these, I would do Lower Antelope Canyon. Why?

Antelope Canyon is an amazing slot canyon near Page Arizona on Navajo Tribal Land. During the off season, the people at Lower Antelope Canyon will let me go on my own for 2 hours. It’s called the photographers permit. It’s about $35. The Lower is about a mile long and you can walk to the entrance in a minute. At the Upper, you have to be driven out to the trailhead and be guided through the canyon which is only a 1/2 mile at most.

These images and more can be purchased as prints or downloadable files at dawn2dawn photography

Upper Antelope Canyon — The Upper has its beauty

The other thing I don’t like about The Upper is that you have to return the same way you came in. That means bumping into all the people going in to the canyon. That can be a problem when you have that perfect shot lined up and people get in the way. And then you’re probably in some else’s way. In the Lower Canyon, you enter in one spot and exit at the other end. Usually everyone is moving in the same direction.

If you’re claustrophobic, then maybe the Lower isn’t for you. You have some tight spots to squeeze through and ladders to negotiate.

Arizona Landscape — The classic shot of the Corkscrew in Lower Antelope Canyon

If you are going to seriously photograph Antelope Canyon, don’t go during the busy season from Mid-March through October because you won’t have fun as the guides will rush you through. Although this is the season you are more likely to see the beams of sunlight at midday. And remember to shoot with a tripod and bracket all of your shots. You don’t want to ruin this opportunity.

Lake Powell Weekend

Arizona, Desert Southwest

Spent a few days in the Lake Powell area where the leftovers from that California storm made an appearance. I was able to score a permit for North Coyote Buttes for Monday, home of The Wave. Those pics to come soon.

The Good, The Bad and The Beautiful- Time Lapse Video

Arizona, Time Lapse, video

Time Lapse Video shot on Saturday in the Page Arizona area. Music by Beth Orton who covers JJ Cale’s Call Me The Breeze. Watch in HD at Full Screen.

Scene 1 is of Horseshoe Bend, Scene 2 is the Bad Navajo Coal-Fired Power Plant and Scene 3 is a Lake Powell Sunset!

Lake Powell Moonrise

Arizona, Desert Southwest

Lake Powell is on the border of Utah and Arizona. Formed by the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam, it has more shoreline than our Pacific Coastline. You might recognize in some of the photos, how the waterline has been dropping because of the drought in the area. I was there to capture the full moon rising. Companion time lapse can be seen at Moon Over Lake Powell Time Lapse Video.