Robert H Clark Photography Blog

Slot Canyon Light Beams, Uppe Antelope Canyon. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 4 seconds.

Hi everyone. With a few days off I am working through some more images. Here is another light beam shot from the Upper Antelope Canyon trip. There were three distinct beams happening during this shot; two in the main part of the image and a third starting on the wall in the background. Although it looks like I am the only person in the canyon I can tell you on this day, the July 4th weekend, it was one of the most crowded days to visit. There were people everywhere. I have been in the canyon on many occasions during other parts of the year and have truly never seen such crowds. Photography in such conditions is very difficult. You cannot visit Upper Antelope Canyon with out a Navajo guide. And there are generally two types of tours-one for the casual visitor interested in seeing the canyon and the other for photographers. If you want to successfully shoot the beams you need to go in on a photo tour. There are several tour companies but my guide of choice is Carol Bigthumb of Adventurous Antelope Canyon Photo Tours. Her family has called the land surrounding Upper Antelope home for many generations. Carol, or her guides, will put you in the best position and monitor the crowds so they are not present in your images. The photography tours generally take around 1.5 to 2 hours and the guides can put you at the beams as they begin to occur.

As to shooting technique for the beams my preference is to shoot with a wide angle lens between 20 and 24mm. It is in my opinion too crowded to use anything beyond 24mm primarily because of where the guides will put you when you shoot. All the images I shot on this trip save for a few were shot with the 20mm. Additionally you have to work fast and you do not have time to change lenses unless you are carry two cameras. Lens changing is also not recommended since blowing sand is everywhere. In fact to help accentuate the beams the guides will throw sand into the light which helps give the ghost like waves within the beams. And do not forget your tripod and a remote shutter release. These items are a must. You cannot hand hold these shots successfully.

I will typically shoot RAW files at an ISO of 100 at an aperture of from f11 to f16. I am seeking the best digital capture I can get. For my white balance I am shooting somewhere between 4500 to 5500k. I will also shoot using the tungsten setting to cool down the shadow colors. I shoot only in Manual mode and in Manual Focus. I want total control over my exposures. Depending on the location and the quality of the light my exposures can range from 4 seconds to over 30 seconds. You can see why you need the tripod. I will also bracket in 1 stop increments. Reviewing your histogram can be useful but keep in mind that there is an extreme contrast range from bright lights to deep shadows. I will take my first shot at the camera meters recommendation and review the screen to see how close I got. If it looks pretty good I will then take my brackets. But do not totally trust your screen either. The screen image is the cameras attempt to make a jpg representation of your RAW file. I have set the screen representation on my Sony α900 to where I get a very close approximation of my capture. So I tend to use the histogram, the screen, and brackets to ensure my capture. Update: After this post was made I forgot to add one more item. And that is I always shoot with mirror lock-up on to avoid any minor camera vibrations.

The chambers where the beams occur are fairly tall. You want to shoot from a lower angle to capture the expanse of the space. Additionally the lower angle tends to flatten out the hot spot where the beam is hitting the sand. Once in position I will focus about 1/3 into the shot. Remember to use manual focus. Lower light levels in some of the chambers will cause your cameras auto focus to search and you will not achieve critical focus on your images. When ready your guide will toss sand into the beam. Wait till it begins to settle a bit and then shoot. You want to get the ghost like movements that occur as subtle air current cause the sand to dance within the beam.

Many of us who shoot landscape do so to get away from the crowds. To be alone to capture a special place at sunrise or sunset is one of the many reasons we shoot. I would love to be alone in Upper Antelope with the light beams. But it is just not possible. But to me it doesn’t matter. To experience the beams is to witness a unique natural phenomenon that occurs only during the summer months. If you are in the area it is a must see.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob