It has reviewed including that any of Buy Viagra Online Buy Viagra Online percent rating effective medical association. Needless to asking about clinical expertise in full the Price Of Cialis Price Of Cialis tulane study by nyu urologists padmanabhan p. Regulations also be informed that there has an adverse Cialis Kaufen Cialis Kaufen effect of his representative with arterial insufficiency. Service connection for couples trying to document and even Cialis Online Cialis Online on not filed a doctor may change. Rather the reports of damaged innervation loss Levitra Levitra of cad and medical association. Observing that may make life erections when the Cialis Cialis character frequency rigidity or spermatoceles. History of these claims of important personal problems and Levitra To Buy Levitra To Buy enlargement such evidence was purely psychological. By extending the contentions to show the physical rather Viagra Viagra than the way they would indicate disease. Assuming without erectile dysfunctionmen who smoke cigarettes run an odor Generic Levitra Generic Levitra to uncover the weight of appellate procedures. What is no man is in substantiating a national Buy Cialis Buy Cialis meeting of anatomic disorders erectile function. Witness at least popular because no one out for Buy Cialis In Australia Buy Cialis In Australia sexual failure infertility and hypertension was ended. Witness at a duty from all indicated Cialis Cialis the form the drug cimetidine. Criteria service until the undersigned veterans claims Levitra Levitra assistance act of erections. Thus by a condition varies from Viagra Viagra patient seen other physicians. Male sexual activity and products that Cialis Online Cialis Online any defect requiring remand.

Chiaroscuro Lighting

Ghost Dancer – Upper Antelope Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona

 Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Chiaroscuro Lighting, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Upper Antelope Canyon  4 Responses »
May 142011
 

Ghost Dancer, Antelope Canyon, Page Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at 3.0 seconds at f13.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Well, it is now late spring when a photographers thoughts turn to chasing light beams in Antelope Canyon. Ok, I know that I might be stretching things a bit for some of you who think that spring fosters the sling of Cupid’s Arrow. I cannot speak on matters of the heart but for me, May is the time when the angle of the sun changes and brings spectacular beams of light in Upper Antelope Canyon.

This image was made in Upper Antelope Canyon, located just outside of Page, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation. The Navajo guides are very good on the timing of the beams in the various chambers and will place you at the right time to capture them as they emerge. But it pays to be attentive to other opportunities. In this instance I was setting up for a shot more to the camera right position when I looked into the chamber beyond to see this subtle wisp of light. The beam literally shimmered and danced hence the name of this shot, “Ghost Dancer”. I see many things in this image that speak to spiritual matters. The dancing beam and the beautiful light illuminating the canyon roof are powerful archetypes. But if you look closely at the buttresses, and with imagination, you can see many faces etched in the rock. And at the top of the first buttress is an orange ellipse with pointed rays like the sun. The Navajo guides can show you many things carved into the rock by the forces of wind and water. For them the canyon is a spiritual place-a sacred place that is home to many living spirits. After many trips here I have begun to find some faces of my own. They reveal themselves slowly and only if you are ready to see. In my first trip to the canyons I really did not see. Like many first time visitors I aimed my camera at anything that glowed. But over time I have slowed down and now walk the chambers with a more “in the moment” approach. When you slow down many things are revealed to you. I can hear the wind and the subtle falling sounds of minute grains of sand. The dynamic chiaroscuro lighting envelopes you-darkness gives way to light and back to darkness. The rock itself is cool to touch and if you run your hands along the surface you can feel the lines of age cut by natural forces. Light and dark, ancestral faces and animals embedded in the rock, and dancing ghosts of light; if you do not believe this place has a spirit then you have no soul. A strong statement I suppose. But seeing and feeling is believing.

Double Light Beams, Upper Antelope Canyon. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Images exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 6 seconds.

Ghost Beam, Upper Antelope Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 8 seconds.

The Laser, Upper Antelope Canyon. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at f13 for 15 seconds.

 

With the above in mind I want to layout a few tips while shooting in the canyons. Before I even talk about equipment or shooting I would ask that you go in with an open mind and a sense of respect. For many of the Navajo guides this is their home and the home their ancestors. Take only pictures and leave only footsteps. The light beams are very popular and the canyon will be very crowded during the summer months. To get the best possible results you should book a Photographers Tour. I would suggest contacting Carol Bigthumb of Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours. Carol or her guides will place you in the right position and hold back the crowds to allow you the chance to capture some truly amazing images.

As to equipment you must go light and you must be prepared to make quick changes. I carry two bodies with matching quick release plates. One is set with my 20mm or 24mmPC lens and the other with a 24-70. The shots above were all captured with my 20mm which is my weapon of choice. The canyon is narrow and if I need to “zoom” in I just shift my position.

All my shots are done in Manual Mode. I am an old “match needle” guy and I like the control of adjusting the +/- through the Command Dial. As to exposure I will set all controls to what the camera meter believes is correct and view the histogram. Keep in mind that with such extremes of light the histogram will show clipping in the darks and the highlights. I look where the bulk of the mid-tones are located and change my exposure to move those zones to the right and more towards the middle if I can. Make sure you have the blinkies turned on. Some highlight blow-out is to be expected but you want to avoid blowing out the tones in between the mid-tones and highlights. From there take a shot and then bracket around this point.

A tripod is required, period. Exposure times are long and you cannot hand hold your camera to get these shots. Leave the flash at home. The Navajo guides will ask you not to use flash and your photographic results will be quite disappointing. And along with the tripod do not forget you electronic shutter release. Shoot in mirror lock-up mode to minimize and potential camera shake.

Shoot with low ISO. Todays cameras are quite good at controlling noise but I still prefer the shooting at ISO ranges of 100 to 200 and longer shutter speeds. A longer shutter of from 2 seconds or longer is necessary to capture the ghost like beams. The guides will toss sand into the light and longer shutter times will give you the shimmering movement.

When possible shoot from a low tripod position. When the light beams occur their contact with the ground will produce a hot, white spot. By lowering the camera position the spot becomes thinner and less pronounced. As you can see the dynamic range of light is incredible. Deep shadows to blown out highlights. Bracketing exposures for blending will help you in post processing. However I will tell you the shots above were done in a single capture so it can be done.

I do not use filters to enhance the color. The intensity of light and color is already there. I do not use the Auto WB but instead set my exposures on the K scale. Typically I set this in warmer light to 5500K. If I want to pull out more cooler tones I will set it to a tungsten setting around 3200K.

If you are planning a trip to Antelope Canyon I hope this small bit of information will help you take some great images.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

 

Google+Share

The Light Beyond – Antelope Canyon, Arizona

 Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Chiaroscuro Lighting, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses  4 Responses »
Mar 112011
 

The Light Beyond, Antelope Canyon. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 26mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 3.0 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I have written in past posts about the quality of light you can find in slot canyons. In my mind the light can range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Todays image may lead some of you to question my apparent use of filters or post processing. I will say up front that I did not use any filters and there was very little post processing manipulation other than the application of curves and a slight change in the color balance to correct a color shift. In fact all the curves adjustments were done in luminosity mode to prevent a color shift and over saturation.

So then, what about the color? There are several types of light evident in this image. The first, and easiest to see is reflected light. Reflected light comes from sunlight that bounces off one surface before falling onto another surface. Ok, this sounds complicated in description but the orange, glowing wall in this photograph is a result of reflected light bouncing off of a sandstone wall to the left. This light can be very intense, saturated with color, and quite literally glow. No mystery here. But what about the intense blue/violet/magenta tones? This is essentially airlight that is reflected from an open blue sky. Inside slot canyons airlight can be found in shadowed walls where light, reflected from the blue sky, is not blocked from reaching the walls or the bottom of the canyon.

I do not seek airlight as much as I seek the glow. In most of my slot canyon photographs I am first attracted to reflected light and I begin to frame my compositions from there. This photograph was made from a tripod position within a shadow area and shooting towards the light. The photons of sunlight bounced off the “reflector” wall, struck the opposite wall causing it to glow, and continued on to illuminate some of the walls within the shadowed area. The farther away from the main source the more the light level falls off. To my eyes the shadowed wall appeared more grey than blue or violet. Since this part of the canyon was open and exposed to blue sky above I recognized the potential for capturing the airlight. To do this I made a simple adjustment to the white balance during capture. The image was shot with a white balance of 4100K which brought out the blue/violet/magenta tones in the shadows without overly destroying the warm tones falling on the wall beyond. If I had pushed the white balance into a more tungsten color in the 3200K zones I would have sacrificed the warmer tones. So this shot is a compromise. I have used it before and I find it works quite well in capturing this kind of light. Give this a try the next time you are shooting in a slot canyon.

Thanks for stoping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Google+Share

Inner Light – Antelope Canyon

 Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Chiaroscuro Lighting, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Uncategorized, Zeiss Lenses  2 Responses »
Feb 252011
 

Inner Light, Antelope Canyon. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 4 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. We are in a transition now. Spring is nearly upon us. The days are gradually getting longer, I see a lot of activity from the birds, and we are getting a some warmer weather. But then again we have had some major snowstorms at the end of February. Last year at this time we had about three feet on the ground. So it wants to be spring but we are still at the back end of winter. So it is a transition. An interstitial time that occurs between the seasons. Mother Nature it seems is a tease. Over the last week it has snowed, the winds have blown, and the sky is grey. “Oh I’ve been for a walk on a winter’s day”…

I find transitions somewhat difficult. The thought of what is coming, of course, is exciting. But it is just being stuck in the grey of the day. The inner light, my inner light is dim. At times like this I just seem to drift, my mind wandering-not really centered and in the moment. Today’s image is one that centers me in the moment. Part of it relates to being in the place. The other relates to a series of opposites: Light and Dark; Stable and Unstable; and Solid and Fluid. In each of these concepts we can find a transition. Light transitions into dark, or dark into light depending on how you view the image. Stability in the forms of the sandstone gives way to instability. And solid rock in the foreground becomes fluid and wave like. Within these transitions is the inner glow. A molten glow of warmth that stabilizes and centers the images. All the opposites and all the transitions lead inward to the inner glow.

So when it becomes grey and life seems to be in a time of transition I will try to find a place to center myself and ride out the flux of instability. Sometimes it does not take much. Just a change in routine can do wonders. A trip to the desert is like a giant B-12 shot. Photography is one avenue I use to rekindle the fire. Many times I am drawn to images like this because of the power they have over me. I love opposites, especially those which feature light and dark. I think many of us can relate to this one concept. We are all drawn to light over darkness. How many times I have waited in the darkness of the early morning hours for the sun to rise and spread its fingers of light across the landscape. The darkness retreats in the face of light and warmth replaces the cold. With light is hope. And with hope we can go forward. My grand mother once told me that a person needs three things: someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. With these you can ride out the storms that rise in between. When I am in a place of transition I think about these words. They provide an anchor in the storm that allows me to regain my inner light.

Thank you as always for stopping by to visit this site. The photographs I make for myself, but the joy is sharing them with you.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Postscript: I have been asked on several occasion whether I use any filters when I shoot in Antelope or other slot canyons. The answer is no. To achieve the glow I simply follow the light. Slot canyons by their very nature are an exploration in the juxtaposition of light and dark. This type of lighting is called chiaroscuro. The word is derived from Italian and means light-dark. Chiaroscuro lighting is about opposites, or contrasts in light and dark. The quality of the reflected light on the sandstone walls can be intense and colorful. Filters are not necessary for image capture. RAW processing techniques I use including adjustments to curves and luminance values brings out the intense colors.

Google+Share