Robert H Clark Photography Blog

Mountain Sheep Canyon – Navajo Lands, Arizona

Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses 4 Responses »

Jul 232011

Fracture, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. One of the interesting aspects of writing a blog is finding out what posts are the most popular. WordPress offers a nice statistics section in their content management system that tells you the number of visitors, search criteria used to find your site, and a counter to the most visited pages. Interestingly, in my mind at least, there have been quite a few searches and visits to many of my Mountain Sheep Canyon images. Mountain Sheep is small, hidden jewel, located outside of Page, Arizona on Navajo Lands. The canyon is only accessible through a photographers trip offered by Carol Bigthumb of Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours.

Unlike Upper and Lower Antelope, Mountain Sheep Canyon is what I refer to as an open top slot. It has a straight in entry and only requires a little bit of scrambling. It takes some effort to get out to the canyon through sandy washes but the canyon receives few visitors making it a special place to photograph. Because of the wide open top light can be intense and often many of the formations are blown out. The better photographs come by looking for the reflected light on the canyon walls and creating compositions that focus on the lower parts of the canyon. The light changes rapidly and you should look for compositions during the trip in and out.

Slots are formed by the erosive forces of water that flow during flash floods through the sandstone drainages. Rocks, sand, tree limbs and other debris contribute to the carving of the canyon walls and are often deposited along the floor after a flood. The fast moving water scours the walls revealing intricate and colorful layers of stone. In many cases the water is caught in whirlpool like eddies that over time carve out chambers and alcoves in the rock. Ultimately this is how rooms in slot canyons are formed. The image above shows the beginnings of a small alcove where the swirling water has begun to carve a semi circular space in the stone. The group of rocks in the alcove are transient visitors and may move on during the next flood.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Mountain Sheep Canyon – Navajo Lands

Abstracts, Adobe Lightroom, Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Apr 122011

Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 50mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today’s image is from Mountain Sheep Canyon located on Navajo Lands just outside of Page, Arizona. Mountain Sheep is what I refer to as an open top slot canyon. The top portions of the canyon are wider and more open than a more traditional slot canyon like Upper or Lower Antelope. Open top slots allow more light to enter the canyon which can make shooting more difficult because of the extreme contrasts of light. It is generally best to shoot in open top slots early in the morning or late in the afternoon to take advantage of lower sun angles which will allow you to shoot glowing walls illuminated by bounced and reflected light. When you find yourself in an open top slot at the wrong time, with higher sun angles, you can still find great shots by concentrating more on the details and patterns contained within the sandstone.

This image is a case in point. I ended up in Mountain Sheep in the early afternoon and was greeted with less than ideal conditions due to the amount of sunlight flooding the canyon. I decided to use this as a challenge and see if I could focus more on vignettes within the canyon. So I looked for patterns and interesting formations within the walls and curves of the canyon. In this image I was struck by the curving striations and contortions that gave way to smoother walls. I was also fascinated by the petrified sand caked on the canyon walls. This material was left by flood waters and over time was baked and hardened by the sun. The sand is literally fused to the wall and would require a hammer and chisel to break it away. There is a subtle glow on the surfaces created by reflected light bouncing off the canyon walls behind my camera position. This light helped illuminate the beautiful lines and striations in the sandstone.

The RAW file was processed in Adobe Lightroom and finished in Photoshop. Mountain Sheep Canyon is located on the Navajo Reservation and is only accessible with a Navajo Guide. I first visited the canyon in 2009 and have been back on four other occasions. If you would like to visit the canyon please contact Carol Bigthumb at Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

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.

Mountain Sheep Canyon – Convergence

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900 No Responses »

Aug 212010

Convergence, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image is from Mountain Sheep Canyon on the Navajo Reservation. This shot is all about the idea of leading lines. I have written about leading lines in past postings as a compositional element to help draw the viewer into the image and then “lead” them through the shot. Leading lines can be subtle references such as a line of trees or groups of rocks or they can be quite obvious as in this shot. The shot was taken in a very narrow section of the canyon. The sky was so bright overhead that a shot inside the narrow area was impossible. I was still getting some nice bounced and reflected light but needed a different viewpoint. The compositional solution was to get higher and shoot down the slot. This was easier said then done and took me about 20 minutes to shimmy up and locate the tripod. I am really not more than about 6 feet up but the change in camera position viewpoint was significant. From here I could really accentuate the sandstone striations on both walls and allow a convergence of the lines with the path. Normally I like to have my leading lines lead to the main point of the image. Here the leading lines are the main point. The sheer feeling of movement along the layered compression of sandstone is my main subject. The lines draw you in from the bottom of the shot and lead you down the path. But while the lines are the subject I have allowed the viewer a door to get out. The lines all converge on a single, subtle glow of light. The light at the end of the path. The light that draws you forward to something new. Beyond that light are new discoveries to be made.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Mountain Sheep Canyon – Portal

Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900 No Responses »

Aug 132010

Portal, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Reservation. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone. Welcome to today’s post. This image is from Mountain Sheep Canyon on the Navajo Reservation outside of Page, Arizona. A good image has an entrance, a place for the viewer to enter the frame and begin the journey of exploration. I also think images, and this seems to be true of many of my shots, should have a theme which may be as simple as a series of leading lines to more complex repeating patterns. As I look back on this shot I now realize that the striations I was attracted to at first is but a minor theme compared to a more complex series of shapes. The strength lies in the striations which form the leading lines that draw you into the image. But as your eye explores you begin to see the repeating shapes of the sandstone walls and beneath that a series of circular shapes that spiral in towards the dark window. The dark window also has an opposite form in the sandy floor. But there is more. This shot expresses the theme of journey-about traveling from the darkness into the light at the end of the tunnel. This image is a portal to places unexplored. To something just ahead. Slot canyons by their vary nature are about journeys. Linear and sinuous the canyons express the journey of water which cuts them slowly year after year. They represent vertical history built layer by layer and compressed under the weight of pressure and time. I think it is these thoughts which occupy me when I am there. Photography is often about being in the moment and in a slot canyon you have to fight to stay there. They lure you in and beckon you to go farther. As soon as you frame one image another appears and soon you are deep inside following the light ahead. Can anything be better?

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Antelope Canyon – Ghost Beam

Antelope Canyon, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Photoshop Technique, Photoshop Workflow, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900 2 Responses »

Aug 082010

Ghost Beam, Upper Antelope Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1.5 seconds.

Hi everyone. Just back from some needed time off away from photography and the office. I am continuing to work through some of the light beam shots from my last trip and so todays post, entitled Ghost Beam, is a continuation of this work. This image was shot in Upper Antelope Canyon and features one massive beam of light and a more subtle beam just visible in the back chamber on the left. As with all my light beam shots I captured multiple exposures but settled on this image because I liked the wavy ghost like character of the light. In order to resolve a couple of exposure issues typical with these shots the RAW file was processed twice in Lightroom to open up the shadows through an increase in fill and another file to reclaim some of the highlights in the beam and the canyon roof at the top of the image. The two files were blended in PS. I like to open up my shadows in slot canyon shots because it helps to define the forms. Too many shots like this suffer because the shadows are clipped and over power the resulting shot. This of course is a personal preference in the way I process images but I simply want open shadows. I also do not want my highlights clipped but in this type of shot it is inevitable as the hot light is far beyond what the sensor can capture. This is one of the reasons that a shot like this is best composed from a lower angle as it tends to flatten out the hot highlight areas where the beam hits the floor and allows you to capture the upper sections of the canyon where the beam enters the chamber.

The file followed my usual workflow including curve adjustments through luminosity masks, contrast masks, color correction, and dodge and burn and color burn.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Mountain Sheep Canyon – Compressions

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Aug 032010

Compression, Mountain Sheep Slot Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1 second.

Hi everyone. I have been away for a few days and unable to post. So here is a new image from my last shoot in Mountain Sheep Canyon, a little visited open top slot canyon on the Navajo Lands outside of Page, Arizona. An open top slot presents some interesting challenges for photography. The first and foremost is very little sunlight is blocked as it would be in a slot like Antelope Canyon which has much narrower opening at the top. Open top slots are best shot in the early morning or late afternoon where the lower light can bounce from one wall and reflect off the other side. As the sun moves higher the light is more harsh and the bright contrast is more difficult to shoot. In slots like these I find I concentrate on close ups and seek interesting combinations and patterns within the walls.

This shot which I called “Compression” is exactly the kind of light and composition I search for in these types of canyons. By selective framing I removed the sky and brighter parts of the canyon and could concentrate on the glowing yellow wall seen just through the opening. The smooth walls on my left gave way to a wild and wavy series of striations that seemed to press down over me. There are some strong leading lines that allow the eye to move around the composition. In addition there is the play of opposites. Note the darker edge of the main wall against the glowing wall beyond, and the top series of compressions that play against the bottom right. In fact this is a composition that actually plays with your perception of space. Is the right wall in front of the left or vice versa?

The image was processed in Lightroom and finished in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Antelope Canyon – Inner Glow

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Photoshop Technique, Slot Canyon, Sony α900, Upper Antelope Canyon No Responses »

Jul 182010

Inner Glow, Lower Antelope CAnyon. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 0.8 of a second.

Hi everyone. Todays image is called Inner Glow and it was shot in Lower Antelope Canyon. The image was exposed in tungsten white balance which is an effective technique when shooting in varied light conditions where warm light and cool shadows meet. Warmer light bouncing in the upper part of the canyon fails to penetrate into the shadows creating the opportunity for a composition with a complimentary color palette. The camera was placed in the deep shadows and set to 3200K WB. This renders the shadows a cool blue while maintaining most of the warmth in the orange glow. The exposure was processed twice; once the for tungsten balance and a second time with a warmer 5000K balance. The two files were blended in Photoshop by painting through a layer mask.

This is my 100th posting since beginning the blog last year. It has been an amazing journey and I have received many great comments from all my visitors. As I move forward I hope to improve the content and continue to feature images from my many travels. I thank all of you for your continued support of the site.

Bob

Antelope Canyon – Wall of Light

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Photography Trips, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Upper Antelope Canyon, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Jul 152010

Wall of Light, Upper Antelope Canyon. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 50mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 2 seconds.

Hi everyone. I am still working through the selection and processing of images I shot on my recent trip to Arizona. Todays image was shot in the first chamber inside Upper Antelope Canyon. I have been here many times and have never seen these inner walls glow with such intensity. The effect is created by the intense sunlight reflecting on the sandstone walls as it penetrates into the canyon. After the thrill of chasing light beams such a composition may seem tame by comparison. But for me it was a fitting way to end my trip. For a brief moment I just stopped and considered the walls-the sinuous curves, subtle banding of sandstone, and intense light-created by the powerful forces of erosion. In many ways I don’t think so much about the forms inside the canyon as much as I consider what water and time have swept away. For the canyons forms are about the interstitial spaces, positive and negative, that give rise to the play of light and shadow. This place is a living sculpture. Water and sandstone interact as willing partners in a sculptural process. Slowly and surely water chisels away at the rock cutting subtle bands in some walls while rendering others smooth. Water and time made this place. Water and time, like an artist, cut away the rock and each time something is removed something new is revealed. It has been this way for all of time. For the Navajo’s this canyon holds a special power. It does so for me as well.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Bob

Antelope Canyon – Light Beam No. 3

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Upper Antelope Canyon 2 Responses »

Jul 142010

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

Hi everyone. With today’s post, I am continuing with the theme of slot canyon light beams. This image was shot in Upper Antelope Canyon and was apparently not seen by the rest of my shooting companions. We were moving between chambers to set up for the next shot and I was bringing up the rear of the group. As I was waiting to move into the next chamber I turned around and this beam just shot down in a narrow space in the canyon. I quickly opened up my tripod and composed the shot. I could hear the next group behind so I did not have much time. Except for the beam the area was quite dark and I had to quickly determine an exposure before people started to wander into the shot. Based on experience I calculated somewhere between 15 and 20 seconds. I got off two exposures before the scene was interrupted. It was a serendipitus occasion. That beam of light was so intense and to see it literally drop down before my eyes was an amazing experience. The moral of this story is to always look behind you. We all tend to be focused ahead when maybe there are other amazing shots if we just look around. Life is fleeting and like this image it can come and go very quickly. Take time in the rush to look around. We are always moving head to the next great thing when maybe just stopping to be in the moment is what we really need. This was a powerful beam of light and it burned a lasting impression on me. For the rest of that day I just slowed my pace and opened my eyes. Weeks later I am still thinking about this and though hard to practice in the daily pressures of our lives I am slowing down some to just sit for a quiet moment and look at the light.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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