Robert H Clark Photography Blog

Cathedral Wash – Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Az

Arizona, Cathedral Wash, Colorado Plateau, Glen Canyon, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Moab Paper, Photography Composition, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography 2 Responses »

Mar 032012

Cathedral Wash • Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Az.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today I am leaving the interior of the Lonaconing Silk Plant and returning to a different kind of interior shot. This image was taken in Cathedral Wash, a beautiful open-top slot canyon that empties into the Colorado River near Lee’s Ferry. I made the hike in with Tony Kuyper and was treated too an other-wordly landscape cut by the powerful forces of water and erosion. Though the hike begins rather benignly it soon drops through a series of cuts that require navigation and down climbing along protruding shelves of layered stone. The surrounding walls are steep and tower over the canyon. Inside, reflected light bounces off the canyon walls creating a subtle glow to the orange rock. The scale is immense and even with this image it is hard to imagine that if you stepped into the deepest cut your head would not even come up to the first line in the stone. That cut through the lower stone is over 10 feet deep.

The best time to shoot is in the mid morning to early afternoon with clear, blue skies. We started the hike around 10:00 am and finished up by 2:30 or 3:00 pm. The light can be challenging and the trick is to learn to see the subtle reflected glow to form your compositions. In most cases brackets are necessary. This image is a composite of three exposures blended in Photoshop. Extensive dodging and burning was performed to bring the color and contrast tonality of the image together. Though a challenging place to shoot it remains, for me, one of the best hikes you can take at Glen Canyon.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Fins at Water Holes Canyon – Navajo Lands, Arizona

Arizona, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Photography Trips, Robert H Clark Photography, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, sunset, Twilight Photography, Water Holes CAnyon, Wide Angle Photography 8 Responses »

Feb 202012

Wave Formation at Water Holes Canyon • Navajo Lands, Arizona

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am back from my recent trip to Arizona which included photography at the Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon, and some special areas on Navajo Lands with Tony Kuyper. I have so many images to go through that it will take quite a while to go through them and make selections for processing. As a teaser today’s post is from an area on Navajo Lands just outside of Page, Arizona. The shot was made in the vicinity of Water Holes Canyon. Water Holes is a slot canyon but the surrounding area is a fascinating landscape of sculpted sandstone, many that resemble waves. This wave-like formation was shot just as the setting sun hit the horizon giving me a nice soft light to accentuate the layered edges of the sandstone.

Technical: The image was shot in two exposures, one for the sky and one for the foreground, and hand blended in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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

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

Mountain Sheep Canyon – Navajo Lands

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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

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

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.

Fracture – Antelope Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona

Adobe Lightroom, Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900 No Responses »

Jan 222011

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

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am heading out for a week and wanted to get a new image up before I took off. Though the title says the shot is from Antelope Canyon, it is actually a shot in a small, open-top slot, called Mountain Sheep Canyon. It is within a few miles of Upper Antelope Canyon and is available to photographers through my friend and guide Carol Bigthumb of Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours. It is a short canyon but it is full of beautiful details and amazing contortions wrought by the forces of wind and water. This image illustrates how water actually carves out the canyons during flash floods. As water runs through the canyons it can get trapped in small recesses and begins to swirl. As it does so the water carves away at the stone and the recesses become larger and more undercut. As the water rushes through it can rip away and fracture the stone as well as polish the surface revealing beautiful striations. Depending on the time of day the light in the canyons is amazing. The glow on the right wall is the result of bounced, or reflected, light off the wall just behind the cameras position. This is the kind of light I search for and I love to create compositions that juxtapose this light with shadowed areas. In most instances shooting in an open-top slot requires more diligent composition as the light can be more harsh. If you can get in the early morning or late afternoon the light can be softer.

The image was processed in Lightroom and finished in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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

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