A few question about Antelope Canyon, AZ

I found Roger Ekis Antelope Canyon photo tour when I was doing some

research about this park. Has anyone used his service before? How

was it? Is it the official tour?

 

http://www.antelopecanyon.com/

 

I notice the extended photo tour cost me $35.00. That's quite

expensive compared to another family tour that cost around $12.50.

Any comments?

 

I plan going to Upper canyon in the morning and Lower canyon in the

afternoon. What do you think of this schedule? Any

comments/suggestions are appreciated. thanks

You're really better off choosing one or the other. Don't try to do both in the same day, because the light will be lousy at one or both. The tours are about the same as far as prices, for photography. You can't hope to take any decent pictures with the regular tour because it's too short.

 

Upper is RIDICULOUSLY crowded, to the point that I don't go there any more. You can't get any decent pictures because there are so many people running around with tripods trying to get the same shots.

 

Lower still remains relatively less crowded, there are probably fewer places to shoot in lower, but you can spend an hour or two down there without getting in anyone's way or vice versa.

 

This shot is best taken at around 11:30 in July,<div></div>

I've photographed in Upper twice- May 2000 and October 2001.

On both occasions it was busy but not so crowded that I couldn't

function. In fact my biggest concerns were things like sand

falling down onto my gear, where to change film and depth of

field. Now clearly I can't tell you that it's never to busy to

photograph properly- only that it hasn't been my experience. On

both occasions I used Roger Ekis tours- don't know why really

since all they really did was take me in and bring me out again -

probably just to avoid any issues about finding it , car parking,

getting to the Canyon itself, which isn't roadside, and making

sure that someone else handles any debates with the

gatekeepers.

 

The point about needing to be there a while is right. If you're

careful with compositions and exposures - and you need to be -

photography here isn't a fast process .

 

From what I've read the rules seem to change about whether

you're allowed to stay in the Canyon unsupervised and for how

long. You should read posts here carefully and speak to one of

the tour companies. I think the days of being taken there, then

left to your own devices for several hours may have gone as far

as Upper is concerned.

 

I also wouldn't recommend doing both in a day . The light in

Upper tends to be best about the middl of the day, when the

reflected light reaches furthest down inside the Canyon, and that

messes up Lower the same day.

Edward,

 

I would politely disagree with Michael and David. I've led tours to Lower Antelope first thing in the morning and then gone over to upper around 10:30 or 11:00 until 1:30 and then back to Lower again for the rest of the day.

 

Part of your admission fee covers both sides. If you go to Lower Antelope first, walk to the bottom end and work your way back up. The slots are narrower at the bottom making for warmer reflected light.

 

Several downsides about going to upper at 10:30. You would miss the shaft of light in the Window at Lower that Michael posted, great shot by the way. You only get that opportunity a few days a year.

 

Secondly, and most critical, Lower Antelope is in a hole. And although great precautions have been taken to prevent accidents, the liklihood of flash floods exist this time of year, especially, but not necessarily, in the afternoon. Pay attention to weather forecasts for the southwest, and not just the Page area.

 

Good luck<div></div>

Nice pics you posted here guys. Thank you for all comments and suggestion. Due to time constraint I have no choice but to take both of them same day. I probably do Upper-Lower-Upper combination. Well I don't know yet but thanks for all the info. I appreciate it.

Is there a time of the year when Antelope is less crowded? I was thinking January or February. During the winter months, with the sun being lower in the sky, is it possible to get any decent shots?

The reason it costs more to get into Upper Antelope is because the Native Americans have raised their price if you are a photographer. That means the photo tour companies have to up theirs too. Gail Gaylor?s tour company told me this in March 2003. You get a three hour tour. Two hours in the canyon and one hour round trip drive. Lower Antelope you pay $19 for two hours, what I was told, and walk in by yourself.

 

Robert Hitchman told me the best time to photograph the Antelope slot canyons is around the last week of April the first week of May. The best time of day is between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

 

I?ve to Upper three times in late March. Unfortunately, two of the days had high overcast. My first was a sunny day but it was pretty windy, I felt I could grow potatoes in my ears. Shot one roll of film because I was afraid to open my camera to load a 2nd roll.

 

I went to Lower Antelope one day the first week of April 2003 and another day the first week of November also 2003. Both times we went in around 10:30 and spent over two hours in the spring and somewhat less time in the autumn. Both times there was no wind and no crowds. There was great light in the spring. In November the started somewhat cloudy and then it became cloudier as the morning progressed.

 

In January and February the sun probably won?t be high enough in the sky to give good light all the way down into the canyons. You can still zoom higher up the walls and great images. During the summer months there is always the danger of flash floods. In August it seems to rain everyday in the southwest.

<p>Hello, I wanted to find out how your trip was?<br>

I am planning to go to Phoenix for one day and was wondering if The Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe, Bend, The Wave, etc can be seen in one day? Would you be able to tell me what my options are? Thanks so much</p>