Slot canyon photography

[whosecameraisforpix]

Looking for some advice - I will be making a trip to Utah in a couple of months, and

am looking forward to shooting in the slot canyons around Page. My current setup

includes a Rebel XT (which has worked well for me), 24-105mm f4, 50mm f1.4,

100mm f2.8 Macro and a 10-22mm wide angle lens. I have read though many

experiences and threads re photography in the slot canyon, and come away with

an impression that there is a very wide variation in lighting from the bright to the

dimly slot canyon canyons. So, my questions to those of you who have been

there are that, if I have to invest long-term in just one more thing to make this a trip

to remember, should it be:

 

1. A camera upgrade? New lens? (I have an old Velbon tripod, that works well for

me).

 

2. How do you assess my setup - is it sufficient? The 50 f1.4 is a new aquisition,

and I am playing with it - how will it perform in a slot canyon setting (I got it to

photograph my toddler and it works well there)?

 

3. Although I'm using the macro lens for macro alone, I've been playing with it as a

100mm and it produces some very sharp images - comments on using it in

outdoors photography?

 

4. Save it for the next model 5D hopefully out later this year?

 

Thanks for your suggestions.

[waltflanagan]

I've been to Antelope Canyon near Page. Be prepared to be jammed next to a bunch of other photographers scrambling around while the light beams are coming through. I went on the photo tour which was 2 hours long so there was plenty of time after the beams were gone. There's an older thread hear about Canyon X. It's much more expensive but far less crowded.

 

Gear wise the tripod is absolutely essential. I mostly used my 12-24 so definitely bring the 10-22. I used the auto bracket feature and took a 5 image bracket to later merge using HDR software.

[sattler123]

The camera won't be a problem and your wide angle should work just fine. What you do need is a sturdy tripod because your exposure times will in the 15-30 sec. range at ISO 100. I would stick with low ISOs to minimze noise. Best time for the slot canyons is typically midday. Your longer lenses will be of limnited (no) use. The slots are very tight and you'll need the widest setting on your 10-22 most often.

[richard_crowe4]

I have found books by Laurent Martres to be very informative and helpful. These books provide in-depth and specific information regarding photography of the Slot Canyons and other interesting photographic opportunities in Arizona and new Mexico.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=node%3D1000%2C1%2C2020&field-keywords=martres&x=13&y=14

[adzy]

Coupel of things-

 

1. if you camera has a mirror lock up feature, remember to use that.

2. If your tripod allows it, hang your camera bag for added stability

3. I have seen only a couple of images with HDR. If lighting situation is such that you have high contrat (bright and shadow areas), consider exposure bracketing and merging them for HDR.

4. I remember reading this tip somehwere. If you throw up a handful of sand into the light shafts, they will show up better.

 

Enjoy and share your photos with us!

[waltflanagan]

Take some plastic bags (or shower caps) because there is sand everywhere. All of the tour guides were constantly throwing sand in the air.

[bill_morrow1]

Living in Flagstaff I was about to toss in some ideas, but the previous posts said about everything I could and then some. I will add this.

Be aware of the weather. Several deaths occurred a couple of years ago from a flash flood. Avoid the "monsoon" season--usually after July 4th. Also Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam are interesting subjects.

If you take the dam tour, tripod, flash and polarizer. They have bulletproof glass now between viewing areas and generators. Flash obviously won't work, but the polarizer can null out the glare of the glass. Enjoy.

[steve_levine]

Shots of Antelope Canyon and other SW places, taken with a 2MP P&S camera.

 

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=113770

[william_bean]

Been to Antelope Canyon several times. Given a choice I prefer Lower Antelope to Upper Antelope because it's not nearly so crowded and you don't need a guide to drive you 3 miles up the sandy wash to the entrance.

If at all possible, avoid changing lenses while in the canyon. It's impossible to NOT get dust on your sensor. The suggestion about plastic bags for your gear is a good one. Your 10-22 should be more than adequate. The tripod is critical because of long exposures.

 

Most importantly: If it's raining anywhere within 30 miles STAY OUT of the slot. We don't want to read about you getting fished out of Lake Powell.

[rick_wong]

What you have equipment wise will work for this trip. But your weak link in your kit is your tripod. check out the link below on what to look for in a tripod.

 

http://www.bythom.com/support.htm

 

Rick

[Two23]

Another vote for tripod/head. Many photographers don't seem to realize how critical this is. (Until they've actually used a pro quality one, anyway.) Mine cost more than my camera, and I do think I was wise to prioritize things that way,.

 

 

Kent in SD

[david_wu6]

A strong tripod is a must. I used 190XPROB + RS488 for 5D Kit. Some HDR resutlts (exposures were about 0.2 - 2 min) show some slight misoverlapping.

[whosecameraisforpix]

Thanks friends for some excellent advice. I think the time has come to retire my tripod,

and will begin the search for a new one.

[jdrose]

Rushing water. Yes it does and will happen again. The guides in Upper Antelope are pretty aware of the weather anymore. In lower Antelope you are on your own. Antelope canyon drains a huge area called Kaibeto Plateau. Be especially aware of the weather over that plateau. Keep in mind that monsoon days normally start clear and the clouds build up through the day. A clear morning is no guarantee of safety.

 

I want to mention light as well. The best light is on a clear day around the Summer Solstice.The beams are quite impressive. If it is sunny on June 21st you have hit it perfect.

 

As far as hardware...I think that is up to the photographer. I personally use a Mamiya RZ67 and chrome for landscapes. Questions about Antelope Canyon get asked about once a month. Be sure and study the archives...you will find some nifty tips.

 

Enjoy...be safe..

[laurentbaig]

It can't be mentioned too many times - good tripod. Equally as important is a good head. I'd recommend a ball head, last thing you want to mess with is three controls to get your camera in position. The only other thing I'd recommend is a cable release. You'll mostly use wide to normal focal lengths in the slots, so I'd leave the dead weight in the car. Cheers and good luck.

[gregr]

There is another canyon in the same area- more expensive but very worth it in my opinion:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00PERN

[ken_yee]

I had a post on my day trip to Page w/ a bunch of tips but it seems to have scrolled off :-P

 

A pan/tilt head is too slow to set up. Fire off a shot to check your framing (you wouldn't believe how many times I messed that up) before doing your HDR bracketing. Remember to use mirror lockup and an IR remote if possible to avoid getting dust in your camera. Do *not* change lenses...I used my 17-70 and shot postly wide angle, so your wide angle should be fine. Shoot f11 or f13. F8 isn't enough so you'll get some blur on parts of the canyon.

Avoid the evil Bogen fliplocks that clip you (I think the newer ones are fixed but check to be sure).

And yes, 30sec to 1.5min exposures are typical in upper. In lower, there's enough light at times so you don't need a tripod but since you're carrying it...

[greg_campbell1]

Your camera and lenses are fine. (I still don't understand all the performance anxiety people suffer!) As mentioned, you'll want/need a sturdy tripod and easy-to-use head.

 

Do buy/improvise a flare reducing lens hood, particularly for the wider lenses. I've been burned several times when low-level flare from a ribbon of brightly lit sky above accumulates during long exposures and spoils the picture.

 

Tripod legs should be capable of raising to ~90 degrees relative to the central stem. Many canyons are inches wide at ground level and you won't have room to fully deploy all three legs. You might have only one or two on the ground, with the other leg(s) shortened and braced against the canyon wall.

 

IMO, a ball head is preferable to any tilt-pan. The tripod will often be jammed in some crazy, non-vertical position - a ball head will make it significantly easier to level the camera.

 

"Slot Canyon" does NOT equal "Antelope Canyon!"

There are DOZENS of picturesque slots in the Page/Escalente area.

Google for Canyon X, Spooky Gulch, Egypt3, Peek-a-boo, Leprechaun, Willis Creek, Round Valley Draw, Water Holes Canyon, Buckskin Gulch, Zebra, Cottonwood Narrows, Bull Valley Gorge, Tunnel, Llewellyn Gulch, Pariah, Wire Pass, and more. All of these are located within a mile or two of a road, and all have at least some sections that are traversable without technical climbing skills. While none off these may be quite as spectacular as the best Antelope sections, ALL have their own unique beauty and will make for excellent photographic subjects.

 

Dont't enter any of the above if you're the type to have a coniption over a little chipped paint. Slots are tight, the walls are rock, and you WILL manage to put some minor dings and scrapes on your gear. Here's what you can expect in the tighter areas of many slots.

This chap is climbing UP Peek-a-boo for a minute or so, then, around 1:15, starts descending from the upper reaches of Spooky. (There is a ~1 mile trail linking the heads of the two.)

 

Travel light, with one or maybe two lenses, body, and tripod. Anything more will rapidly become a PITA, even in a fairly wide slot, because you'll often be climbing over small boulders and up/down small falls within the canyon.

 

Even without a native guide tossing sand in the air (as at Antelope), slots are sandy, dusty places. Plan accordingly. I made the mistake of pushing my tripod through the sand ahead of me in a particularly narrow section of Spooky, and managed to jam up the telescoping legs quite nicely. (My beer gut would not fit at it's natural level, and I was forced to crawl through the short constriction on my belly, where the slot was half a foot wider.)

 

If interested, I can send you some Google Earth placemarks locating these and other slots in the area.

 

-Greg

[gary_anthes]

I'd like to echo Greg's advice to seek out slot canyons other than Antelope. While they typically are not as colorful as Antelope, you can make them anything you want in Photoshop. Just kidding. There are two cool thing about these other canyons: 1. They are uncrowded. On any given day you may be the only person in the canyon. 2. They are all different. You might even find some scene or perspective that has not been photographed before. You won't find that in Antelope. My personal favorite is the narrows of Dry Branch of Coyote Gulch, at nearly the same spot that you access Peek-a-Boo. It's wide enough for people, like me, with claustrophobia, and for people with beer guts. See below.<div></div>

[whosecameraisforpix]

Thank to all for your wonderful suggestions. We completed our trip to Utah last week, and I was able to capture some decent pictures. Have posted one already, and more soon.

[greg_campbell1]

Nice photos RS