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I am going to visit Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona in a couple of weeks. It'll be my first visit. As I am going with the family, I don't think I'll be able to take the photographers' 2-hr tour, but the standard one instead. Has anyone gone recently? I hear the crowds are pretty big. I've been reading up on settings to take photos there, but would like some first hand experience if it's available here. Thanks in advance, erno. Posting some of your pix and tips are most welcome.
An amazing place!... Not only the canyons but the whole region with the river, the colours of Lake Powell..... And I was lucky enough to be near Page for some hot air balloons! For the Canyon itself I used a 5D with 16 - 35, iso200 and manual focus. Self timed shutter release and exposures. I perched the camera on a small virtually disposble tripod extended such that the camera was about 2ft off the ground. Compared to others with huge tripods and hasselblad cameras and digital backs I didn't take up much room and could set up in out of the way places so to speak. I was on the 2 hour photographers tour and my approach was to wait for clear moments and usually others were reasonably accomodating. My time there though was late october so no beams and not so many people. People moving through on long exposures can add to the etherealfeel in the final image. Exposure range can be a bit of a challenge, if you see the sun (or sun stars) you will have dynamic range problems. I didn't lens change and although dusty, I didn't have a problem and the shots I had always hoped for. People using flash didn't help matters..... Gotta go back and see some of the lesser known ones! Enjoy the moment.
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Originally Posted by erno james
I do not much about Antelope Canyon, but since you are going to be in the area, take a look at Horseshoe Bend. It is located just minutes south of Page, and theview is magnificent. I recommend to visit the place in the morning or afternoon.
During my trip to Arizona, all I basically used was 5dII,24-105 (80%), 17-40, CPL and a tripod.
And one more reminder:carry some kind of ID with you at all times [;)]
Have fun!
Thanks. I will most definitely check out Horseshoe Bend.
From a quick flickr search I found that the most successful pictures were taken with rather long exposures ranging from 1/5 sec to 5 seconds. This will make the dust in the air blur into morevisiblestreams of light. A good tripod will be your friend and since your taking the shorter tour then weight won't be your largest concern. Try bracketing your exposures not only for HDR but to make sure your getting the right exposure (sometimes its hard to tell even with a good screen and histogram).
From one perspective people in your shot would be viewed as a flaw but try going the other direction with this one and using them to your advantage. Intentionally place people in your shot to communicate a sense of size of the canyon. Another way to create your own perspective in a cliche place is to add props. Anything from candles, to fabric, flags, baloons, really anything to make your work stand out from the rest and not 'just another antelope valley shot'. I might even try a flash on stroboscopic mode (repeating flash).
Good luck!