I had a chance to visit Antelope Canyon, just outside Page, Arizona in August 2012.  This is a place that I have wanted to photograph for a long time.  I've been through Page a few times over the last 20 years but never had a chance to stop and take this tour.  Twenty years or more ago this was a much less known and visited site.  But like many places, it got "discovered" and has become one of the Southwest's most visited tourist destinations.  Literally thousands of people go through the canyons now on any given summer day. 

There are two canyons, Upper and Lower.  The Upper is much more well known and visited.  One of the reasons for that is the many photographs that have been taken there and people have seen them and wanted to visit it themselves.  Most people have probably seen the iconic photo of the shaft of light coming down from the top of the canyon like a spotlight cutting through the open space and shining on the floor of the canyon.

It's hard for a photographer to get much time to setup and take their shots in the canyon because there is a steady stream of visitors coming through non-stop who will always be in the middle of some scene the photographer wants to take.  

On the other hand, there is the Lower Canyon, which is only about 1 mile or so from the Upper canyon. This site, while it certainly also has its share of visitors, has a much smaller percentage of them. Additionally, and maybe most importantly for photographers, the Lower Canyon allows you to purchase a "Photographers Pass" which gives you 2 hours of un-escorted time to spend taking all the photos you like, while the escorted groups come through about every 20 minutes.  So you have time after the groups go by to setup and take some shots with no one there.  The only stipulation is that you must have a tripod to be able to purchase the Photographers Pass.  This requirement is strictly enforced.

I have created a slide show of my walk through the Lower canyon which is available by clicking on this photo.

Walk Through Lower Antelope CanyonI had a chance to visit Antelope Canyon, just outside Page, Arizona in August 2012. This is a place that I have wanted to photograph for a long time. I've been through Page a few times over the last 20 years but never had a chance to stop and take this tour. Twenty years or more ago this was a much less known and visited site. But like many places, it got "discovered" and has become one of the Southwest's most visited tourist destinations. Literally thousands of people go through the canyons now on any given summer day.

There are two canyons, Upper and Lower. The Upper is much more well known and visited. One of the reasons for that is the many photographs that have been taken there and people have seen them and wanted to visit it themselves. Most people have probably seen the iconic photo of the shaft of light coming down from the top of the canyon like a spotlight cutting through the open space and shining on the floor of the canyon.

It's hard for a photographer to get much time to setup and take their shots in the canyon because there is a steady stream of visitors coming through non-stop who will always be in the middle of some scene the photographer wants to take.

On the other hand, there is the Lower Canyon, which is only about 1 mile or so from the Upper canyon. This site, while it certainly also has its share of visitors, has a much smaller percentage of them. Additionally, and maybe most importantly for photographers, the Lower Canyon allows you to purchase a "Photographers Pass" which gives you 2 hours of un-escorted time to spend taking all the photos you like, while the escorted groups come through about every 20 minutes. So you have time after the groups go by to setup and take some shots with no one there. The only stipulation is that you must have a tripod to be able to purchase the Photographers Pass. This requirement is strictly enforced.