How do I shoot Slot Canyons?

[taugust]

I have photographed in Antelope Canyon twice. Both times with film. One was a success, one was not. While the conventional suggestions say to photograph midday, I disagree. Both times were summer, late in the day. If you want to catch the light hitting the floor of the canyon, go midday. If you want the diffused, soft lit walls, go early or late and avoid the harsh highlights that midday gives. The first time I went was early 90's when you didn't need a guide, just a permit. I explored on my own. The second time was in late 90's and was lucky to find a guide late in the day at the last minute.

Work on your composition, use a tripod and a fairly long exposure (due to the low light) and avoid framing with a hot spot in the image. I used the in-camera meter and shifted to longer exposure. I have never had a problem with reciprocity failure. Never accounted for it. The second time I went, I had a super wide 17-35 mm zoom that was just too wide. These images were taken in the 35-50 mm range. Study the images you like, then go shoot. With digital, you have the advantage of seeing immediately if your shot worked or not, and making corrections to improve on the spot. I had to wait till I got home to discover that virtually all my images from the second trip were worthless. I shot these two images on 35 mm film and have framed 16x20 prints hanging in my living room.

 

[nwoods]

Personally I think that you, NWOODS, need to practice and find your own photographic vision. All those reference images have been done before, do something that hasn't, create your own visual language and you will feel much more fulfilled.

Sinuhe (sin-Way?), those are some great images. I am surprised by the relatively low ISO and wide open aperature. I would never have guessed those images were shot at F2.8. Were you shooting around 50mm or so as suggested by taugust? I'm guessing with a Canon 24~70mm f/2.8L?

I value your advice at "finding my own voice". I will endeavor to do so, though practice will be a challenge, as this will be my first time when I am there. I have recently purchased a decent Manfrotto tripod and head, so I will experiment with that as much as possible prior to my trip, as I don't have much tripod experience as of yet.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I will be sure to post my results in early April.

Regards

Nathan Woods