Antelope Canyon: the most photogenic place in the world
Did you know the highest price ever paid for a photography? It's around $6.5 million, which makes Antelope Canyon, the subject of this photo, the most photogenic place in the world! This dizzying sum was paid to Australian photographer Peter Lik in 2014 for a black and white shot of a beam of light hitting a puff of sand inside the folds of Upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona.
Light and sand are the protagonists, in this wonderful place: it is a slot canyon, a rocky gorge carved by the action of water, flowing from one reservoir to another, making its way, over the centuries, through the stone. The way this canyon was formed has generated a sinuous sequence of folds that runs through this small rocky massif. The canyon is very narrow, sometimes leaving only the space to pass one by one, and the sky peeps out from above between the wrinkles of the ground, barely visible.
Very little light enters, enough to illuminate the moldings of the stone, now barely touching the rock highlighting the ripples of the surface, now reflecting on the sand that covers the ground, now entering violently with sharp beams of light that hit the walls. The sand that lifts up as people pass, makes volutes under the light, like those captured by Lik. The rock seems to change colour, depending on how the sun hits it, painting it in shades from purple, to red, to ochre.
The dynamism created by the curves of the rock makes the canyon seem alive around you. The light enters only for a few minutes a day, when the sun is at its zenith, only in some seasons. When the brief moment passes, the luminous blades of light dissolve again in the twilight.
One of my favorite places in the United States. The most impressive canyon we have visited. The Antelope is divided into two sections, the Upper and Lower Canyon, at distant locations. Both have similar karst features. The Lower is wider, and more suitable for trekking, with equipped trails that climb its walls. The Upper is more impressive from a photographic and light phenomena point of view.
Both are part of a Navajo reserve, and therefore do not belong to the National Parks circuit. It means that access is subject to a fee and you have to take part in guided tours to access them. The Navajo Association organizes official tours. There are traditional guided tours, in larger and certainly cheaper groups.
We have taken part in a photographic tour, specifically to observe the canyon at the only time on the day when the sun enters the gorge. The tour is thus limited to a maximum of 7-8 people, and the guide ensures that, even if other groups are present inside for the conventional tour, they are confined in order to have undisturbed shots.
The use of the tripods is thus allowed, the most suggestive views are suggested by the guide and time is left in each "room" for the right shots.In addition to allowing you to take beautiful pictures, this kind of tour also breaks down the presence of the crowd in the canyon and makes it possible to experience this place in a more mystical atmosphere.
COST
$114 per person for the photo tour. About $60 for the classic tour (typically sold out from many months before)
WHERE TO BOOK
At the time of our booking, there was a table on the site with the times and type of tour available, as well as the associated price. You could directly book.
The Official Website has been updated, and the booking is now made on request by email.
SMART TIP
For the right photos, the most suitable lens is a wide angle lens. The canyon is very narrow, and a zoom lens would not allow you to capture the views in their entirety. We used a 14-24mm.
Inside the canyon there is a lot of sand. Choose only one lens and avoid changing it during the visit, so that there is no dust inside the camera body.
GOOD TO KNOW
Photographic sets for portraits of people are not allowed, and the purpose is only to take landscape photos, without monopolizing the scene.
This content is NOT SPONSORED, but based on my genuine personal experience. Spontaneous opinions, positive and negative, shareable or not, that I hope will help to live better travel experiences. My advice is a guide to lead you through world explorations, but the real journey, you build it!
