The Crack And The Corkscrew

With a heavy heart, Leon lifted his camera and captured he-knew-not-what, but at that point in time it didn't matter. With battle-weary eyes and cheeks raw with invisible tears, his heart could only half-appreciate the timeworn, vibrant canyons that sat before him like one of Earth's most exquisite treasures. He felt like a peasant at a king's banquet: unable to partake except with his eyes. Then the sun moved.

Sandstone carved by water running into Lake Powell, otherwise known as Flashflood Art

Navajo guided special photography tour of Antelope Canyon X. There are two distinct areas of Antelope Canyon: Upper (the Crack), and Lower (the Corkscrew.) This is a small group of photographers with backpacks and tripods photographing in every possible direction of light and shadow, primarily between 11:30am -1:30pm, when the delicate ribbons of light are at their peak.

f/4.5 1/50 sec 25mm ISO 200 w/tripod and cable release

Capturing images while learning from Navajo guide on left.

We learned where some of the best shot locations were from our experienced guide.

Airlight is a noun: light scattered or diffused in the air by dust or haze, usually much more noticeable in the post process.

Weeping sandstone

If one could illustrate the passage of time in photographs, I believe it would be somewhere in the slot canyons of Arizona. No one knows exactly how long it took to form these canyons, and they will continue changing over time. f/5.6 1/40 sec 60mm ISO 400 w/tripod and cable release

If the walls could talk.

In courtesy, photographers wait until longer exposures are complete before walking around the next bend. Note: In Lightroom, a universal adjustment increasing blue hues will you get warmer warms and purple insinuations from the sandstone. f/4.0 1/13 sec 20mm ISO 400 w/tripod and cable release

Vertical beauty with increased flow lines. f/5.6 1/40 sec 50mm ISO 400 w/tripod and cable release

A delicate, almost-imperceptible strand of light filtered down through the canyon's opening. And suddenly the canyons were no longer just canyons. They were many things throughout their existence: places of refuge, sights held sacred, a canvas the Almighty had carved, tourist attractions and places longed for by those far away. He lifted his camera again, and this time, his heart was not divided. In that moment, the unspeakable wonder had his full attention. Today, for Leon, it was a place of healing.