Photographing and Avoiding the Crowds in Upper Antelope Canyon
About Antelope Canyon and Page, Arizona
Antelope Canyon is among one of the most beautiful places in the U.S. Southwest. Bright red, yellow, orange, and purple swirls illuminate the walls of the stunning canyon. There are a few parts to Antelope Canyon. There is Lower Antelope Canyon which is more narrow near the base of the canyon and wider at the top. Upper Antelope Canyon, which is narrow near the top and wider at the base, this makes for some awesome light beam opportunities. There is also Antelope Canyon X, which is a great alternative to avoid the crowds, it is a bit of a hybrid between Upper and Lower. Check out my video on Antelope Canyon X for some more information and photographs.
Photos of Antelope Canyon
Booking an Antelope Canyon Tour
Upper Antelope Canyon is the most photographed, and traveled of the different slot canyons in the area. You have to book a tour to visit any of the canyons as they are sacred to the natives of the area. Please be mindful of the place and people if you do visit. Since Upper Antelope is the most popular it can make tours to see the canyon a bit of a Zoo. There are a few options to avoid this. I recommend going in a winter month as there will be a lot less people. I went at the very beginning of March and my tour group had about 8 people which isn’t much in comparison to the summer time groups. Any month in the offseason will have less crowds and better opportunities to get pictures of the canyon walls without people in the way. Another way to avoid crowds is by going early in the morning. People tend to like sleep so morning tours can be better to avoid crowds. I went on a tour at noon and there weren’t too many people. If you are a photographer the light beams come into the canyon between 11-1 on a sunny day, which is why I choose noon. The beams of light are not as common in winter months but I did get to see one on my tour and was really excited about it! The best time of year and day to photograph light beams in Antelope Canyon is around 11am or 1pm in summer months. Although, even without the light beams the canyon is still stunning.
Photographing Antelope Canyon
Photography tours are no longer offered in Upper Antelope Canyon. You can still bring a camera and take stunning photos but since you don’t have the time or canyon to yourself more planning is required.
In terms of photographing the canyon there are a few things to note. First being the type of lens. You can bring more than one but I advise against it as sand can be in the canyon and get into your camera if you change lenses. I recommend a wide-angle lens, I used a prime 18mm and got some really dramatic shots with it. It all depends on you as a photographer though, a longer focal length could capture some really cool textures and light. Wide-Angle is my go to in landscape photography and the way I like to look at the world so that was what I choose to use. Another tip is to set your white balance in advance, I used “shade” as it provided some really nice colors in the canyon walls. For the camera settings I had to have a shutter of around 1/50 since the shots were handheld, I used an aperture ranging from around f/8 to f/11. It is hard to use a larger depth of field because it is really dark in the canyon. You also can’t use a low aperture because everything needs to be in focus. I used a high ISO as well of around 8,000, but I bracketed the shots in order to help reduce noise. Having a camera that performs well in low-light and can quickly take bracketed shots will be very helpful. Don’t forget to look up or behind you either as there are amazing compositions to be found all around.
Overall, I was really happy I went on the tour and got some amazing photographs. I would do it again, maybe with a different lens next time. I recommend going in the winter months to avoid the crowds and still get to go during the peak hours of 11-1 in order to get some awesome light coming into the canyon, given it is a sunny day.
