Lower Antelope Canyon Poster

Lower Antelope Canyon, on Navajo land near Page, Arizona. The colors inside the canyon change constantly as the sun moves. All of these pictures were taken with natural light, no filters, no trick photography. Sheer awesome beauty! This is taken from the canyon floor, looking up to the sky. This image is just one of 9 in a series of Lower Antelope Canyon. To see the others, please visit the home page of my Gallery. Antelope Canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack; and Lower Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew. Antelope Canyon was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone, primarily due to flash flooding and secondarily due to other Sub-aerial processes. Rainwater, especially during monsoon season, runs into the extensive basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand as it rushes into the narrow passageways. Over time the passageways are eroded away, making the corridors deeper and smoothing hard edges in such a way as to form characteristic 'flowing' shapes in the rock. Flooding in the canyon still occurs. A flood occurred on October 30, 2006 that lasted 36 hours, and led to the Tribal Park Authorities closing Lower Antelope Canyon for 5 months. Antelope Canyon is a popular location for photographers and sightseers, and a source of tourism business for the Navajo Nation. It has been accessible by permit only since 1997, when the Navajo Tribe made it a Navajo Tribal Park. Photography within the canyons is difficult due to the wide exposure range (often 10 EV or more) made by light reflecting off the canyon walls. This is a draw for photographers who want to hone their skills in a challenging environment, but a bane to casual snapshooters lacking the knowledge (and to a lesser extent, the equipment) necessary to obtain pleasing results.