SEPTEMBER 2003 – The sunlight at noon illuminates the red and purple walls inside the Antelope Canyon in Arizona. Photo © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
Outside of Page in Arizona, you will find Antelope Canyon, a so-called ‘slot canyon’ that looks not very spectacular from the outside – if you don’t know what’s behind that (admittedly large) crack in the rocks, you would hardly notice it. When you step in, though, it feels and looks like a cave. What makes it unique is the narrow split (or slot) at the ceiling. (It is clearly visible on Google Maps.)
At the main entrance of the property we had to hire a 4×4 transfer service to get to the actual site with the entrance, i.e. the crack in the rock. A narrow path with reddish walls and sandy floor leads you to the other side of the rock. We were a bit disappointed and wondered what’s so special about this canyon? This question was answered when the noon sunlight enters the canyon through the crack at the top. The canyon presented itself in rich, deep colours now which changed almost by the minute.
I took several photos at Antlope Canyon, and the challenge was to hold the images from hand. They charged for taking a tripod to the site, which we wanted to avoid. So I tried to keep the camera as steady as possible. And I succeeded!
I love this image because it looks almost like a flame or a fire when it is just the brightly illuminated interior of the canyon. The entire spectrum of red and yellow colors is present, contrasting so well with the dark image portions left and right.
Just wow.
Oh, and knowing what kind of images are possible inside the canyon, I’d recommend paying for the tripod any time now! 🙂
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 14-SEP-2003 |
| Location | Antelope Canyon, Arizona |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| ISO | 400 |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Size | 4256 x 6554 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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