Going against the grain

Life is full of twists and turns and sometimes there is light and sometimes we are in the shadows. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from truly seeing things as they are and not as we wish them to be. Listen to the voice of the spirit and live with no regrets.

Seeing all around

Although I do a lot of 360 degree panoramas for Google Earth, I sometimes take 360s without the 180 degree element. This gives a very narrow and long picture that is decidedly strange. Like many other pictures I put here on this Blog, you have to click on the photo to get a larger, more easily seen, view of the photo. There are a number of Apps for the iPhone that will produce almost flawless 360 degree panoramas or you can do the same thing with some camera's utility programs. They do take a lot of storage room on a hard drive however.

Walking towards the light

There are really two completely different sections of Antelope Canyon, the Upper Canyon and the Lower Canyon. Antelope Canyon is entirely on the Navajo Nation (Reservation). Interestingly, it is only about a five minute drive from Page, Arizona. Both canyons are operated through concessionaires from the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation and each has its own family/company. Access to both canyons is strictly controlled and subject to a substantial tour/daily use fee. There are several companies in Page that also have tours of both sections of Antelope Canyon as well as other slot canyons in the area. There is a two hour limit per visit to Upper Antelope Canyon. Commercial photography within the Navajo Nation is highly regulated and subject to a use permit. After all that is said, you should be aware that the tours are well worth the charge.

This picture was taken in Upper Antelope Canyon.

Are the colors real?

Whenever I see a photo from the canyons of Arizona and Utah, I always have to ask myself if the colors are real. How much of what we see is Photoshop and how much is reality? I can say one thing with certainty. The camera can never capture the full spectrum of the experience of seeing these places in person. I have noticed that my own eyes, right to left, see color differently. If I look out of one eye at a time and then switch eyes, not only do I get a change in perspective, I also get a marked change in color. So what is the real color of the scene? If you were standing in Antelope Canyon and taking this picture, would you see what is represented above? No. The camera does not record the same light/shadow/color combination that you would see in your eyes. Part of being a photographer is to recognize the potential of the scene and begin to see what can result from taking the picture, not what is there before your eyes.

Masked Faces in Stone

The more I look at this picture, the more faces I see. I can't decide if this confined space, the heart of light, is more bizarre than the open desert. The name "Antelope Canyon" loses all of the mystery and allure of the place and gives no image in return. I could move one foot in any direction and this picture would disappear and another would take its place. There is no other place, except the slot canyons where this is possible. If I were on a mountain top I would only have a wider view, not a more interesting one.

The Heart of Light

Photography is painting with light. This is the heart of light. There are few places on earth where you can really see light as a tangible substance that you can use like paint on a canvas. This is one of those places.

The heart of the agave

Most people classify all sorts of desert plants under the category of "cactus." There is a tendency to equate spines and stickers with cactus. But many of the common desert plants like this agave or Century Plant, are not cactus at all. The cacti are a mostly easily identifiable plant, the spines on cactus are surrounded by areoles, usually light to dark colored bumps out of which grow the spines. No other plants have these structures. This is not a cactus.