A Journey Into The Earth

I think most people, when they think of Arizona, picture vast deserts with searing heat and cacti as far as the eye can see. And, while I did experience this, I also discovered that Arizona is an amazingly diverse state with snow capped mountains and canyons dug deep into the earth by the Colorado River.

I first chose to photograph Arizona because of Antelope Canyon -- an amazing labyrinth of sandstone caverns. Over thousands of years, water has carved smooth, flowing walls that are, in places, very deep underground. (See more about this further down the page.)

However, I discovered that not far from the town of Page, south of Lake Powell, the Colorado River forged giant winding canyons on its way to the Grand Canyon. One very photogenic area along this journey is a place known as "Horseshoe Bend," aptly named for the nearly 360 degree bend it makes. After visiting this location I'm convinced that no photograph could ever convey the shear depth, size and beauty of this amazing place. The edge of the canyon is a straight drop hundreds of feet to the bottom and the wind whips across the landscape, pelting you with fine grains of sand that enter every opening it can find.

I struggled with how to best compose this shot of Horshoe Bend. I wanted to show the entire bend of the river, but in order to do so I found I would have to take the photo from the very edge of the canyon. After a few test shots I quickly discovered that I was going to have to get creative if I wanted this shot. I decided to fully extend my tripod, hooked up my shutter release cable, laid the tripod on the ground, laid down on my stomach and shimmied the tripod out over the canyon wall. There I was, spread eagle on the very edge of a cliff with a hundred foot drop below me, the wind gusting and sand blasting my face. Let's just say this was one of the most difficult, and dangerous, photographs I've ever taken.

Update:

Here is a shot a fellow photographer took of me at Horseshoe Bend.

My original destination, Antelope Canyon, is an amazing show of nature. Just to the east of Page, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation, are Lower and Upper Antelope Canyon. Upper Antelope is highly commercialized and I got the sense it is a good revenue opportunity for the Navajo people in that region.

To get started right, I chose a local operator, Chief Tsosie, as my guide. I found Upper Antelope to be very difficult to photograph due to the large tours that travel through the caverns. It is also a difficult location to shoot given the low light and varying range of light in some areas.

I found Lower Antelope Canyon to be far more diverse, less people and much more interesting of an adventure. It's much more narrow than the Upper Canyon, with some places being so narrow that it was just wide enough for a person to squeeze through. It also drops much deeper into the earth. Many places have ladders, otherwise they would be impassable. If you decide to hike the lower canyon, be sure to climb the long stairs at the very end to see where the water exits. It's an amazing drop and the perspective from the top is interesting.

After two days in Page, I drove south by the Grand Canyon, through Sedona, for a day (another amazing place), on my way to Phoenix for my return flight. I was amazed at how the landscape changed from desert to forest and back again.

I know I only saw a small sample of Arizona and plan to return for a much longer exploration.