Labyrinths of Light
Taking Photos in a Slot Canyon
 Story
and photos by Cheyenne Rouse
Action/adventure photographer
There are rare jewels hidden throughout northern Arizona and
southern Utah called slot canyons. To my knowledge this beautiful and sacred
phenomenon occurs in very few other places on earth. These meandering labyrinths
of light scream to be photo-graphed — the trick is how to capture them as you
see them.
Slot canyons are challenging to photograph since they are
usually very dim, dark places with occasional beams of light that shine down in
laser-like rays. Film does not see, as much as we would like it to, the same
way our eyes see. It sees mid-tones, and the canyons are painted with a palette
of very bright and very dark tones; this is what makes it tricky to get a good
exposure with the wide variation of tones.
My first trip to photograph a slot canyon was several years
ago, but one I will not soon forget. It was magical and sacred to me. I had
seen an image in a magazine showing one of these things. At the time I did not
know what they were called, I just knew that I had to find this location and
photograph it for myself. So the detective work began. I asked around and
showed the picture I had pulled from the magazine and I got a few leads. Then
Bingo, I saw another photo with a caption that read, “Somewhere outside of
Page, Arizona.” I figured the hard part was over all I had to do was get to Page and I should be able to find a
slot canyon from there.
 I
added Page, Arizona, to my list of stops on my annual summer whirlwind road
trip. I lived in San Diego at the time, so when I finally got out on the road,
I crammed as many photo opportunities and locations as I could into my trips.
I lost a few travel partners. “Slow down, can’t we stay here another day?” they
would say. I would reply, “No, I have to get all of these pictures shot before
I go home.”
So, traveling alone became the norm for me. I had a strict
itinerary and I ended up dropping more than one unhappy and tired travel
partner at the airport when we reached a major city. I could see their eyes
spinning in their head as they gathered their bags from the car and headed into
the airport. I guess my warning wasn’t strong enough, Only the hardy need
apply. I guess an indication that I was in too much of hurry was when I would
clear their breakfast plates from under them and they weren’t even done yet!
Hey, Ive got places to go and people to see. Only over the years have I learned
that good pictures take time and getting to know a place.
When I did get to Page, I saw quite a few brochures and
posters for slot canyon tours. Oh no, I thought, someone else knows about these
things. The word was just starting to circulate in the photo industry about
slots and I was in on the bottom floor.
The slot I wanted to photograph is called Antelope Canyon and
it is on the Navajo Reservation, so a permit or guide is needed. I called around
and the tours were kind of pricey. On
my photographers road trip budget tours weren’t included. I made one more phone
call and spoke to a real nice guy who was also a photographer and we struck
a deal for the next day. It was a 3-mile hike or 4WD ride into the canyon. I
did not want to hike in, lugging all of my equipment, and my car did not have
4WD. My guide said he had a big beefy Suburban with AC and good stereo, so I
figured this was gonna be fun!
Usually I am up at crack of dawn when on the road to catch
that great sunrise shot. My guide said, Sleep in. We don’t have to be in the
canyon until around noon. Yippee, I can get a bit more shuteye... NOT! Those of
you who camp a lot know that the minute the sun starts its climb into the sky
the whole world, in the campground anyway, wakes up. So much for that, I used
my time wisely and got my road warrior vehicle all straightened up and
organized.
I met my guide and his Suburban at 11:00 at the agreed upon
location; I climbed in and off we went. We drove outside of town for about 15
minutes and stopped at a gate where a Navajo man and my guide exchanged a few
words before he opened the gate. In we drove, arriving at a vertical slit in a
rock wall.
Walking in, my first impression was that I was in a holy
place, it was so beautiful. The temperature outside was in the high ’90s. When
we got inside the Cathedral Room, as it was called, it was in the ’70s. My
guide had told me to bring pants and a long sleeve shirt. Good suggestions. It
got cooler the further back into the slot we went.
I was in such awe of this amazing place that I just wandered
back through the canyon, running my hands along the soft, cool sandstone walls.
My guide motioned me over and said, “Wait until you see this.” I got my camera
(28-70 mm lens) out and put it on the tripod and he told me to focus on a spot
of light that was in front of me on the ground. Then he stood to the side and
threw some of the red sand over the hot spot. It was magical. A mystical beam
of light appeared as if a flying saucer was over the canyon beaming its
searchlight down. I was so struck by it that I forgot to shoot. So he did it
over and over and I pushed the shutter button for as long as the beam lasted.
I tried all sorts of speeds and exposures for this one and
the best one was f/16 at 10 seconds. When in doubt, bracket your exposures.
Remember, film is cheap. Coming back to the slot is not.
I use Fuji Sensia 100 ASA almost exclusively and was very
happy with the results. I am sure Velvia would have done a very nice job but
most of my shots are of action sports so I need that extra stop on my film. I
found the best lens was my 28-70mm although with a long lens (300 mm) you can
aim up and capture some of the very dramatic curves with the light reflecting
off of them. Exposures varied from f/16 at 20 seconds to f/22 at a half second.
Exposures certainly depend on the time of day that you are in the canyon, as
the light is constantly changing.
My guide left me alone and said he would be back in a couple
of hours. Now I could just wander and enjoy the beauty and solitude. I felt
like I had to whisper while I was in the canyon; this particular canyon is very
sacred to the Navajo people and I did not want to be disrespectful. Was I
wandering around in their church? Sure felt like it. I saw maybe one or two
other photographers. I was there on a good day. My guide said he has seen the
Cathedral Room with photographers tripod legs overlapping each other,
especially in the late afternoon when the western light hits the entrance wall
and bathes the entire room in a warm orange glow. So I guess the secret was out
about the slots and they forgot to tell me.
Speaking of the Cathedral Room, that was our next stop. My
guide had returned and said it was show-time. We made our way through twists
and turns to the main room; it was alive with every color of orange you could
imagine, so warm and inviting. The photo gods were smiling on me that day — we
were the only people in the room.
I wanted to get a shot of someone standing with a pack on in
the middle of the room. I looked around to see who that someone would be. I
didn’t have much choice and I fit the model/victim profile better than he did.
So I set my camera on my tripod again and got it all situated with the auto
timer on, since I was going to be the victim.
My guide suggested that I meter off the highlights on the
wall and with his years of experience photographing these canyons I took his
advice. I threw my camera pack on my back and pushed the shutter button and had
10 seconds to get into place and hold very still. My exposures were at 10-20
seconds so any movement would make my image blurry. I held my breath when I
heard the shutter click. I did this over and over with backpack, without
backpack, sitting, standing, jumping you name it. “Ok, I’m pooped, we can go
now,” I said.
The light was fading fast as we walked out of the canyon.
What a special day I had and I couldn’t wait to see my images. My guide was
great and so helpful with tricky exposures. We climbed back into his beefy SUV
and back to Page we went, all the while I was chatting about the amazing day I
had just experienced. I thanked him and we went our separate ways.
The images that I got back from the lab were better than I
had ever imagined. I was so excited as I spilled each box onto the light table,
gasping and screaming as each colorful slide appeared. The fact that I
experimented with different exposures and made sure to bracket made all the
difference in the world. . . Remember, film is cheap so shoot a lot of it!
About the Author: Cheyenne Rouse,
is a professional photographer who specializes in action/adventure sports, outdoor
recreation & lifestyles, health & fitness and landscapes. She is available
for assignments and has a large inventory of quality images from the Mountain
West and desert Southwest. Visit her web site: www.cheyennerouse.com.
Contact her by e-mail: cheyennerouse@qwest.net,
or telephone: 435-655-2896. |
