When you think of desert photos, we usually are bombarded with amazing colors. The flowers and rocks of the American West are so much more brilliant considering their framing environment. Gigantic blue skies fill up the frame and gradient sunsets are a daily occurrence.
This series of images were captured along Highway 89A in northern Arizona. When I original took them, I was highly concerned with their color. The skies were brilliantly blue and the Vermillion Cliffs lent gorgeous reds and oranges to the rocks. It was a color bonanza.
A couple years later, here I am looking through them and for the first time, really noticing the texture and form. My original goal was to just show the forms of the (admittedly) highly photographed Antelope Canyon. However, I was drawn to include some of these drive pictures in black and white as well.
If you haven’t been to one of the Antelope Canyons and you are interested in photography….you should plan your trip right now. Even though the canyons have been photographed to death, their magic can’t be understood unless you actually go there. I recommend paying extra for the photography tour, as your guide will assist you tremendously. The canyon is filled with tourists at almost all times and your guide (mine at least did) works crowd control like a riot cop.
The canyons are on protected Native American land, so you can’t get there yourself.
The slot canyon is formed and shaped by the continuous flow of rain water. The walls have been carved over the course of centuries. Most of the photos you find of the canyons emphasize the incredible reds and oranges. What gets lost, somehow, is the structures and textures of the walls. Minus the color, the rock striations leap out and dominate the photo.
Once you get over the wonder of the perfectly carved walls, the interplay of light and shadow takes over. The ground is a powdery, red sand that looks like it was artificially installed. The floods leave their carvings in the form of this sand and the the Navajo caretakers ensure it stays pristine. If you can somehow find an empty section of the canyon, the walls, the light and the sand create a soundless, cathedral-like space. It is truly one of the wonders of the world.
Movement and shape. As soon as I converted these photos into monochrome, movement and shape leapt out at me. Some photos give the rock walls a liquidity…like petrified ocean waves. Others reveal arrows, candles, and hearts created by the sun.
