There are so many Antelope Canyon guides and travel notes on the Internet, and the little monkey has never been interested in writing them. But as a senior guide on Hornet’s Nest, I often see various questions about Antelope Canyon. Many friends have only heard about Antelope Canyon, but they don’t know that it is divided into upper and lower sections; and some travel friends know that the beam of light in Upper Antelope Canyon must be seen at noon, so they mistakenly think that Lower Antelope Canyon must also go at noon. After repeating the answer many times, the little monkey finally decided to make a fool of himself and post a few automatic photos, tell the story of the Antelope Canyon, and share a little experience of the little monkey as a photography novice.
Writing about Antelope Canyon naturally starts with Page, AZ. Friends who have been following us for a long time must be familiar with this place. There are Horseshoe Bend (Horseshoe Bend) and Lake Powell (Lake Powell) nearby, and there are Wave Valley (The Wave) and Reflection Canyon (Reflection Canyon) a little further away, and of course there is the Antelope Canyon we are going to talk about today. In short, tourism resources do not too rich~
The two sections of Antelope Canyon are classified as the local Navajo (Navajo) Indian Reservation—yes, that is the Navajo tribe that owns the Shay Canyon. It is estimated that the entrance fee is the main source of their usual income.
Upper Antelope Canyon
Upper Antelope Canyon alias: “crack” (the Crack) Navajo paraphrase: “where water flows through stones”.
The Antelope Canyon that most people refer to refers to the Upper Antelope Canyon, because it is more popular here, because there are beams of light here, and because the tour group here in the peak season needs to be booked long in advance. As written in the picture in front of the little monkey, there is a long wash that connects Upper Antelope Canyon and the main road. Ordinary private cars cannot drive on such sandy ground, so the group of Upper Antelope Canyon must be in Page Town In the first episode, a modified pickup truck will transport you to the entrance of the canyon. It takes about 20 minutes one way from the town to the entrance, and the so-called duration of various tour groups minus 40 minutes, the rest is your real time to play.
The entrance of the Upper Antelope Canyon is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom due to the structure of the Upper Antelope Canyon, so around noon the sun will form a beam of light through the top slit at a certain position. However, a condition needs to be added to this “around noon”-from April to September, only when the sun is high enough will there be a beam of light directly hitting the ground.
And this much-anticipated beam of light actually appears near the entrance. When you are still brewing feelings, the climax has already passed… By the way, Brother Mo, who was in the laboratory, successfully proposed marriage under this beam of light. My friends can borrow this idea~
f you want to capture the complete beam of light as shown above, the residual wide-angle is actually enough. Of course, it is more important to be able to catch the moment when no one is around and press the shutter quickly. The low-quality photos of the overcrowded monkeys in the past were really hard to get, so I had to ask for help from master photographer Xue~
Due to the narrow top and wide bottom mentioned just now, the light in the Upper Antelope Canyon is slightly weaker. For photographers like monkeys, it is slightly more difficult to take good photos. black eyes…
Photographers who are going to carry a tripod for long exposure must join a photography group. The stay is long and tripods are allowed. Of course, remember to prepare more tickets!
Those who participated in the golden season golden time visit group, the little monkeys have to pour cold water here. At this time, the Upper Antelope Canyon is like a vegetable market. It is really difficult to take a beautiful picture quietly. So please correct your mentality, just go through and see this amazing film, but don’t expect to make a blockbuster film.
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon Alias: “the Corkscrew” (the Corkscrew) Navajo paraphrase: “Spiral Stone Arch” Compared with the popular Upper Antelope Canyon, the lower Antelope Canyon is obviously not well-known. But everyone who has been there knows that it is another type of beauty, and it is a beauty that can be compared with the Antelope Canyon.
The Lower Antelope Canyon is close to the main road, and you can drive there without having to gather and take a big pickup. But unlike the upper Antelope Canyon, which is flat and suitable for the elderly and children, the Lower Antelope Canyon needs to climb several iron ladders deep into the cracks in the rocks.
There is another sad story that has to be mentioned at the entrance of the Lower Antelope Canyon. Since the Lower Antelope Canyon extends northward and connects to Lake Powell, in the event of flash flooding, the water can rush directly into the canyon. The flash flood accident in 1997 claimed the lives of 11 tourists. Since then, the government has established a relatively complete detection and early warning system, so now you don’t have to worry about flash floods when you go to the Lower Antelope Canyon. There is no famous light column in the Lower Antelope Canyon, which depends on the structure of the canyon-the relatively wide opening at the top. This kind of structure brings great news to photography beginners—the light is sufficient, and taking pictures becomes easy! It’s a big picture, everyone is a famous photographer~
In addition, low popularity means fewer tourists, and fewer tourists means that it is easy to take pictures. This also paves the way for you to be promoted to photographers.
The photos above are the best proof. In the two Antelope Canyon, the little monkey went up first and then down, with a year between them. During this year, Xiaohou’s unlearned and inexperienced photography technology still stays in the automatic mode. Of course, he is not willing to spend money to upgrade the equipment, but the photos he takes still seem to be on a higher level. This can only be attributed to the two Antelope Canyons. difference itself.
As for the best time to shoot the Lower Antelope Canyon, the best time may be around noon, when the light is the most abundant. But the little monkey prefers to avoid noon. Look at the photos below. When the sun is slanted, different colors will appear on both sides of the rock wall at certain positions. In terms of seasons, because there is no need to wait for the beam of light, it can be considered all year round, but the best time is from late spring to early autumn.
Little monkey tips: 1. The ground of Antelope Canyon is mainly sandy, please pay attention to the protection of the camera to avoid sand entering. 2. Peggy’s local time is the same as that of most parts of Arizona, which does not use daylight saving time. Friends who come from other states must find out the time of the visiting group. 3. Various tour groups have different age restrictions for children. Parents with children must check carefully before booking tickets.
