Part of our USA tour this year included a visit to Lower Antelope Canyon. I much prefer this Slot Canyon over the Upper, as the tours are often horrendous, with so many tourists being pushed through by the Navajo guides. The lower Slot Canyon is quieter and particularly in the mid afternoon, it’s got soft beautiful light with many gaps exposed to the daylight above. This Canyon is a favourite with informed photographers and is a much better choice over the Upper. All in the group went down the ladders and over the next 80 minutes went totally wild with exposures. A faster ISO of about 1600 and the camera set on manual focus with an F stop of 7.1 captured these stunning images. I have worked the slot Canyons a few times and am always enthralled at the colours and patterns found here. You only need one lens… as wide as you can go. These images were all shot with a 12mm lens on a full frame camera. I have been so busy since my return and so have only had a chance to work on a few photographs from this Slot Canyon.

During our two day stay in Page Arizona, I gave the group some free time. Many wanted to take advantage of the time and booked the Upper Antelope Canyon Tour. I had pre-arranged for all on the tour to have a boat trip up along the narrow Canyon on Lake Powell and also a guided tour through Lower Antelope Canyon the following day. Six of us decided to do an all day optional tour right up by 4WD into the Paria Wilderness to a wild an totally amazing area called White Pocket. After 2 hours on a bumpy sand drift track we arrived at White Pocket and were totally awed. Fantastic forms and shapes with Brain Rock and Sandstone in whites, Creams, Yellows, Pinks and Reds. We had nearly three hours here and I hardly wanted to rest for the ten minutes it took to swallow down a sandwich for lunch! This is a photographic experience like no other! I have uploaded a sample of the many images I took here and have re-worked some into night shots because the colours and shapes are awesome. This is photographic art at its best…. My sincere thanks to Kyle at Vermillion cliffs Tours. He runs a fantastic tour company and comes so highly recommended…If you can possibly do this tour anytime you visit the USA…its is one not to be missed. Check out the website at…www.vermilioncliffs.net    Kyle offers many varied tours including the famous Wave Rock and I will definitely consider doing a tour with Kyle again in the future….without a doubt!

Our group spent two days in the Sedona area, visiting Montezuma’s Castle, the Red Rock viewpoints and some well deserved Rest and Recreation.  Sedona is a most beautiful part of Arizona and is a drawcard for any serious Landscape photographer. I had allowed an afternoon in our schedule to take the group into the Oak Creek Canyon State Park, but in Particular I wanted them all to experience the colours coming alive in the afternoon light, along the creek edges in the Red Rock Crossing area. These images posted below are just a small sample of what is on offer as the sun hits the water, the Autumn Foliage and the colours of the rocks. What is amazing too, is the way the glow of Cathedral Rock which sits proudly above, reflects in the pools of the Oak Creek.

We have had the group travelling through Utah and Arizona for two weeks now, with wonderful crisp clear mornings and many cloudless sunny days. The storms and snow forecast seem to blow over or we miss then entirely in the night. A great bunch of fellow photographers who are totally enthusiastic about every National Park we visit and embrace all photo opportunities with excitement. So far, our group has spent time in Zion, Bryce, Snow Canyon, Kodachrome Basin, Canyonlands, Arches, Canyon De-Chelly and Petrified Forest and Painted Desert  National and State Parks. We arrived in Sedona last night and today the whole group gets some R&R, although no doubt, many will have a camera close at hand! I have posted just a tiny selection of images taken so far on this tour to highlight some of the magnificent places the group has seen on this trip.