As the light beams quickly faded away, we were able to wander the Antelope Canyon. Near the farthest end of the canyon, I was able finally able to stand by myself, and enjoy the unbelievably photogenic place I was in. Millennia of erosion slowly ground down the Navajo sandstone, creating this small slot canyon in a one of a kind way. Every wall looks like a massive 100' tall wave frozen in stone. This narrow canyon funnels heavy downpours from the far desert down into the Colorado River system. This fast flowing water is what slowly wears the walls down, revealing these unique structures.
Even though my visit to Antelope Canyon was over a year ago, I still find myself going back through those photos and looking at the natural beauty of that area. I took so many photos in that narrow canyon that I sometimes forget to look at them all! As I've said with my previous images I've posted of Antelope Canyon, it was far from what I expected. Every photo I have seen of the area makes it look serene and quite, but it was hardly that. Hundreds of people were herded through the narrow canyon, which came as a complete surprise to me. As we made our way to each spot, the area became blocked off by the Navajo guides so we could actually capture the canyon without any distraction. Every area we went to was incredibly rushed to keep a balance between the photographers and the rest of the visitors. It was a stressful experience, to say the least! But it was totally worth it, there's no other place like this in the world.
Before venturing out to Yosemite, I had to know everything possible about the features of the valley and how they related to the sun. I checked exactly when the sun would rise and set relative to each point in the park. This morning my girlfriend and I had to wake up while the stars were still lighting the way in order to get positioned perfectly for the rising sun. As the brightening sky started showing hints of the sun getting higher, beams of light began pouring over the faces of some of Yosemite's iconic formations. We had to wait for the right second to get the full impact if what I was seeing before me. When the sun finally started to give its light to the valley floor, illuminating the treetops, I was amazed at the unbelievable sight set before me. At that moment I was able to see the pureness of Yosemite, still preserved as it had been discovered by the Ahwahnechee Native Americans thousands of years ago. Still in awe of what I was seeing, I snapped a few photos knowing that I had what I wanted. With El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Dome, and the Cathedral Rocks all making their presence known, this was one of the key moments while we were there.
