ANTELOPE – VORTEX
ANTELOPE CANYON, ARIZONA
Image Number 221
Antelope Canyon is a “slot canyon” carved by wind and water from sandstone. It is only a meter or two wide. Located on Navajo Nation land just outside the town of Page in Arizona, Antelope is the most visited slot canyon in the USA, and perhaps the world.
Through a narrow slit in the cliffs, visitors enter one of the most beautiful of all natural formations. The sunlight filtering down the curved sandstone walls makes magical patterns and shadows. Some sections are wide and bright while others are narrow and secretive. Pictures taken here adorn camera shops and photographic manuals throughout the world.
Despite its tiny size Antelope Canyon receives up to 20,000 visitors each day. There are always people jostling to compose the perfect shot and grumbling when others walk in front of their exposures. Atticus Webb was no exception. It took several visits and a deal of negotiation to set up for medium format on the tripod.
Interestingly, the colours in the canyon are not discernible to the naked eye. They emerge only when photographed.
TECHNICAL NOTES
Captured by Atticus Webb on a Zeiss Contax 645 medium format camera with Zeiss 80mm lens at F5.6 with an exposure of 1/4 second. File size 260 meg, 8 bit.
The images were registered on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back at ISO 100. The combination of sensor size and megapixels from this back captures approximately five times more detail than the highest resolution 35mm SLR camera currently available – and explains the exceptional resolution of the image.
The four images of Antelope Canyon make up a matched set. They are designed to be displayed together, but may also be purchased individually.