Saturday 25 September 2010

Can a Man Love Rock?

Water can create life.

Water can cause death.

Water is precious.

Water can cool you down.

Water can be fun.

Water can quench a thirst.

But who knew water could create something as beautiful as this, in rock....


























This is Antelope Canyon, near Page in Arizona. Located on Navajo land, this is a slot canyon formed mainly by flood water that wears away the soft sandstone and formed a corridor in the rock, that is lit from above by the sun. To give you an idea of scale, the width of the space at ground level is about 8 feet across, at the widest part.

I visited the canyon and simply fell in love with it. So yes, I think a man can love rock.

There is no need for words to help describe these pictures....



























































One last picture. All visitors to the canyon have to be accompanied by a guide. Out guide was taking a picture of this couple who were in our group, so instead of just standing and waiting, I took a picture of them as well. It is quite dark in the canyon and I had to keep the shutter open for a long exposure to get this next shot, but the woman moved her head too early and the result was a weird picture, as if her head was see-through....


























What a fantastic place.

8 comments:

Beck said...

Stunning pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Doug Klassen said...

Sounds like the Antelope Canyon tour with Chief Tsotsi. He seems to love to help people with their photos. The canyon is amazing, it's one of the most impressive places to visit in the Southwest, as moving as the Grand Canyon but with and inverse scale of size which only makes it all the more astonishing that such natural beauty can be in such a small space.

Tim France said...

One word: wow! Such amazing images. I feel a screensaver coming on. Like the new masthead photo too (mirror pic) - very cool.

SonjaM said...

I can only second what Doug said before. I don't have the words to describe how much in awe I am. Wonderfully captured.

Oz said...

Awesome. I have seen pictures of Antelope Canyon but wondered if they had been enhanced. I can see from you photos that they were not. That is so cool. I hope to visit the Grand Canyon in the summer of 2012 - I will add Antelope Canyon to the trip.

Bluekat said...

Stunning shots. I've seen pics from here before, and what a great setting. That last one is quite strange, like something from the X-files. Funny what shows up through the lens sometimes! :)

682202 said...

Gary, Great photo's! It looks like a place one must visit in order have really lived.

Gary France said...

Beck – You are most welcome.

Doug – Yes, it was a Chief Tsotsi tour and there were a lot of people doing tours at the same time. It wasn’t easy to get a few a few pictures without people in, but somehow with the help of our guide, we did achieve that. I absolutely agree about it being one of the most impressive places – it is truly stunning.

Tim – The canyon was incredible, although taking pictures isn’t easy in there as there isn’t much light. It is a beautiful place to go visit.

Sonja – Thanks. It was quite a place! The guide helped a lot by giving advice about where and how to shoot the pictures.

Oz – If you are in the area, you will have to go see Antelope Canyon – it’s a must!

bluekat - I did laugh when I saw the last shot on my laptop and thought it was a shame I didn’t have a way of contacting the people to send them a copy. I reckon they would have liked it.

Gordon – Thanks. Yes, you must go there one day.