Slot Canyons (several pictures)

Finally got around to uploading some pictures from a short hike through some slot canyons and thought I'd share them. C&C welcome.

[rormeister]

Incredible Series. While they are all superior, I think #3 really stands out with great color contrast while it beckons you to follow the tunnel. Thanks for sharing!

[airmechnorth]

wow. a stunning series of pics youve put up. I like #8 has a nice trippy look to it.

[ThorThum]

Nice series, did you use any special lighting?

[clawhammer]

All the lighting is natural, you just have to get lucky.

#8 is one of my favorites- you can almost feel the rush of water from the flash floods that create these canyons.

I haven't done a whole lot of pp to most of these, just a little lightening and such. #3, however, is my lucky shot. If you look closely, you can tell it's had some major work done. I had to use aperture's Shadow Recovery tool, and I am very pleased with how it turned out. This is the original:

[fillerupmac]

Great shots! These canyons have always held fascination for me. Seen a few around Lake Powell. Where are these???

Al S.

[JMR]

Good shots. Will have to visit that area one day.

JMR

[dazman]

Wonderful series, Jacob. Natural lighting, patterns, lines & composition are 1st class.

[gawan]

Great series!

[roentarre]

All these shots are very well captured. The texture and the stone texture are very well done!

[OrenMc]

I got to make it down there this year and do the Arches also.

Great job!!

[woof]

Originally Posted by clawhammer

All the lighting is natural, you just have to get lucky.

#8 is one of my favorites- you can almost feel the rush of water from the flash floods that create these canyons.

I haven't done a whole lot of pp to most of these, just a little lightening and such. #3, however, is my lucky shot. If you look closely, you can tell it's had some major work done. I had to use aperture's Shadow Recovery tool, and I am very pleased with how it turned out.

The result of the PP makes it look oversharpened somehow. I kind of cued on that immediately and felt that that one had gotten some major attention though I had not arrived at why. What you did with it is really quite amazing. I am wondering now if there is some way to just blunt that oversharpened look...

Anyway... that nit aside... I love this series. Your work is really very impressive. Numbers 8, 12 and 13 are beautiful with 13 perhaps just edging out the other two. The lighting, texture, composition, color, and indeed strong sense of motion in these is just wonderful.

woof!

[RoxnDox]

Beautiful series! I like the fact that you've captured them from a different viewpoint than most of the ones we see published - you don't often see the perspectives looking down into a slot, or the dead-end bits, or the angles you chose. I really like your work on these!!!

Jim

[clawhammer]

Thanks for all the replies

fillerupmac, these canyons are about 50 miles north-west of Powell, near the Escalante River. It was a relatively short hike- maybe 4 hours total, if memory serves. You hike about a mile two the first canyon, then hike up that canyon, exit, hike a quarter mile to the top of the other canyon, and then hike down that one. These were easy canyons- my 4 year old nephew and 2 year old niece came with us on this hike. We carried the two year old a couple times, but the 4 year old kept on trucking.

If you want to have a lot of fun, go do a technical canyon with the American Canyoneering Association (please do it with the ACA or someone who really knows what they're doing- a lady died this year because her guides didn't know the weather conditions). I'm still trying to salvage some of the shots from my latest canyon. I brought along a roll of Velvia 100 rather than my K10D, so no high ISO and no AS. It gets pretty dark in the canyons- most of these are below 1/60th at f/2.8. my 20-35 f/4 zoom lens that I took with me last time wasn't quite up to the challenge.

[button]

Lots of drama in those shots, Clawhammer. Very well done.

John