Getting to Page

We scheduled a tour with Antelope Canyon Tours out of Page Arizona for 12:30. The drive to Page through Navajo Nation was unbelievably beautiful. Surrounded on all sides with picturesque Arizona desert scenery, snow-capped mountains in the rear-view, and the high mountain ranges out ahead was too much to absorb. Thankfully my copilot was able to capture several shots archiving the experience as we traveled.

Checkin After Arrival

When arriving at the main office I was pleasantly surprised with my experience. The tour office processed everyone much quicker than I expected.
The drive from the main office to the Upper Canyon was short but after arriving at the site entrance it became quite bumpy. The driving was exceptional given the rough terrain traversed. After arriving we offloaded and got a short safety briefing.

Canyon Entrance

When we arrived at the canyon entrance I was thinking wow, this will be a quick tour! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the tour was one way (walk from the bottom to the top of the Canyon) instead of in then out then same way. This meant the remaining tour time would be used to the fullest extent possible.

Pictures everyone should take

As you come in the entrance you’ll pass through the lady in blue if your tour guide is half as good as ours was you’ll be given many photo tutorials along the route. The main tip that everyone should follow is to turn off the camera flash. If you need more guidance I have no doubt the tour guide will be able to assist you.

Lady in Blue

The Lady In Blue is captured just inside the opening to the Canyon. After entering you’ll turn around look out the opening.

On your phone choose Panorama and turn you phone to the landscape orientation. Start the “pano” by looking straight up through the phone at the top of the opening (The head). Then slowly move the phone down towards the bottom of the canyon opening until you have the bottom of the opening captured. This move should be done in a minor arc more than a straight line. A good capture will look something like this:

Bear with Honey

The Bear with Honey is another capture that must be taken looking behind you towards the entrance to the canyon. The Bear will be silhouetted by the rock and it will look as though the bear has just been eating honey from a beehive.

Crow

The Crow is the first major forward facing photo opportunity. You’ll likely notice a branch that’s been broken off somewhere up stream and flowed into the canyon getting lodged directly under what appears to be a crow. The crow is clasping on to the twig. This is the picture I took:

Climbing Bear

If you’re paying attention while capturing the Crow you might notice that the crow is on the back of a climbing bear. Shift forward towards the crow and to the left and you’ll have a nicely framed climbing bear to capture in your camera.

Shark

Just before exiting the canyon we walked under this lovely shark. I was unable to capture this so I asked our guide for assistance. She capture this amazing image in just moments:

Experience

Our Guide informed us about the geology, history, and beauty of the Canyon and provided ample support for each and every member of our 12 person tour. The picture assistance alone was worth far more than the admission price.
If you decide Antelope Canyon’s splendor is for you I highly recommend Antelope Canyon Tours.