Tsé bighánílíní
A fleeting shaft of sunlight penetrates the narrow Navajo sandstone of Antelope Canyon, Arizona (Tsé bighánílíní, which means 'the place where water runs through rocks').
As one of the most visited slot canyons in the American Southwest, photographing upper Antelope Canyon was simultaneously one of the best and the worst of my career as a landscape photographer.
Making repeat visits over several days was the only way to allow time to beat the crowds and ponder compositions and timing in order to create an out-of-the-ordinary image in an extraordinary place. With passing time, I blocked out the presence of other people in the canyon and began to feel the magic of one of the most special places I have visited in the USA.
As fleeting shafts of sunlight began to penetrate the twisting canyon opening high above, I staked my claim and pointed the camera upward to create this image.
When I view this photograph, it's as if I'm seeing Antelope Canyon in silence...the way it would have been experienced by Navajo in days past.
capture: film | paper: fujiflex crystal archive | edition: limited 200
