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Photographing Upper Antelope Canyon was one of the most challenging photographic opportunities I have ever had. I waited many months for this opportunity and was determined not to blow it. I had studied hundreds of photographs of the canyon and knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish.

On the day of my tour I was signed in and waiting for my tour to start along with about a hundred other people. We were all under this 20' x 30' shade structure (the only shade around for miles). The director of the tour group called for the 11:00 regular guided tour and the entire place emptied out, except for me. Strange, I wondered, where are all of the other photographers. Well, it turns out that for whatever reason I was the only person who showed up for the photographers guided tour. Is the tour cancelled, I asked the director? "Oh no, she said, you just lucked out and got your own private guide." Sweet!!

So, although I had to share the canyon with a couple of hundred other people, the 11:00 tour and a previous tour, I now had my own personal Navajo guide into the canyon. She was amazing. She directed the crowds away from me, emptied rooms and shielded me (sometimes literally standing in front of my tripod with her arms outstretched) from the tremendous commotion in the canyon. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the light in the canyon was about as good as it gets. I was so intent on my photography I wasn't even aware of the crowd after a while. Then it was over.

It was a very good day. I will return some day for another go at it.

Check out my blog post on how to photograph Upper Antelope Canyon here: How I Photographed Antelope Canyon