Over-idealized Photography
Antelope Canyon Fiasco
By showing you this picture, I feel like I am cheating. This extraordinary and fascinating place called Antelope Canyon where water, wind, and light have teamed up to create a spectacular interplay of colors, shapes, and sandstone features has completely lost its magic. This was my 5th visit within last 10 years and the reality was absolutely shocking!
The tourists are brought in by busloads. There are times when a person can’t move through the slot because of the crowd. During my last visit (May 2010), there were around 200 people in a 300 meter-long canyon that is about 2 meters wide! There was absolutely no way to enjoy the canyon. I had to keep moving because there were other people pushing me from all directions. The only way to get a picture without all those human nuisances breathing down my neck was to point the camera upwards. In the olden days, I remember being in the canyon with just a few other photographers. We were all patiently waiting for the beam of light reaching the entrails of the slot…
I am sure that we photographers contribute to this situation by posting our idealized shots, just like this one, in magazines, books, websites, or social media. The question I am asking myself is: What can we do?
A couple of days earlier, I had visited another very gorgeous place called The Wave. The BLM limits access to 20 people per day which keeps the area unspoiled and the experience of the visitor very unique. Yes, it took me a couple of years to obtain a permit but I certainly don’t complain. The place is wild, deserted, pristine, magic, and special. After my disappointment in Antelope Canyon, I totally support this approach. If these small beautiful gems become just a source of income without any regulation, we will eventually lose them all.
Edit April 2020: While sitting at home during COVID-19 crisis and going through some old photographs, I have to report that I have been unable to get back to this gem ever since, and I tried many times. In the good old times, there were about 30 people standing in front of the BLM office early in the morning, trying their luck to win a permit. Nowadays, it’s not unusual to see 150- 200 people gathered there in hopes to win one of the 20 permits for the next day. Good job BLM! The place would have been ruined by now had there been no restrictions. Well done!
