Photograph:

In 1988 I saw slot canyon photographs at a gallery in Jackson, Wyoming. The mystery of these narrow canyons was enhanced by the intentional lack of information about their location.

In 1992 while traveling on a family vacation through the southwest we stopped for an overnight stay in Page, Arizona. One store had some pictures of a slot canyon with beams of sunlight shining down. This time people were willing to tell me that the location was Antelope Canyon, a narrow slot canyon, located just a few miles outside of town. The canyon is on Navajo land and guides are required for your visit. I was able to reach a guide by phone and scheduled to be picked up the next morning for a three hour tour.

Walking into Antelope Canyon was like entering another world. The beautiful sandstone walls came alive at midday, when shafts of sunlight reach the canyon floor. Sun light bouncing off the sandy floor illuminated the canyon walls in very interesting ways. To get the beams of sunlight to standout, I threw a handful of sand into the air just before taking this picture.