Light That Is So Reflective

As photographers we know that light is the key to photography. No matter what the category of photography you enjoy, light will always be key to it. There are all sorts of light in relation to photography.Below is a small selection of images taken as it is always hard to know what to include in the article.

Briefly I want to share with you one of the most creative forms of light and if you are in the right place, it is mind blowing as you see the dominance of the reflective light and in some cases you have to work so quickly. Depending on where you are and the subject, the reflective light can change in minutes or even seconds.It is never static.

Almost ten years ago I had the opportunity to photograph with some of the most amazing forms of reflective light. I had the opportunity to photograph some of the slot canyons in the USA and this subject is in my top 5 subjects to shoot in relation to reflective light.

The slot canyons are imposing and you enter the canyon floor from an entrance that can be almost hidden from the trained eye at times. Depending on the canyon that you are in, you wind through the canyons with the most amazing red sandstone tower structures above you. As you walk on the sandy floor, it is what is above you that gives you one of the best light shows that you could ask for. Well in my opinion it is, I’m sure some will disagree.

At times there appears no openings above you as you are walking through the canyon but there is always an opening. There are times that you can’t see it as that is how the canyon is shaped. Other times, the opening is clear to see. So how does this amazing reflective light work?

As the earth is always on the move, it causes the sun by the second to be in a different position and as the light moves due to the sun moving( although it is the earth rotating in its orbit) the light reflects off the sandy walls. It bounces literally all over the place.

It is ever changing. It is never static. You can move through one section, photograph it, then move on and then if you decide to go back to where you were to recapture the radiance ,it will  no longer there.There are times you think you have moved to a different area and yet you are standing where you were. If you see something that you want to capture, do it then as it won’t be there in a few minutes times.

The reflective light varies and it can cause  the red sandstone to appear  on fire, other times, flat or small bursts of gentle red hues of the sand stone wall structures.

If you are planning on going through the slot canyons, you need to be able to work quickly as the light moves quickly. I think it is best to do this on your own if this is a subject you want to get your photographic skills into. You don’t want to be with people who want to move on after a short time. You need time.This subject doesn’t work that way.If you are with people who really don’t appreciate the subject from a photographers point of view then that’s the perfect storm for the friendships to form added tensions.

The slot canyons are a great for the person who loves the abstract and who can see the abstract. This is a photographers playground for reflective light, for the abstract which is just so different.

All of these shots where taken on a tripod as these are all slow shutter speeds. All taken on manual and you need to know how to override the camera. If you had your camera on auto you would not get the same result as auto doesn’t allow for the reflective light and many times you have to either over expose or under expose for the shot.

The down side to some of the more popular slot canyons is that they can be so over crowded with people and this can take away from the photographic experience.I sourced out a private guide and he was amazing and took myself and two other men to a private slot canyon  and the there the three of us had the place all to ourselves.It is worth the money paying for a  private guide to go to less populated areas.

I also explored lesser known slot canyons which were almost empty of people on my own.

Reflective light bouncing of the walls in the slots canyons is something that will challenge your photography and at the same time give you some of the most stunning images that you can take with reflective light. 🙂

Note-If you are there on an overcast day, you will not get the intense light that you see in these pictures. This comes with the sun being over head.Also if you are doing them on your own, check for the weather forecast. Don’t be fooled. It might be clear where you are but if there is a storm 50 plus kilometres away, these floodways can fill up so quickly and  can travel from such a long distances and at speed .You don’t want to be stranded in one if flooded rivers entered the canyons. People have died by not taking the weather forecast seriously.