jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Take the regular tour--it’s all you need. Take it and your wide-angle lens and use it hand-held--that’s all you need. I did that and got great photos without all the extra cost and fuss. You don't have to lug all that extra equipment around, especially if you’re going to the lower canyon where stairs are involved. Some will say you have to have a tripod to get good shots, but I don’t believe that. I have the proof.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Time of day is crucial for this. Throw some sand into the sunbeam and shoot if you are there in the right place at the right time.

Erkibler

I’ll be there in September. When you say bring your widest lens, are you referring to the aperture or the field of view?
I was thinking of using my 18-55 kit lens due to the amount of dust. It’s a little slow at F3.5, but it’s also low cost and I
wouldn’t be too upset if the sand and dust ruined it.

Thoughts?

linelink

You are going to get tons of advice. Having lived in the area and did the tours, here’s my two cents. DO TAKE THE PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR. Best photo ops, guides give you more time to compose photos, and they will help you get the best shots, just ask them for help if you need it. Your group will be about 10 to 12 people, instead of hundreds in the tourist groups. The guides keep the larger groups away from yours, as you navigate to each of the best photo ops. Less dust to effect your shot and equipment in the small group.

Sept. and the summer months are very crowded. People come from all over the world to experience Antelope Canyon. Check the weather in advance, it closes if it rains. The Canyons flood, people have drowned. Reserve from 11:am to 2:pm when the sun is most directly overhead. This provides best photo ops. You must have a tripod, to be taken seriously by the booking company. They will Check your equipment before they issue you a ticket to get on the jeeps which take you to Canyon entrance.

Don’t need a super wide lense. 18 to 24 mm on the wide side is fine. 80 to 140 mm zoom is plenty. Keep in mind the more you zoom in and out, the more dust you are sucking into the lens. I was ready with camera covers and rain gear etc. and was advised that all I needed was a wash cloth type rag over the top of the camera and lens. The Navajo guides are experts on every camera and lens you could imagine. They do this for a living, like the people who work in camera stores. Be fair and tip them generously as you leave, they depend on it.

Bring a bottle of water. Bring a small penlight flashlight that you can place in your mouth. That will illuminate your camera settings, buttons and knobs. It frees up both hands, it’s dark in there. The guides will instruct your group when to open and close your tripods. Tripods with smaller footprints are best, with quick leg mechinisms. Respect your group member’s individual space. It will be tight down there, in Sept. Practice shooting in the dark before you go, so you know your camera. You will have 3-5 minutes to compose and get the shot. The guides bring you into a number of rooms or chambers, within the Canyon over about two hours. So if you mess up in the beginning, there are many more ops, for the same type of shots. Near the end of the tour, the guides will set up your group for the money shots. Beams of sunlight shine down into the Canyon floor from above. The guides will scoop sand and toss it into the light beams. They will set you up and count down to the toss. Be ready, perhaps burst mode applies here! They do this a few times, so you will get your money shot!!

It’s cool, it’s fun, it should be on a photographer’s “Bucket List”.

saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee

You have lots of good advise here. This post is off topic and I apologize in advance. I've been to southern Utah many times and the place I most want to return to is Cathedral Valley in Capital Reef NP. Google "Cathedral Valley". It is a journey but well worth it if you have the time. It is so far off the beaten path you might find yourself alone for any hours, unlike any other NP I've ever visited. And the landscape opportunities are other worldly. It's rugged and a four wheel drive vehicle is recommended, but I saw several sedans out there on my last trip.

mlj Loc: Anderson, SC

Thanks for all who have commented. I will take a Photographers tour. Now, I need to find use of a good wide angle lens. My widest is an 18-105 mm telephoto. Also, if I start a Kickstarter campaign to fund my trip, do you think there will be enough people to pay all of my expenses?:)

Smudgey Loc: Ohio, Calif, Now Arizona

Maybe I will see you there as I will be there at the same time with my son and his partner. I have always wanted to shoot the canyon. Really looking forward to it.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Consider a monopod that collapses short enough to fit your carry-on bag. Worked well for me in Africa.

GEANNIE

A tripod really is a must and the suggestion for reservations is an excellent one. Make sure you have multiple batteries because they lose power fairly rapidly due to the cool temp in the canyons.

David Lyon

Not having the time to schedule a tour out of Page, I did book a tour to Peek-a-Boo canyon outside Kanab. Got there early enough that I was able to shoot with both my 6x12 pinhole and my Bronica. Granted, not as pretty as Antalope, but not as dusty or crowded.

Plan to return and hike in with a 5x7 next time.

rca1 Loc: Kanab Utah

While in Southern Utah, stop in Kanab Utah there are several tour companies that will take you to the back country for a lot of unusual photo ops. including White Pockets. also close to the Grand Canyon, and several parks.
Enjoy your trip.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Since you do not have a 6.5 stop stabilization system, you will need a tripod. A 3.5 stop stabilization system is not enough to get a proper depth of field. To properly use a tripod and get light into the canyon, you will need to take the pro tour. We were on the non-pro tour and it gets crowded in the canyon. The best my system would do is 3.5 stops stabilization wide open (f2.8) handheld and it was not enough for the darker areas of the canyon. We had 4 or 5 tripods in our group (took mine but didn't even try to set it up) and we had all kinds of kids and adults tripping or bumping into to them. One tripod was knocked over and nearly hit the ground. The tripod photographers may have shot one, maybe two shots, per area due to protecting their tripods.

You will find the pro tour is much more conducive to serious photography. And, of course, you have to pay extra for that.

Selene03

To the OP, you have gotten very good (though conflicting advice here). For serious photography, you should take the photo tour in the upper canyon. The guides know where to stop, allow you to set up shots and on agreement, are able to keep people out of your shots as much as possible (very, very difficult) as very, very crowded. The recommendation for a wide angle lens is good. It is very dusty inside--make sure you have a lens cloth, blower, etc. I was using it all the time. When I went (Spring 2017), to go on the photography tour, you had to have a tripod (and they checked). On the Lower Canyon, they got rid of the photo tours and wouldn't let you take tripods in. This was not so much of a problem as there were not a lot of people in the tours and I could stand in places more or less using myself as a tripod. As others have said, they will cancel the tours if there are rain storms anywhere near the canyons, as they can flood quickly. Increasingly, in the next couple of months, this area is prone to late afternoon thunderstorms and flash flooding, so your best bet might be to schedule a 10:30 a.m. tour that will get you there until noon and be less likely to get flooded out. The canyons are amazing. I hope you enjoy them.

poprock48

Take the tour. Was there at the end of May. Amazing photo opportunities. See if you can get Tony as your guide. Tripod a must for the photo tour.