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Antelope Canyon
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Jul 4, 2018 13:23:35   #
mlj Loc: Anderson, SC
 
I am going to spend a week in southern Utah and northern Arizona in mid September. I plan to visit and photograph Antelope Canyon. Is the photographer tour worth the expense compared with the regular tours? How much to rent a tripod?...I really do not want to lug my tripod all the way across the country! What accessories are a must for touring this part of the country? I am using a D7000. Thanks in advance!

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Jul 4, 2018 13:34:02   #
MT native Loc: Big Sky Country — Montana
 
Have a great time!! We went there about four years ago. We went on the regular tour and enjoyed it immensely!

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Jul 4, 2018 13:34:37   #
UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT
 
The photographer's tour is a must. Those tours give you more time and know where to stop. Check the pst UHH posts for names of good tour companies. It would be a good idea to have a reservation before you get there to ensure you get the tour and time you want. The quality of shots varies with the time of day you go into the canyon.

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Jul 4, 2018 13:54:48   #
randave2001 Loc: Richmond
 
I just did the 4 canyon photographer tour back in April. There was just one other photographer with me on the tour. We visited Owl, Rattlesnake, Upper Antelope and Sheeps Head Canyons. We were joined by others in the Rattlesnake and Upper Antelope Canyons. The other two canyons were just us two and the tour guide. We went with Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours, LLC and had an absolute great day of shooting. The photographer tour is a must for Upper Antelope due to the volumes of people visiting. Without the guides it will be a very difficult proposition to get the photos you may be looking for. The guides take you to the best locations and hold off the foot traffic so you can get your shots although it is only a couple of minutes each stop so you must be prepared. I have no idea on rentals but expect you can google that and probably find someone in Page, AZ to accommodate you. Suggest you bring the widest lens you have and do not plan on changing lenses while in the canyons. Waaaaaay too much dust in the air for that. I used both a 17-35mm and an 11-24mm on two different bodies but made the choice of which one I would be using before I went into the canyon.

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Jul 4, 2018 16:53:44   #
PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago
 
mlj wrote:
I am going to spend a week in southern Utah and northern Arizona in mid September. I plan to visit and photograph Antelope Canyon. Is the photographer tour worth the expense compared with the regular tours? How much to rent a tripod?...I really do not want to lug my tripod all the way across the country! What accessories are a must for touring this part of the country? I am using a D7000. Thanks in advance!
The photographers tour is a must. They hold back the crowds and give you time to capture your shot. I did the Upper. I used a monopod. It is a must or a tripod.

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Jul 5, 2018 06:50:57   #
steve49 Loc: massachusetts
 
Have a great time. It is a dramatic place.
I did a photo tour.... can't use a tripod on regular tours.
I really think you need to use a tripod in there.
as close as you can to noon time on the tour that you book.
early and late it's dark in there.

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Jul 5, 2018 06:53:01   #
steve49 Loc: massachusetts
 
Adding.. practice with the tripod, setting exposures, etc before you go in so that you are not figuring things out under pressure .. lot of people
visit the place. You don't have a lot of " figure it out" time.

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Jul 5, 2018 07:32:32   #
Jeffcs Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina
 
Good read I thank all that have responded as it is on my bucket list also I’ll look into AACT llc. Thanks

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Jul 5, 2018 07:53:35   #
LarryFitz Loc: Beacon NY
 
Last October I did a regular tour. It was good guide pointed out many photo ops along with canyon facts. He used people cell phone and my DSLR to take people pictures. It was great because I was with several friends. The down size of regular tour, no tripods, other tour group in canyon at same time, the guide keep us moving. You had to be ready to shot, you had about one or two minutes at each place the guide stopped to explain canyon history.

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Jul 5, 2018 08:34:20   #
fmalquist
 
We did the Antelope canyon tour in October. It was a good tour, but very crowded. I didn't take the photographers tour because my wife didn't have a camera and they don't allow anyone but those with cameras on that tour. The regular tour doesn't allow tripods for good reason, too many people in too tight an area. I would have liked to take the four canyon tour to avoid the crowds, but there was too much climbing and tight spaces for tired old legs. Antelope canyon is spectacular and you will enjoy it. By the way, if you want the sun pillar effect, it is only available for a few weeks earlier in the year. The advice on dust is very accurate, many of the guides were wearing neckerchiefs over their noses to protect their lungs.

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Jul 5, 2018 08:44:05   #
waynetgreen Loc: Florida
 
I agree with all the comments regarding the photo tour. Just got back from Antelope. Got some great shots but wish I had booked the photo tour to give me more time and less people. Tripod would have been great, it's darker than you think. Be prepared for a dusty bumpy ride out there. Enjoy!

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Jul 5, 2018 08:51:41   #
mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma
 
Definitely take the tour! They know the best vantage points. They also won’t rush you along urging you to keep up when you’re trying to work a shot. As to what you’ll need — I recommend a wide angle lens and a good walk around lens that will zoom. On our National Park tour, I took everything I had... huge mistake. Way, way too much, too heavy, All I pulled out of my bag were the wide and a walk around lens, I can’t recall which one. After that trip I traded in all my beloved Nikon gear for a micro 4/3s system. Never looked back! Have a great time!

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Jul 5, 2018 09:11:43   #
windshoppe Loc: Arizona
 
I did both upper and lower Antelope Canyons. Be aware that a tripod is a requirement for the photography tours and I would strongly suggest doing that. My wife took the regular tour at the same time that I did the photo tour.

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Jul 5, 2018 09:20:01   #
wds0410 Loc: Nunya
 
mlj wrote:
I am going to spend a week in southern Utah and northern Arizona in mid September. I plan to visit and photograph Antelope Canyon. Is the photographer tour worth the expense compared with the regular tours? How much to rent a tripod?...I really do not want to lug my tripod all the way across the country! What accessories are a must for touring this part of the country? I am using a D7000. Thanks in advance!


My wife and I did the photography tour on May 27 in the Upper Antelope Canyon and we are certainly glad that we did. When we went the place was packed with people. By doing the photography tour you get more of an opportunity to make your compositions and get the shot without people in your view (at least most of the time). Our guide was awesome. The advice for not changing lens is spot on, it is very dusty down there so bring a wipe cloth to keep the lens free from dust. Any fast wide angle zoom will be sufficient like a 24-70 f2.8 or so. As to the tripod, when we went we were told this was the height of the sunbeam season and there was plenty of light so actually a tripod just got in the way and we ended up taking them off our cameras. However, without the sunbeams (they only lasted about 15-30 minutes) it is quite dark down there so the advice for a monopod may be good.

Photo ops are amazing and don't forget to look up.

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Jul 5, 2018 09:20:34   #
wingclui44 Loc: CT USA
 
mlj wrote:
I am going to spend a week in southern Utah and northern Arizona in mid September. I plan to visit and photograph Antelope Canyon. Is the photographer tour worth the expense compared with the regular tours? How much to rent a tripod?...I really do not want to lug my tripod all the way across the country! What accessories are a must for touring this part of the country? I am using a D7000. Thanks in advance!


I had been there in the Antelope Canyon in 2017 after my retirement. We were not allowed using tripod nor flash in the Canyon because it was dark and narrow, I don't know the rule now after 11 years, it may be changed already.
By the way It was beautiful in side seeing those red rock under the dim Sun light shinning through the gap between rocks.

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