Slot Canyon Photography

You find yourself within a dimly lighted, walled canyon and need to capture the scene in available light. In this free video, world renowned outdoor photographer Ian Plant takes you inside an enormous slot canyon deep inside the Utah desert and gives you tips about slot canyon photography. The best time to photograph slot canyons is in the middle of the day when the sun is brightest. Natural sunlight creates a dramatic glowing effect on the sandstone walls. Ian calls it the canyon glow.

In slot canyon photography, you want to take advantage of the curves and textures of the rocks. Ian uses his wide angle lens to expand these compositional features. To create depth, he avoids harsh sunlight and focuses on the deep shadows. He prefers lower ISOs, 200 or 400 at most because long exposures take too much time. Slot canyon photography requires experimentation, but the resulting images can be incredible.