Abstract Other-Worldly Landscapes:
Antelope Canyon in Black and White Photographs

 

 

Antelope Canyon is reported to be one of the most photographed locations in the southwestern United States after the Grand Canyon. Its unusual, undulating rock formations captivate all who visit.

 

 

This abstract horse head was not very apparent in color, but when the image was
converted to monochrome, the horsehead looks like it’s pushing itself out from between the rocks.

The heart shape is produced through a combination of the light striking the canyon walls
during certain times of the day. The heart is only visible when standing in one specific place in the
canyon and looking up. Without an experienced tour guide and the perfect light conditions, this
formation would be impossible to find and photograph.

Despite Antelope Canyon’s spectacular beauty, very few people have heard of it and even fewer have visited it.

 

 

A picture similar to this by famed photographer Peter Lik showed what appears to be a
ghost. I didn’t see any apparitions during my visit to Antelope Canyon, but dust falling in this part of
the canyon produced a translucent pillar of dust as sunlight hit it.

The near black negative space draws the viewer into the center of the image where the
strands of light and shadow look almost like the inside of a large glacier.

 

 

Located in Navajo Nation near the town of Page, Arizona, Antelope Canyon is held sacred by the Navajo people. Both the Upper Canyon and Lower Canyon portions of Antelope Canyon are only accessible through authorized tour groups. During the COVID pandemic, Navajo Nation closed all tours of the canyon. I drove there just a couple of weeks after tours resumed. The canyons were devoid of tour groups since no one knew the tours had restarted. This gave me the envious ability to take as much time as I wanted to photograph the rock formations without being rushed or other tourists blocking the pictures.

 

 

The two band of lighter colored canyon formations guide the viewer up the photograph to
explore layer upon layer of rocks

This nearly completely mid-tone gray image is striking not for the contrast, but for the
sheer number of rock layers, both horizontal and vertical, which invite the viewer to not just look at
the beautiful striations, but also entice one to personally go the canyon to explore its beauty
firsthand.

 

 

Like many professional and amateur photographers who photograph Antelope Canyon, I was instinctively drawn to the graceful lines of the various colorful rock layers which were squeezed and bent over the course of millions of years like hard candy in the hands of a skillful candy maker before it solidifies.

 

 

The unusual negative space in the middle of the image breaks the two curving lighter
formations above and below it. The lighter formation at the bottom looks perhaps like it is
supporting the dark and light formations above it.

For me this image evokes a large ocean storm frozen in time, where the seas were so
tumultuous that the waves were forced up and curled back upon themselves.

 

 

Antelope Canyon’s rock layers are mesmerizing. Yet in black and white, these formations take on an other-worldly, almost abstract feel. With my background and training as a black and white (monochrome) fine art photographer, this canyon presented me with a nearly endless variety of photographic options.

 

 

Not all rock formations look like rock or water when viewed in black and white. For
instance, this image looks more like strands of thick golden hair or perhaps even slightly molten
hard candy just prior to being cooled and set. The negative space on the right and the partial
negative space on the left pushes the viewer to the central area of light and increased complexity.

The use of negative space at the top and bottom makes for a captivating image of a cave
which could easily have been imagined as belonging on a distant planet.

 

 

For me, monochrome photography is not just about evoking a nostalgic feeling. It’s more about accentuating shapes, shadows, and structure. Color photos may also showcase these aspects to a degree, but black and white photos allow me to more carefully guide viewers to the essence of what I want to showcase in an image.

 

 

 

A more abstract image, in this one, I was just trying to show the interesting strands in the
canyon walls as the light hit them from the outside.

This is perhaps the most abstract image in the series. I made no attempt to contextualize it
by stepping back to show what surrounded these unusual formations. Frankly, I don’t remember
what the larger formation looked like. I was drawn to these patterns and only cared about
showcasing them in this image.

 

 

The images here were not the result of thousands or even hundreds of pictures I captured. That is just not the way I approach photography. These pictures are from a few dozen photos I carefully composed as I walked through both the Upper Canyon and Lower Canyon, two distinctive different portions of Antelope Canyon. Never underestimate the value of a good tour guide in your photographic journey. My guides helped me find the surprising rock formations few ever get a chance to see when the canyon is full of tourists. Of course, how one presents these to the viewer is the result of the artistic eye of the photographer.

 

 

 

 

In the artist’s words:

Rizwan Ali is a fine art American photographer who has lived and traveled extensively in Europe and around the world. He is very influenced by photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson, Michael Kenna, Sebastião Salgado and Robert Frank. He primarily shoots black and white under the nom du photographe of Rizwan On Mars. His most recent formal exhibition was hosted by a gallery in Belgium. His street photography was selected for exhibition in Belgium, Mons arts de la scène (Mons Performing Arts Festival). Abstract Magazine previously featured him in 2017 for his silhouette photography. He supports himself as a professional photo editor for books, magazines, and private collections.

You can find him on Instagram @rizwan.on.mars, on Facebook, and on his own website, RizwanOnMars.com