Slot canyons make wonderful photographs. Those near Page, Arizona, particularly Upper and Lower canyons, are almost useless to photographers are there are just too many people in the way. Even if you pay extra for the "photographic tour" they still herd you through in a hurry. This time I opted for the lesser known Canyon X. I was hoping for fewer people, paid the extra money for the photographic tour, and crossed my fingers. It was a very enjoyable experience.

          Towards the end of the tour, the guide took out his scoop to throw some sand into the air. Yes, that is how those light shaft images are made. A beam of light shines but it can be fairly faint so sand is thrown into the beam of light which makes the beam a lot more dramatic. He was so excited about the beam of light. The other photographers also enjoyed photographing it as much as the guide did enhancing it with the sand. My eyes went up higher to see if I can spot where the beam of light was coming from. I changed positions a few time until I could see the sun peak through a crack. There you have it, the sun on a hard edge. That is the recipe for a sun star. Yes, lately I am shooting a lot of sun stars. However, you do not ofter see slot canyon images with sun stars, so I just could not resist the opportunity.

          The guide and the other photographers could not understand why I was not shooting the beam of light and why my camera was pointed as it was. Once I showed them my image on the back of my camera they were amazed. The guide remarked that he had never seen an image of a slot canyon with a sun star. Well, here it is:

The canyon itself is not so great here but the sun star came out very nicely. I was going for something different, a little unique. Everybody shoots the shapes, the shades of color, and of course the famous light beams. Why not try to get something different? Be creative, play around, have fun, try something new. You never know if it will work or not till you try it.

          This is not my favorite image but I still like it.