NATURE'S BEST PHOTOGRAPHY
WINNER

Ghost

Antelope Canyon,
Arizona, USA
By Peter Lik
Walnut Creek, California, USA

Located near the border between Utah and northern Arizona, the tranquil Antelope Canyon is named for the herds of wild pronghorn that roamed the area long ago. Water running through the Navajo sandstone over the past millennia has sculpted graceful passageways, where shafts of light occasionally shine down from “slots” above.

“The biggest lesson I have learned in photography is that timing is everything. No matter how perfect your technique and equipment, if you aren’t in the right place at the right time, you simply won’t get the shot. In the underground caves of Antelope Canyon, I knew the summer sun would pass directly overhead at midday. As my only opportunity for the shot approached, a narrow sliver of light beamed down through a keyhole onto the sandy canyon floor. At the precise moment I clicked the shutter, my Navajo Indian guide threw a handful of dust into the light. It wasn’t until weeks later when I finally got to review the results of the shoot, that I was able to see the ghostlike human form that emerged. I wondered if the ancient spirits of the canyon were present with me that day.” —PL

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II; 16-35mm lens; 1/4 sec at ƒ/8; ISO 100; Gitzo tripod.