34 Outdoor Photographer

Into The

CanyonsCanyons

JAMES KAY’S

CANYONEERING

PHOTOGRAPHS

ARE ONE PART

LANDSCAPE AND

ONE PART ACTION,

MIXED WELL WITH

A STRONG DOSE

OF THE SPIRIT

OF OUTDOOR

ADVENTURE

April 2002 3736 Outdoor Photographer

By Mark Edward Harris / Photography By James Kay

Outdoor Photographer: When andhow did this desire to crawl and climbmanifest itself?

James Kay: I first developed an appre-ciation for wild country during myteenage years while hiking and skiingin the Northeast. I traveled west in 1972to attend the University of Utah and wasamazed by the magnificent scenery justoutside my window in the Salt LakeValley. Having grown up in the well-watered rolling hills of New Jersey, itwas as though I was viewing a Martianlandscape when I first laid eyes on thered-rock canyonlands of southern Utah.

It didn’t take me long to realize thatthe Colorado Plateau was one of themost unique and remarkable geologicprovinces on our planet. Initially, I wasdrawn to this region not for photogra-phy, but to explore its deep canyons andhigh mesas. My first major excursion

into the canyons of southern Utahinvolved a 60-mile backpack trip withmy wife down the Escalante River. With-out benefit of a trail, we saw one per-son in eight days as we negotiated endlessboulder fields and river crossings andbushwhacked through thickets of cowpie-fertilized tamarisk. We managed topoke our heads into several of the nar-row canyons that drain into the Escalante.We were amazed by what we found.These sinuous, deep and beautifully litcanyons, we decided, were the real gemsof the Escalante. Looking back, the seedswere sown on that trip for my futurepassion for photography in the canyon-lands of the Southwest.

Outdoor Photographer: How didthe idea of canyoneering evolve?

Kay: In a world where you can travelto the most distant points on the globein a matter of hours, it would be easy

to imagine that there aren’t many placesleft where a photographer hasn’t set upa tripod. The standard views of theSierra Nevada, the Alps, the Himalayasand Monument Valley have been crawl-ing with photographers for more than100 years. As soon as I began to explorethe nooks and crannies of southernUtah, I realized there are countlessunexplored and never-photographedcanyons just a few hours from my home.The “sport” of canyoneering was in itsinfancy and the canvas was blank. Itwas as much the attraction of descend-ing unexplored canyons as it was thechance to photograph my companionsrappelling through them.

The secret to locating many of thesecanyons is an understanding of the rocks.I searched out books on the geology ofthe region, pored over topographicalmaps, logged miles on the ground and

With his thirst for adventure, JamesKay captures the beauty and light ofthe canyons of the West. Slot canyonscan also be dangerous, and hikers whodon’t heed warnings about flash floodscan be killed by the rushing waters ofsummer thunderstorms. Yet it’s thosethunderous floods that sculpt thecanyons, creating an ever-changinglandscape. OPENING SPREAD: SlotCanyon, Grand Staircase EscalanteNational Monument, Utah; INSET:Virgin River Narrows, Zion NationalPark, Utah; THIS PAGE, LEFT:Cedar Mesa Region, Utah; ABOVE:Dirty Devil Canyons, Utah.SLOT CANYON: Pentax 67, Pentax 45mm,Manfrotto 3021 tripod and ballhead;NARROWS: Nikon F4s, Nikkor 35mm; CEDAR MESA, DIRTY DEVIL: Nikon F4s,Nikkor 50mm; ALL IMAGES: Fujichrome Velvia

AAcrophobia: the fear of heights. Claustrophobia:

the fear of confined spaces. Even the words that describe

these conditions can instill fear. Yet there are photog-

raphers such as Utah-based James Kay who enjoy find-

ing themselves “canyoneering”—out on a limb over a dramatic landscape

or in a tight squeeze between massive boulders. Kay brings back

images from these precarious situations that convey the majesty and

feeling of the place for us to enjoy from the safety of our armchairs.

Acrophobia: the fear of heights. Claustrophobia: the

fear of confined spaces. Even the words that describe

these conditions can instill fear. Yet there are photog-

raphers such as Utah-based James Kay who enjoy find-

ing themselves canyoneering—out on a limb over a dramatic landscape

or in a tight squeeze between massive boulders. Kay brings back

images from these precarious situations that convey the majesty and

feeling of the place for us to enjoy from the safety of our armchairs.

Month 1997 XX38 Outdoor Photographer

used information gleaned from aerialphotography to become intimate withmany of the Plateau’s most remote andinaccessible areas.

Many times, my companions and Ihave no prior knowledge of earlierdescents or what obstacles lie ahead.Most narrow canyons contain hiddendrop-offs and deep, cold pools of stag-nant water that would induce instanthypothermia without wetsuits. Some are

so narrow that it’s difficult to squeezethrough even without a pack. The skillsacquired from climbing mountains areuseful when descending a deep, narrowcanyon and the hardware is almost iden-tical. This would include ropes longenough for all anticipated drops, climb-ing harnesses, mechanical ascenders,slings for setting rappels, waterproof riverbags for clothing and food and wetsuitsfor any swims. The primary concern

THIS PAGE, ABOVE AND TOP RIGHT:Paria Canyons, Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness,Utah; RIGHT: Zion National Park, Utah.OPPOSITE PAGE: Lime Rock Canyon, Utah.PARIA CANYONS: Nikon F4S, Nikkor 35mm, Manfrotto3001 tripod and ballhead; Pentax 67, Pentax 105mm,Manfrotto 3021 tripod and ballhead; ZION: Nikon F4s,Nikkor 50mm, Manfrotto 3001 tripod and ballhead; LIMEROCK: Pentax 67, Pentax 45mm, Manfrotto 3021 tripodand ballhead; ALL IMAGES: Fujichrome Velvia

when venturing into one of these flashflood-prone canyons is the weather,and close attention must be paid to theforecast. June is historically the driesttime of year and therefore the best timeto avoid thunderstorms.

Outdoor Photographer: What filmand equipment do you use for thistype of work?

Kay: For canyoneering photogra-phy, where rappelling and swimming

April 2002 4140 Outdoor Photographer

through the narrowest canyons isinvolved, I whittle my gear down to themost essential items. For overnight trips,I use a small pack with a volume ofabout 2,500 cubic inches for all myclothing, food and climbing equipment,and a small fanny pack for my cameragear. I pack a Nikon N90S body and my24mm and 35-70mm zoom lenses. Alarge depth of field and a wide-anglework best in these very narrow andrestricted spaces. Usually, five rolls aday of Fujichrome Velvia film will suf-

fice. Since deep, cold pools are usuallypart of the program, I’ll slip my cam-era pack into a heavy-duty dry bag. Dueto low light levels, a small tripod isessential, and I’ll usually wrap it witha thick foam pad for protection fromscraping along the narrow canyon walls.

I’ve spent many days with my com-panions toiling in the black depths ofsome canyons with no opportunities forphotography. Sometimes, even whenpresented with a beautiful image, I maybe too exhausted or too focused on the

ordeal to want to deal with unpackingeverything to record a single image. I’llmake a mental note, however, of anyparticularly beautiful spots and returnon my own at a later date with mymedium-format gear so I can take thetime to set up and wait for the best light.

Outdoor Photographer: What’s yourmedium-format setup?

Kay: For a typical day shoot in canyoncountry when I’m on my own and con-centrating on landscape photography,I’ll load my LowePro Super-Trekker

ABOVE: Metate Arch, Devil’s Garden, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah. Pentax 67, Pentax 55mm, Fujichrome Velvia, Manfrotto 3021 tripod and ballhead

with my Pentax 67 body and four lenses,including the 45mm, 75mm, 105mmand 200mm. I’ll also pack my Fuji 617panorama camera with its three lenses.With a Manfrotto 3021 tripod strappedto the side, two or three liters of waterand food for the day, it’s a healthy load.As I trudge through the sand doing myLawrence of Arabia imitation with penin hand, I’ll make notes whenever Icome across a potential shot and returnat the time of day and year when I thinkthe light will be best.

Outdoor Photographer: Where areyour favorite places to photograph,and why?

Kay: What I cherish most about mylandscape work is that it allows me tospend time wandering the canyons andmesas of the Colorado Plateau, withouta doubt, my favorite location to shoot.In my opinion, the plateau country con-tains more possibilities for beautiful andvaried imagery than any place on Earth.Even though the crystalline-clean airJosef Muench found is now filled withhaze much of the year, the light of thisregion is still unmatched.

My favorite photography locationson the Plateau include the canyons ofthe Escalante, Paria and Virgin rivers.It’s the combination of huge sandstonewalls, well-watered canyon bottoms andnarrow side canyons found in these areasthat provides so much variety for pho-tography. I gravitate to those areas offlowing water to add motion to myimagery and reflections of the warmcanyon walls. While shooting deep inthe canyons, I’ll avoid the direct raysof light on my subject and instead usethe warm reflected light bouncing offthe walls, which causes the rock to lookas if it’s lit from within.

One aspect of shooting in canyoncountry is that I don’t need to put mycamera away when the sun is high inthe sky. In fact, when shooting deep inthe canyons, a cloudless blue sky andmidday sun are the best conditions toprovide the most dramatic reflected light.On a typical day of shooting, I’ll lookfor that magic early-morning light highon the canyon rims and head for the deepcanyons at the height of the day. Later,as the sun draws near the horizon, I’llreturn to the canyon rims and set up fora possible dramatic late-evening shot. OP

For more of James Kay’s photogra-phy, visit www.jameskay.com.