Light. It is a photographer’s most fundamental consideration. Landscape photographers invest hours of research and planning, endure countless attempts at trial and error, and expend blood, sweat, and tears to chase the perfect light. It is the one physical element, more so than composition of subject, that can make or break the rendering of a quality photograph.
I had photographed a small Quartermaster sandstone slot canyon in Palo Duro Canyon State Park numerous times. When I stumbled onto this slot years ago, it was chalk full of black widow spiders. Hence, I called the place the Deathly Hallows. On at least one of my past visits, the canyon harbored warm reflected glows of light on the canyon walls, however, I had never witnessed the Heavenly apparitions that I recently captured there. In fact, I had rarely captured such luminatory phenomenon anywhere in the Llano Canyons. I first encountered light beams penetrating the dimly lit depths of a Llano slot on a hike to South Cita Canyon’s Slenderman. I was convinced that what I witnessed there was a geophysical novelty of time and place.
Needless to say, I was not expecting brilliant light beams from above when I trekked out to the Deathly Hallows on this particular day in the canyon. My long-time hiking partner, Barry, had however, recently captured some beautiful images of this small geologic treasure filling with intense warm glows, so I had reason to believe I was in for a show. My initial hike out to the slot was met with an overgrown obscure backcountry trail and then a climb up a crumbling sandstone cliff, followed by a few up-and-downs over yucca and prickly pears. Before long I found myself squeezing through the tight confines of the Deathly Hallows.
Being a Quartermaster sandstone slot, this is not the most striated or structured slot, but it does feature several nice curves and even a bell-shaped wall. Not long after I arrived, the live-view LCD on my Canon DSLR started to show the warm glow that I was anticipating, and it was glorious. One feature of this slot that I had pretty much not noticed before, is that it contains a short section that is effectively a tunnel. A portion of the shallow canyon’s rim folds over to form an arch, or bridge. As I focused on capturing the best photographs I possibly could of the intense earth-toned glows occurring on the curved walls of the tiny slot canyon, I began to notice a bright spot in the sand at my feet, right under my tripod. The first thought that came to my mind when I realized what was happening was, “no way!”.
There are times in nature when it is difficult to comprehend the beauty that is transpiring before us. This was one of those moments. During the next fifteen minutes, my attention was solely focused on trying to document what I was witnessing. Bright sunshine filtered into a tiny opening in the natural bridge above, and illuminated a shaft of light that shown on the sandy canyon floor right in front of the canyon walls that were intensely glowing with indirect light. Toggle through the slide show below (four images) to see the evolution of this apparition, an anomalous display of nature hidden deep in the bowels of the Texas Panhandle.
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 8:12
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
As quickly as the light entered and traversed the narrow passage, it completely filled and saturated the slot canyon, and the show was over. As I emerged from the tight confines of the slot, the feeling of having witnessed something special was overwhelming. I found myself impatiently downloading images straight to my phone enroute to the parked car, and immediately texting them to Barry as soon as I could secure a cellular signal. On the hike back, I forced myself to take the time to simply pause and take in the view of the larger grandeur of Palo Duro Canyon.
Of course, my account prompted Barry to revisit the Deathly Hallows just a couple of days later. He captured a similar light beam apparition, but it was clear that just a matter of 48 hours made a difference in the angle, intensity, and time of the light pouring into this little hidden canyon. These glorious beams from Heaven appear to be exceedingly fleeting. Catch them if you can, but I am thankful to have served witness to nature’s lights in a tiny and dusty little trench He carved through the badlands of west Texas. Through what fleeting instant of natural beauty will He reveal Himself to you? You better get outside and explore to find out!
The Caprock Canyoneer 