The amazing False Kiva is definately one of my favorite photographic locations of all time. It’s a welcome tourist free zone where you can truly relax and take in one of South-West’s grandest vistas. Locating this cave involves a treacherous hike into an isolated alcove deep in a secretive section of Canyonlands National Park known mostly only to photographers. This place is not on any tourist brochure or park map and its unlikely you’ll encounter anyone else on your travels to this hauntingly beautiful class II protected site. It is believed the cave was used as a temporary shelter by ancestral Puebloans around 1200 AD and occupied only on a temporary basis rather than permanently. So little is known about this site still and whether its a true kiva or not, hence its name False Kiva. Without a doubt, the history of this place, the difficulty and danger of access, the complete isolation and the incredible views out to the South-West over the Green River and White Rim Trail, make this up there amongst the worlds great photo locations.
The hike across the canyon face is treacherous and involves steep inclines and declines on slickrock and large loose boulders. The first part of the walk is a simple descent into a picturesque valley via a well marked cairned trail, and although easily visible, the trail itself is unsignposted from the Upheaval Dome Road, in the ‘Island in the Sky’ district. The kiva is not easily found and is only visible in the last few meters of the trail literally halfway up the face of the canyon wall hundreds of feet above the canyon floor. Its probably not a good idea to hike alone into this place as any fall, snakebite or mountain lion attack could leave you without help for days, or dead.
Once you’ve actually found False Kiva your next problem is actually photographing this ancient site. With up to 8 stops of light difference between the foreground and background, this photo cannot possibly be exposed correctly without the use of graduated neutral density filters to balance out the scene. The best time of day is late afternoon when the sun is setting from out of view to the right. That way the contouring on the canyon floor is most evident and adds a critical element of impact to the composition. Another way to capture the kiva is by bracket exposing and combining the best shots in PS using HDR (High Dynamic Range). The site probably lends itself most to wide-angle photography. Possibly a 14mm lens would work best as ideally you will need to incorporate the round rock formation and roof of the cave in the composition. I shot with my 24mm on the 5dmk2 full frame though with good results.
The hike into the canyon can be seen left-center of this photo. Its not that easy, however with a common sense approach it can be negotiated safely with a minimum of fuss. The trail then continues across the face of the canyon well to the below right of the photo, then backtracks up a final loose rocky outcrop to a small slickrock ledge. If it looks like raining, I’d make a hasty retreat, as negotiating this trail in the wet could be extremely difficult and dangerous.
( 20th – 28th July 2009 ). In late July I completed a very rewarding and successful American summer photographic expedition back into a place I love so much, America’s captivating South-West desert regions. Although only a relatively brief nine day excursion, as always the pre-planning and research I undertook before was crucial in making the most of seasonal photo opportunities. Indeed the number one reason for doing this trip mid-summer was to capture the extraordinary natural light show of Antelope Canyon which really has to be seen to be believed. I knew going in that the logistics of getting the light beams at this time of year was going to be challenging, not because of the time and location, but more because of the large crowds that congregate to see this phenomenal event take place each day around 
midday (weather permitting). So although this maybe the most photographed slot canyon in the world, the chances of nailing a clean, people free shot are simply nil, without the help of a Navajo guide.
