Glow light is conjured in the sandstone canyons of the Colorado Plateau and imparts a magical luminosity wherever it shines. In true fairy tale fashion it transforms drab colored rocks into royal geology. It's easy to fall under its spell and simply lose yourself in its beauty.

The key to good glow light is a combination of shadow and reflection. Glow light, being relatively dim, only shows itself in places lying in shadow. The reflection comes from a nearby piece stone that is drenched in full sun. Canyons are an ideal place for this to occur. Their steep, narrow nature allows one wall to be in sun and the other to be in complete shadow. The sunlit wall reflects light onto the shadowed wall, and glow light is born.

Film is especially adept at capturing glow light. Our eyes are not. We filter glow light through our mental expectations of the rock's true color, effectively muting the effect. Film, on the other hand, has no filter. It only records the color that is actually present. It's not influenced by perceptions and literally translates the color when exposed. Pictures of glow light frequently are more dramatic than the actual event, until, that is, you let go of your preconceptions and simply allow yourself to be captured by its spell.