Monument Valley // Dawn Presents Itself
Monument Valley, Arizona is simply the icon of the southwest. Movies with John Wayne are part of the America culture as are the Navajo Indians who live and own the land. Seeing it for the first time is an event that one is sure to never forget. As the sun rises in the east it backlights the buttes, curving around them ever so slowly to reveal more and more details of their shear magnificent. I shot this image at 4:30 a.m. during summer as the sun first started to rise. I was blessed to have just the right amount of sunlight and clouds that morning.
Monument Valley // Dual Tones 1, 2 & 3
Even thou Monument Valley has iconic vistas, it also has hidden surprises around each corner as you venture out into the park. These three images while quite different in subject matters, they both hold a place in my heart and memories of that very special first morning photographing there.
Monument Valley // Factual Monuments
As the sun wraps itself around the buttes in Monument Valley the details of the rock formations start to reveal themselves. Colors fade in the vast vista offering up a backdrop of simple texture to frame the foreground. This image was shot at f/4 which allow the camera to capture the light splitting.
Monument Valley // A Navajo Spring
I wanted to come away from my time in Monument Valley with an image that highlighted the spring flowers that still even in summer carpeted the valley floor. Taking my time I found this location, setup the composition, and took the shot. Mission complete.
Monument Valley // Red Sun Rising
On my second trips back to Monument Valley in just two months time I discovered a whole new color palette. Reds, yellow, and slight hints of blue make this a very special image.
Monument Valley // Golden Vista
By 8 a.m. the morning of the second adventure in the park, I noticed the light was now golden. In this image I used the lines of the foreground to draw the viewer in, and then release their visual attention of the gigantic buttes in the distance.
Monument Valley // Dual-tone Valley
In this image I created a composition and placed scale and formation at the forefront of the visual. Making sure to include the desert vegetation, proved to be the right choice.
Monument Valley // Small Meets Large
Having a foreground match-up with the gigantic buttes proved to create a visual interesting composition.
