Monument Valley

[pioneervato]

Spent the weekend in Monument Valley on an invite from marantzfan and just got back. Monument Valley has been at the top of my list of places in Arizona to photograph ever since I went there for the first time in 1986. I loaded up my 4x5 Wista, Mamiya 645, and my Nikon D200 DSLR. I have been there several times over the years and so I was excited to make another trip. I made lots of photographs with the DSLR and a few with the 4x5 and 645.

I picked one tonight I wanted to play with which I made using my Nikon D200. I will be spending the next several days loading the 700+ images that I made and sorting through the images. Here is just one image I made on Saturday which I shot as a black and white.

North Window, Monument Valley Exposure: 1/750 sec. @ f9, ISO 500.

 

[onepixel]

Beautiful shot Jesse!

Look forward to seeing more!

 

[danj]

One of the great American landscapes and director John Ford's favorite "western" location.

 

[pioneervato]

Thanks onepixel. I'm glad you like it. Here is another I tinkered with before I need to hit the sack. Interesting note, the posted image doesn't seem to quite represent the image tones I thought I created in Photoshop and what I now see. But I think you will get the idea. I will be posting some color shots as well.

Exposure: 1/160 @f9, ISO 100 Nikon D200

 

[onepixel]

Oh man... I wish I were there. Gorgeous landscape and composition.

I know what you mean about images going kinda flat over the internet. But still great shot. Thanks for sharing!

 

[gewoonmaf]

Wow, extremely beautiful shots and very imposing landscape!

 

[John James]

Very nice! I like black and white. Seems like I see more.

 

[mulester7]

.....Crisp pictures, Jess....how hot was it out there during the day?.....

 

[meggy]

Great shots. Love Monument Valley - it's so surreal.

 

[Helios]

Visited that place last September; just impressive. Nice pics.

Helios

 

[Hayes]

Great pics Vato. The Valley is a shutterbug's dee-light. And those rocks don't look like they have moved much since I was there is the 80's.

 

[chillwolf]

Really nice shots Jess! I would love to be there taking some shots!
I took the liberty of doing your shot with my custom B&W converter I developed in PS. I hope you don't mind, but I think it gives the scene just a little more punch.

 

[pioneervato]

Here's a color shot from a series of sunset images.

 

[Urizen]

Beautiful shots, Jesse!:thmbsp:

 

[Filmboydoug]

Fantastic!

 

[finnbow]

Beautiful pix and place. They remind me of a trip to Monument Valley. We stayed in Kayenta, the nearest town. We got up in the morning and decided to pick up breakfast at a local Burger King. We had to restrain ourselves from laughing when the cute Navajo countergirl at BK asked us "Will you be dining with us in our dining room this morning?" as a more polite way of asking if it was takeout. This was over 25 years ago and we still reminisce about it frequently when passing a Burger King.

 

[old_tv_nut]

Spent the weekend in Monument Valley on an invite from marantzfan and just got back. Monument Valley has been at the top of my list of places in Arizona to photograph ever since I went there for the first time in 1986. I loaded up my 4x5 Wista, Mamiya 645, and my Nikon D200 DSLR. I have been there several times over the years and so I was excited to make another trip. I made lots of photographs with the DSLR and a few with the 4x5 and 645.

I picked one tonight I wanted to play with which I made using my Nikon D200. I will be spending the next several days loading the 700+ images that I made and sorting through the images. Here is just one image I made on Saturday which I shot as a black and white.

North Window, Monument Valley Exposure: 1/750 sec. @ f9, ISO 500.

Monument Valley really begs for this wide format, IMO. Cinemascope! I really like the composition, and would have liked to be there to see what's further left and right to compare to see how this choice came about. The butte on the right seems to be place by a "rule of fifths" rather than a "rule of thirds," and really looks right to me for this format.

Can you tell us any overt thoughts on choosing this composition (besides "it just looks gorgeous!")?

 

[Sandy G]

Is this where the rock formation/mountain called The Lion's Back is ?

 

[pioneervato]

Monument Valley really begs for this wide format, IMO. Cinemascope! I really like the composition, and would have liked to be there to see what's further left and right to compare to see how this choice came about. The butte on the right seems to be place by a "rule of fifths" rather than a "rule of thirds," and really looks right to me for this format.

Can you tell us any overt thoughts on choosing this composition (besides "it just looks gorgeous!")?

I don't always subscribe to the "rule of thirds" philosophy but have employed it many, many, times in my photographs over the years. I also don't always have "concrete" reasons for what I do and how I compose. I always like to think that I have a "feel" for what is right (to me) before I even set up the camera or even look through the viewfinder.

As I am sure you know, this image was heavily cropped from the original because I already knew from the moment I made the exposure that I was going to modify the actual scene my camera captured. You are quite correct in that the "rule of thirds" has been modified and you are correct that this modification (your "rule of fifths") works for this composition and it does just that because of what I chose to "exclude" from the scene.

Many photographers approach a subject or scene and automatically start to think of what they will "include" in the scene whereas I often think about what I am going to "exclude" (leave out) from the scene. I often will make the effort to do this in-camera but if that is not always possible I will address this in post production whether it be through my computer or in the darkroom when I print.

Thanks for your comment as it tells me that you studied the composition and started to think about my reasons for why I did what I did. I am very much a student of photography just as you are and just as so many here are. I try to be very direct in my approach to what I want from the subject but I will be the first to tell you that I don't always succeed. However, it doesn't ever stop me from trying to improve.

 

[pioneervato]

Is this where the rock formation/mountain called The Lion's Back is ?

You got me, Sandy. I have been to this area several times and have never heard any area of Monument Valley referred to as "The Lion's Back". I just don't know.