Once Upon A Time, a photo from Utah, West

Photographer's Note

This is the third time I was here in Monument Valley, it still take my breath away and it still makes me feel like I was transfer back in time. Here it seem time stood still at least from this POV. The reality is changing. There is a large hotel now, the old camp ground is gone.

Monument Valley is located on the southern border of Utah with northern Arizona (around 36°59′N, 110°6′W). The valley lies within the range of the Navajo Nation Reservation, and is accessible from U.S. Highway 163. The Navajo name for the valley is Tsé Bii' Ndzisgaii (Valley of the Rocks).

ISO 100
Polarize filter
1/125
f/7.1

holmertz, Bluejeans, siudzi, janusz2054, PaulVDV, ChrisJ, Cricri, siolaw, TopGeo, mkamionka, tatadalou, Robert1969, Kielia, shevchenko, annjackman, delpeoples ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

yquem46 (38752) 2011-11-15 9:25

Hi Way
Definitely one of the places that I like best among those that I know in our big planet
Top notch quality for the colors, I still have them in my eyes, and an excellent compo with the rock/bush at FG and the little room left for the sky
I wanna go back there !!
have a nice day
All the best
patrick

bema (26591) 2011-11-15 9:38

Hello Way,

the valley of my childhood..! have seen it in so many old western-films, mostly in black and white, later on in colors-version.. was always impressed about those huge rocks..
very fine shot here, like a lot the the red colors and the perfect clarity..

thanks for sharing these memories, cheers Bernd

HimalAnda (10671) 2011-11-15 9:39

Hello Way,

One more time, you publish a very nice picture.
The colors are great and, as usual, the composition is perfect. The big rock on the foreground is at the right place.

Stéphane

dta (98848) 2011-11-15 9:49

Hello Way ,
Another perfect presentation of a natural marvel . The composition is quite original , with this square stone , its shade , and some plats in the FG , and the outstanding rocky fromationsin the Bg . Great sharpness and DOF , and beautiful colors , that seems really natural .
Regards

holmertz (102050) 2011-11-15 10:06

Hello Way,
Does the large hotel belong to the "Best Western" chain? It should, because this view shows what we all have seen in dozens of movies from the Wild West. It's really an archetypical landscape. You composed this timeless, endless view very well by including the large square rock in the foreground. Brilliant colours and sharpness, as always.
Kind regards,
Gert

Bluejeans (64251) 2011-11-15 10:07

Ola Way ,
Linda esta tua foto no Parque Monument Valley , escolheste um belo primeiro plano com esta rocha , são magnificas as montanhas de fundo fazem um belo contraste com o céu , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

m00n (2259) 2011-11-15 10:12

Especially great composition. This is quite typical for your photos. Perfectly mastered the strong light. The shadows are not dark we can see all the details. Perfect exposure. What more could you want!
I bow my forehead Monika

rbassin (27472) 2011-11-15 10:41

Hello Way,
Les couleurs sont superbes, bon cadrage qui laisse place au sol avec ses spécifités géologiques.
Bon contraste des teintes rouges avec le ciel.
Bonne soirée
Roland

brianmcc (6223) 2011-11-15 11:04

hi way,
this is a terrific picture. the rock in the foreground is well placed and proportioned. the background rocks are fantastic. your viewpoint really creates a superb composition. excellent sharpness and depth of field. lovely bright colours.
regards,
brian

siudzi (34141) 2011-11-15 11:29

Hi Way,

What an unique and beautiful place you have presented. Your composition with a huge stone in the foreground is simply cleaver. Very well seen and executed. Great work!

TFS

Warm regards,
Malgorzata

janusz2054 (2) 2011-11-15 11:30

Hi Way,

This is a fantastic image of Monument Valley.
Very well captured and gorgeous shot of this place.
The clarity is wonderful, and the lighting is amazing.
Best regards
Janusz

Bartleby (13552) 2011-11-15 11:36

Hi Way,
ah Monument valley! I hope one day I'll visit this incredible place before it is swamped with hotels ;-)! Good light you got there, giving strong shadows and depth. I like the idea of the FG rock but I think I wouldn't have centered it this way.

Philippe

PaulVDV (62804) 2011-11-15 12:10

Hello Way,
Tsé Bii' Ndzisgaii ... I wonder how it's pronounced.
It's an impressive landscape picture with these 'monuments' rising up on the plain. The red colour of the rocks also makes this landscape so beautiful, specially under that blue sky.
When I look at this picture I wonder if we have here a complete overview of Monument Valley. Or is this a selection from an even larger entity of spectacular rocks ?
Don't understand me wrong. I find this a very fascinating and impressive landscape. It's just that I know that those western states of the US cover a huge area (certainly compared to the surface of my country). The same thing can be said of the national parks. So for someone who never visited the U.S., these landscapes seem like being endless.
And yes, I can understand that even at your third visit, it still takes your breath away.
Best regards, Paul

cornejo (61504) 2011-11-15 12:10

Hello Way, excellent photo of this charming place setting for many films from the far west, great shot perfectamante drawn with clarity, depth and a nice light, very well done excellent work my friend. Good night and happy week. Tfs.

Best regards from Jerez.

Angel.

chrislo (4099) 2011-11-15 13:53

Hello Way,
Superb landscape shot in accurate sharpness and great lighting. The depth of field is quite considerable with that stone block creating a 3D effect with the distant background. For me, this image conjures up the Western films I have enjoyed when I was younger. But it is also a marvellous landscape that you captured with great sens of composition.
Regards,
Christian

LOOOK13 (19046) 2011-11-15 13:57

Bonsoir Wayne
Wonderfull shot !!!
Cheer

patmor (576) 2011-11-15 15:02

Bonsoir Way,
Deja que le site est majestueux, vous avez su le sublimer...
Merci
Patrice

adores (46979) 2011-11-15 15:05

Hi Way!
A great photo of the Monument Valley. Colours, sharpness, dof and composition are really perfect. I like this rock in foreground - it's a good detail and makes a really good composition!

cargus (13856) 2011-11-15 21:56

Paysage magnifique, joué dans les plus belles couleurs, image claire et bien fait.!!
cordialement
Adrian

ChrisJ (171302) 2011-11-16 1:13

Hi Waye

Folks said there was no way I would ever see Mesa Verde or Moab without a car but I managed & proved them wrong. Was not so lucky with Monument Valley, Bryce & Zion. I should have forgone the slots in Vegas & spent my money on a package tour instead. Looks wonderful & would love to visit here one day. Good framing & sharpness. Tfs!

npecanhuk (79329) 2011-11-16 4:37

Hi Way!
Magnificent place!
Wonderful picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov, squarish format and composition are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

eversmile (11636) 2011-11-16 4:52

Hi Way!

I am enchanted to discover a new jewel in your gallery. The POV is always inventive and eye-catching... an absolute winner, with the rock in the foreground that introduces us to the fantastic panorama.
The exposure is really excellent, with the hues of the soil, shining, and the clear sky portion reduced to 1/3.
I really like the presence of the wood stick, behind the boulder, but I wish this nasty fellow could have been slightly shorter, not to compete with the natural monuments in the background. By the way, I mischievously tried a WS to realise my wish! :D

Hugs
Marine
I hope things are going well on your side!...

[workshop] [compare]

janneman (4037) 2011-11-16 9:13

Classical shot of Monument Valley, with a title refering to the classical Western movie by Sergio Leone, with it's even more classical score bij Ennio Morricone.

The blue and orange colours are magic!

Regards, Jan

Cricri (176) 2011-11-16 9:31

Hi Way
On se croirait sur une autre planète ce paysage est tout simplement magnifique, la lumière et des couleurs splendide, tés belle image
Belle soirée
cricri

stevenmelissa (203) 2011-11-16 10:32

Hello Way,
The subject matter has been done a thousand times, yet the composition of this view of the iconic Monument Valley is captivating: entirely familiar yet at the same time unique.

The technique, as always, is impeccable - in my opinion, it's the creative composition of the shot that makes this so successful. Congratulations on another wonderful photo.

Best regards, Steve

siolaw (38294) 2011-11-16 22:36

Soksabai Way,
A typical landscape, as seen in many "Western" style movies! You composed it well with just enough sky and good use of the rock to anchor the shot in the FG.
Outstanding general quality.
Greetings
Laurent

jhm (211734) 2011-11-17 3:03

Hello Way,

I don't know or here a filter must use, this gives the high light a little bit more dark color.
Nevertheless a wonderful picture with the colors and the rocks.
Excellent composition, sharpness and clarity are nice for look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

sacimar (38173) 2011-11-17 6:16

Hi Way,

this is a another beautiful image of this magic place, I like the composition with the rock in the foreground, it was a good idea, nice colors and light management, well done,

Best regards,

Sergio

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2011-11-17 7:26

Hello Way,
Colourful with a great POV. Good quality and excellent light. Great view of lovely place.
best wishes,
Achim

mkamionka (73470) 2011-11-18 2:02

Hi Way,
this is an incredibly beautiful place, yet I remember how I have struggled to compose an interesting shot over there. You did a fantastic job, showing some recognizable features but adding some more less known plus photographing from an unusual POV. Brilliant idea for the composition, everything seems to be well thought through as always in your works. Amazing natural colors and shapes.
Excellent work!!!
Have a great weekend,
M

stevesaba (8167) 2011-11-18 10:32

Hi Way!
A very fine photo from Monument Valley! Beautiful framing and composition, with some wonderful deep depth of field and perfect clarity! The polarizer seems to have worked very well here. A very lovely photo. I would love to visit there, camera in hand! I did drive across the Navajo Nation Reservation years ago. As I recall it is about 100 miles across. I love the "Four Corners" Area. Thanks for your kind comments on my two portraits. Lovely work as always! Warm regards,
Steve

lakshmip1949 (19081) 2011-11-18 14:40

Hello Way,

Utah is one of my favourite places with many national parks and monuments. Beautiful red rocks in different shapes with great management of light and sharpness. The image has great depth and well balanced.

lakshmi

tatadalou (7459) 2011-11-18 15:25

Hello Way,
You show us here a breathtaking landscape. The photo is very well executed, with extraordinary light, color and depth of field. It's beautiful!
Regards,
Delphine

Robert1969 (7160) 2011-11-20 3:58

Hello Way,

Very risky to start a title "Once Upon a Time" with this kind of pictures (wild west), because a lots
of people (including me) are thinking directly
about the move "Once Upon a Time in the West", one
of the best (western) movies ever made.

But when someone like you making such beautiful pictures,
you can use in my eyes every title, because you honor
this beautiful creation of nature and you honor also indirectly the wonderful movie.

Than I will now start the music of Ennio Morricone
and I will see the whole movie pass...

Friendly regards and have a nice Sunday and I will
thank you for vissiting my website.

Friendly regards,
Robert

Kielia (24077) 2011-11-20 6:24

Hello Way,
a very original and fascinating POV on a spectacular place. Very nice light and beautiful colors. What I like most is the excellent composition! My compliments!
Warm regards
Harriet

fabianoleite (13575) 2011-11-20 17:12

Great vastness and excellent shades of orange in this amazing desert. The natural sculptures scattered around form a good composition, congratulations!

shevchenko (20560) 2011-11-22 1:24

Hi Way,
All these standing rocks and highlands are good contrast to the plain, I like all those rare species and wild plants that growing on the arid land, lovely wide landscape, distinct image, well done.
Ally

annjackman (23019) 2011-11-22 23:22

Hello Way,
A beautiful place that you have photographed very well. The large boulder and bushes in the FG with those wonderful monoliths in the distance make a clever composition. The colours are just how I remember Monument Valley and stand out against the blue sky. Excellent clarity.
Regards, Ann

Angshu (56760) 2011-11-24 7:25

Sabaidie Way!
I don't think I'll ever get tired seeing pictures from this amazing place! You're indeed fortunate to have visited it thrice already. Despite having seen gazillions of pictures there's something fresh in this shot...your choice to include the large rock & the small dead tree in the FG. Seems so simple...yet so very ingenuous!
Best Regards
Angshu

chawax (20764) 2011-11-24 11:37

Hi Way,
I dream to visit this fantastic place ! A nice POV, very good colours and an excellent sharpness. Nice title too !
Regards,
Olivier

abmdsudi (95869) 2011-12-08 2:21

Sabaidee Waylim
Catching up something I missed during my absence.
Excellent wild west landscape, a breathtaking view again. Excellent composition and angle chosen with the rock in the lower part of the frame is perfect to keep the eye into the perspective. The mesas are just at the right spot and the rock formation certainly makes you sit up and pay more than the usual attention, beautiful rock colours and fascinating textures with the contrast against the sky adding to the impact of the scene. The golden light, minute detail, and color tones are gorgeous and the polarizer really gets the most out of the blue sky. This is a fine balanced exposure of your work process leading to an excellent finished result. Great shot, you have caught the majesty of the place and yes it is an area that has the seen to be believed. Superb upload
Best regards

jmdias (114340) 2012-02-19 2:58

way

a precious landscape I want to know someday.
very beautiful the way you framed the compo, leting the stone in the foreground and creating dof and a visual dialogue with the huge natural monuments ahead. perfect light, etc.. well done. TFS.

hugs

jorge

delpeoples (60342) 2012-03-02 2:07

Hello dear Naughty

An immaculate scene, with crisp lines and colours. The depth of field is as per usual, superb. I'm not entirely convinced by the inclusion of the rock in the foreground, it is a little distracting. But that's just a question of personal taste. Great shot anyway.

Warm regards and happy weekend
Lisa