A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Home · Register · Search · Software · Hosting · Software · Join Upload & Sell

FM Forum Rules
Landscape Posting Guidelines
One new topic per day

FM Forums \| Landscape Photographer \| Join Upload & Sell
1 2 end

bpham
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #1 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Some of the images of a recent trip (about 2 weeks ago) to Monument Valley and Escalante (Hole in the Rock area).

# 1

This image is copyrighted by the owner

# 2

# 3

# 4

# 5

Enjoy.

Nov 24, 2012 at 05:51 AM

moonpeep
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #2 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

# 1 is good but looks bizarrely like a stage. Just odd lighting.

Like the perspective on #5 . . . nice shot there

Nov 24, 2012 at 06:11 AM

ben egbert
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #3 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

1 and 4 for me.

Nov 24, 2012 at 05:15 PM

bpham
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #4 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Ben, those are also my favorites. Thanks.

Nov 24, 2012 at 05:46 PM

ben egbert
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #5 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

I have been by MV but never in it. Is #4 from near the hotel? I like the road exclusion in #5, but prefer the light in #4.

Nov 24, 2012 at 06:51 PM

Jonathan Huynh
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #6 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

# 1 and 4 winner

Nov 24, 2012 at 07:16 PM

bpham
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #7 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Ben,

#4 is on top, at the parking lot of the View motel. I, on the other hand, like the road in #4. The light in #4 is after sunset, very even lighting, and it is my favorite too. # 5 was at one of the spots down at the road. I like both, however, I was there only one night, not much options. As I posted on your site, much prefer to stay 2 nights, more options. Recommend you highly to stay at the View motel, great service, food, and above all location. BTW, the moon was spectacular at night, if you're into night/star photography, I'm not, and if you stay at the hotel, the balcony has the view of these mittens.

On the day that I was there, I saw a couple of interesting events. First one, Mercedes Benz was testing their cars using the dirt road below, with their C and E class sedans, so imagine how bad the road is. Their cars were running at full speed...not sure if they were OK afterward. I had a 4x4 Toyota and it is my car, even so, I had doubt that my car was still OK, but it is OK...so far. Second was that PODAS (Phase One Digital Artist Series) had their workshop there and they stopped by the same spot that I did for image #5, so you might see some nice ones from their website later on.

http://podas.info/2012/11/06/day-2-monument-valley-podas/

All in all, Monument Valley is a great place and a wonder...to me at least.

Nov 24, 2012 at 07:18 PM

jstephens62
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #8 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Who did you use as a guide in the valley? I have been there once, inquired about photo guides and wound up on a general sightseeing tour, which was OK but could have been better. Are there Native guides that specialize in photo tours?

Nov 24, 2012 at 07:29 PM

David Leask
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #9 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

#4 and #5 for me Bihn, fabulous images.
David

Nov 24, 2012 at 07:51 PM

bpham
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #10 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Stephen62,

No tour guide for me. However, if you want a guide, make sure you go on a photography tour. I got the list of recommended tour guides from the motel's check-in/out desk. On the list of these tours, only one tour guide that specified it as a photography tour. I called the person (Carlos), and inquired the fees and the times. The only available tour is next morning @5:45am and lasts for about 4 hours. However, I had to leave early @8am so that tour was not possible for me, and I was glad I did not take it because I do feel that the late afternoon tour is better, more time, better lighting, I think. If you want to go, you should book early rather than like I did, calling at the last minute.

The only reason why I wanted a photography tour was because I wanted to get into that Totem Pole area, and I could not get inside that area unless you have a tour guide with you. I'm sure there were more interesting places to go in there. Hope that helps.

Nov 24, 2012 at 07:59 PM

JimFox
Online
• • • • • • •
Moderator
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #11 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Hey Binh,

#1 and 4 are my favorites. You captured the place well though. MV is a fun place to shoot.

Jim

Nov 24, 2012 at 08:00 PM

ben egbert
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #12 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

bpham wrote:
Ben,

#4 is on top, at the parking lot of the View motel. I, on the other hand, like the road in #4. The light in #4 is after sunset, very even lighting, and it is my favorite too. # 5 was at one of the spots down at the road. I like both, however, I was there only one night, not much options. As I posted on your site, much prefer to stay 2 nights, more options. Recommend you highly to stay at the View motel, great service, food, and above all location. BTW, the moon was spectacular at night, if you're into night/star photography, I'm not, and if you stay at the hotel, the balcony has the view of these mittens.

On the day that I was there, I saw a couple of interesting events. First one, Mercedes Benz was testing their cars using the dirt road below, with their C and E class sedans, so imagine how bad the road is. Their cars were running at full speed...not sure if they were OK afterward. I had a 4x4 Toyota and it is my car, even so, I had doubt that my car was still OK, but it is OK...so far. Second was that PODAS (Phase One Digital Artist Series) had their workshop there and they stopped by the same spot that I did for image #5, so you might see some nice ones from their website later on.

http://podas.info/2012/11/06/day-2-monument-valley-podas/

All in all, Monument Valley is a great place and a wonder...to me at least.

Thanks this place is on my bucket list. I might try it off season since this does not seem to need fall color, a good place to go in late winter perhaps. Maybe in time for a full moon. And thanks for visiting and replying at my blog.

Nov 24, 2012 at 08:03 PM

bpham
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #13 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Ben,

Yes off season is the way to go, that when I was. The View motel price was reasonable and I was able to get the room there. I heard that during peak seasons it is almost impossible to get it and the price is way too much. Also less people there also a plus. Weather wise was also very nice albeit a little windy.

Nov 24, 2012 at 08:50 PM

philtax
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #14 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

4 and 5 for me. Beautiful and very interesting light.

Phil

Nov 24, 2012 at 09:04 PM

Greg Campbell
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #15 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Gotta go with #4 as it looks the most natural. Very nice!

#2 is a good use of HDR, but #1 is literally 'unbelievable' to my eyes, and the sky in #5 seems slightly overdone as well.

Are #2 (my second choice - if you're looking for ratings.

) and #3 Coyote Gulch?

Edited on Nov 24, 2012 at 11:56 PM · View previous versions

Nov 24, 2012 at 11:53 PM

Fred Miranda
Online
Admin
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #16 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Great series here. My favorite is #4
Thanks for sharing them!

Nov 24, 2012 at 11:56 PM

bpham
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #17 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Greg,

Well observed...I've known what they are and intended for them to be that way...Yes, I know that I'm talking like I know what I was doing (hardly so most of the times...), but that was during the many hours that I spent to work on them to the way that I like at the end.

As you know, usually after working on an image for a while, I started to have doubt...that I've gone too far. But one has to stop somewhere, sometime. Yes, # 5 sky seems over done, but if that was not the case, then the mittens would not have been looked at the same way...trade offs.

#1 the lighting was really there, with the glow on the right rocks...I just accentuated it a little bit. As I take more and more photos, the thing that I've learned so far is that, you can't make a bad photo super, regardless of how much post-processing you do. However, once I have taken a good image in raw, you can see its potential right away to be an image that I will like. This is not to say that my images are super, far from that and we've all been doing this as a hobby and a passion. Who would carry a bag of 25 lb gear in the back with a 6lb tripod, hiking for 3-5 miles just to get some pictures if you don't love to do it?

#2 I love it for the sculpture of the rocks and the light/shadow. It is in the same slot canyon as #3, about 26 miles inside Hole in the Rock dirt road (another rough one to drive on and requires 4x4 or truck to get in). Hole in the Rock is what I knew when I got in that area, I think Coyote Gulch covers a much larger area.

# 3, it was the slot canyon right next to Peek-a-Boo slot. Was not able to go on to Peek-a-Boo due to a 15 foot climb to get to the entrance...with the camera bag and tripod...and most importantly, age factor...I was not about to risk being transported by helicopter to the nearest hospital. However, there IS a way to get there by going around to the back and going down, instead of the front. A 30 minute hike to get down one way. The way back was not easy for me, to say the least.

Last but not least, most of my images are not at all natural and somewhat deviated from reality, but I don't like HDR and they're not HDR, so this is just my style, and I hope that is not something that offend someone on this forum, which I think is the best anywhere, with many honest and straight forward people.

Thanks for all those who viewed and made comments, I do appreciate it.

Nov 25, 2012 at 12:28 AM

Ralph Conway
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #18 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

They are all great! Thank you.

Ralph

Nov 27, 2012 at 08:03 PM

mwalrod
Online
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #19 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

Great series...I like them all, especially the Monument Valley images.

Mark

Nov 27, 2012 at 08:33 PM

astrodave
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #20 · A few images from Monument Valley and Escalante

#5 is my favorite. I really like the feel, lighting and the perspective.

I was out at the View hotel this past summer in July and was really happy with all the great photo opportunities here. Such an amazing landscape. I even took a run around the left 'mitten' on the Wildcat trail and nearly fried in the sun (it takes longer than you'd think).

Its more crowded in July/August (and hot), but you get some great lightning storms due to the monsoon.

I hired a photo guide (not a tour), but he decided he didn't want to go out at night since it was his birthday...go figure. Still, you can get some great night shots even right there at the hotel, or down the road at the Wildcat trailhead.

Nov 27, 2012 at 09:41 PM

1 2 end
FM Forums \| Landscape Photographer \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 end