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Friday, February 7, 2014

SCOUTING A PHOTO SHOOT LOCATION 101... MONUMENT VALLEY

In 2004, Max was working on the Prophecy album and came across some images of Monument Valley.  He immediately got the idea to do a photo shoot and possibly later, a video shoot there.  The panorama is so intense and it fit the mystic vision Max was shooting for.

We packed up Zyon, Igor and our new pup, Spanky and headed north.  This was going to be an all day excursion and we were very excited!

We drove through Tuba City on the way and stopped for lunch and to visit some Indian huts and attractions on the side of the road.  The landscape was getting barren from trees, painted with years of different layers of prehistoric stone and reflective.  It was a beautiful drive, as if we were being absorbed by nature.

Monument Valley is one of Mother Nature's castles.  An amusement park for nature lovers??  God's personal fingerprint??  We could only breathe deep and allow the sights to pulse through our very bloodstreams!
Zyon, Igor, Spanky, and Photog Max
Max and I got out and began to take photos of different angles and backgrounds.  We found a white towel in our van and draped it on Max to envision different poses.  Besides getting work done, we also had a shizzle-ton of fun!!  The boys learned a lot of interesting facts and by the time we went back home, we were all fully pooped out and satisfied that we were on the right track. We knew we would return.



When the time was right, we flew our close friend and badass photographer, Nick Steever, out and made another trip to Monument Valley.  This time we knew where to go and what type of images we wanted to capture.  It is one of my favorite shoots Max ever did.
Me, Max and Spanky
We returned later to fulfill another of Max's dreams..to make a video on location, in the heart of the monuments.  My good friend, Fred Davis, helped obtain permission for us to video and....wait!  That is another story...


Class dismissed....RIP Spanky