Monument Valley Butte in Golden Light Desert Photography
Warm Sandstone Above a Sloping Base and Open Plain
The sandstone catches the light across almost its whole face. Dark vertical cuts remain visible, but the butte itself is warm and clearly defined beneath a blue sky. I photographed this Monument Valley scene at sunset in 2008, concentrating on the rock formation rather than a brightly coloured evening sky.
Its outline gives the photograph a strong centre. A broad upper mass rises above a sloping base, with a slender projection standing beside it. Below, broken rock and smaller ridges spread outward into the surrounding plain. I find the transition from the steep face to the lower ground particularly interesting because it shows the formation as part of a landscape rather than an isolated shape.
The light picks out many small changes in the sandstone. Grooves, ledges and rough slopes create darker lines within the warm surface, while broader shadows stretch across the flatter land behind it. The comparatively simple sky gives those details room to remain visible. Near the horizon, the colour softens and the distant terrain becomes much less distinct.
I wanted the photograph to keep that balance of a substantial central subject and an open desert setting. Monument Valley is recognizable through its rock forms, but this view rewards attention to the surface as well as the silhouette. The warm light, the small dark grooves and the ground spreading away from the butte give me several different ways to read the same landscape.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2008
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About My Fine Art Photography
Every photograph in my collection comes from my own travels, explorations, and years behind the camera.
I create my work as photographic art rather than mass-produced decoration. From street portraits and abandoned places to landscapes, architecture, and the unusual subjects I discover along the way, each image begins with something that made me stop and look.
My photographs are available in multiple sizes so the same image can work in anything from an intimate wall space to a large statement installation.
