THE MITTENS
MONUMENT VALLEY, UTAH, USA
Image Number 214
Monument Valley on the Utah-Arizona border provides the most enduring and definitive image of the American West. The isolated red mesas and buttes surrounded by empty, sandy desert have featured in over 47 movies, most famously the John Wayne movies directed by John Ford. The “Mittens” (buttes which resemble fingerless gloves) rise over 328 meters above the desert floor. Monument Valley is located within the Navaho Tribal Park which is the semi-autonomous homeland of the Navajo Nation. The Park occupies an area greater than the state of Connecticut. At the bottom right of the image a green Navaho house may be seen - these houses are maintained by the United States Government - water, garbage and sewage services are supplied by government trucks.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Contax 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/700th second at F5.6. 80mm Zeiss lens. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.