MONUMENT VALLEY, UTAH - 2022

Monument Valley is the very essence of the South West of America; a colossal theatre of dreams and a canvas for movies without equal. It is the beating heart of the Wild West, a landscape of such timeless grandeur that we are forced to recognise that our time on this extraordinary planet is short and our footprint minimal. Its scale provokes a sensory overload never diluted by familiarity.

John Ford and John Wayne went back time and time again because the landscape does much of the storytelling work for a director. It serves to elevate those who perform on the stage as the context is almost always one of heroic isolation.

We got lucky with the light at the famous Forrest Gump Point last Monday morning. There was a window of about five minutes and the girls were so professional despite the chilling wind. Pictures like this make the job so rewarding and always remind me what a team effort it is. In particular, a big shout out to Nicole Allowitz; her styling is always so on point and was critical for the intended vibe on one of the most famous stretches of road in the world.

The title of the image is a borrow from Robert Earl Keen - the genius singer songwriter from Texas whom we sing along to whilst on the road in America. There will be a follow up photograph tomorrow which, of course, has to be called “and the Party never ends”.