Saturday, April 18, 2009

Zabriski Point, Death Valley


















Zabriski Point in Death Valley, CA, 1999, on the zone system trip at Brooks. Ah this shot... I can't describe the good feelings I have associated with this picture. At this moment, I believe this was the best photo I had ever taken. At least it felt the best when I pressed the shutter, when I processed, and when I saw the final print. I arrived with my friend Marie right before sunset and ran to catch the fading rays pouring across the desert. I reached the summit of a vantage point just as this strange funnel-like cloud formed on the horizon in front of the sun. It lasted just long enough for 5 frames on my old Pentax K1000 with zone rated T-max film, and it was gone. Perfect timing. The situation that had me there, the way the story of the shot unfolded and the situations following it through the next few days, all of my experiences on that trip just brought my unknown dreams to the surface and made them a reality. To just roam this incredible planet chasing light and images and memories to be born... that's what I NEED to do! It's the purist way I can think of within myself to just enjoy this life and appreciate it. That and of course love. That's it for me I think really. I can be happy with that. But this experience of drifting through the desert with well loved friends and finding these incredible gifts from nature and capturing them on film, it was a dream existence made real. I've been chasing it since. And will continue.

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