We met Ray in the lobby at 6am to have him take us out to see and shoot the Totem Pole monuments during sunrise.

We piled into his white suburban. Because the roads in Monument Valley are rough and unpaved, the doors on that white suburban were rattling as if they were going to swing open at any time or worse yet, fall off. In order for me to get out of the front passenger seat, Ray had to open the front passenger door from the outside like a chauffer. The suburban must have had some frame damage from all the pounding from the rough roads. It made the photography tour that much more realistic!

Ray was an excellent guide. He was very funny. He had some great stores and jokes. He gave us some very helpful suggestions and compositions while at the same time he was also hands off. I’ve hired guides before where they are completely hands on, and from that I usually don’t get anything useful. He did bring us to other cool locations that are off the beaten path. Unfortunately, the sun had already rose and made for difficult shooting.

Here are some of my favorites!

~Greg