A Shiprock-Monument Valley Geological Juxtaposition

 

I was surfing the web this morning and somehow ended up in YouTube, the universe’s online repository for all things video. I stumbled on a trailer for the upcoming movie of the Lone Ranger set for a 2013 release. Check out the image that appears at about 9 seconds.

Notice anything strange about this photo capture? It’s the diatreme of Shiprock in New Mexico sharing the Colorado Plateau with the buttes of Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah line. They almost look like they belong together.

Only in Hollywood!

Here’s the link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlrQD8Kvk6M

For a bigger thrill (for all you Baby Boomer’s out there), here’s the original 1950's intro of the Lone Ranger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXRjuaEVK78  

Want to learn more about Shiprock, go here: http://written-in-stone-seen-through-my-lens.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html.

How about Monument Valley and the Gouldings, go here: http://written-in-stone-seen-through-my-lens.blogspot.com/2011/01/hollywoods-monument-valley.html.

Photographic Juxtaposition

While visiting Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah line, I was strolling through an area where the local Navajo Native Americans set up a few tables to sell their beautiful jewelry. Nearby was a Porta-Potty. I glanced up to look up at the Left Mitten rock formation, and there it was. A perfect juxtaposition!

One of the most effective ways to express ideas photographically is to juxtapose your subjects. Juxtaposition in photography places objects close together. Generally the images have some bearing on and relativity to each other. Images placed side by side or in proximity beckon the observer to make comparisons or contrasts in order to show similarities or differences.

To me, the juxtaposition is a reminder of the issues and challenges that most, if not all, Native American tribes and  nations face as they enter the 21st century. Most notable to my thoughts are issues such as the lure of urban-life, embracing technology and attaining economic self-sufficiency, while trying to retain tribal culture, social and traditional values.