Monument Valley II
At first glance, it’s unspectacular. Sand, scrub, the usual desert. You could be in a thousand other places.
Then come the Mittens.
West Mitten, East Mitten, Merrick Butte — someone has named these massive sandstone colossi after mittens. You can see why: the distinctive towers jutting out from the sides of the table mountains do indeed resemble an outstretched thumb.
In black and white, the Mittens lose their blazing colour but gain volume and tranquillity. No drama, no postcard red. Just form, light and sand. The sand has a texture you never notice in a colour photograph. And the three colossi stand there as always — unimpressed by whether you photograph, name or admire them.
They stood there long before anyone had the idea of naming them after gloves.


























