Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape Photography Locations => Topic started by: Bill Belvin on April 04, 2004, 06:26:40 am
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I used a guide named Ray supplied through monumentvalley.com, paid around the $300 for sunrise/sunset but suspect you could negotiate. He knows all the good places. While in the area you should also visit Goosenecks and Mexican Hat, and perhaps Valley of the Gods.
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thanks bill,
I actually got the number from monumentvalley.com as well, and it seems like the same rate.
Peter,
I kind of agree with you. It seems ridiculous that you have to pay over 10 times the rate for a regular tour (last time i was down there a regular 2hr guided tour was around $15. the full day tour is supposed to be around 4hrs sunrise/4hrs sunset.
So for 8hrs you are paying rougly $37/hr (vs. $7.50/hr for the regular tour.
But it is private land, so i guess they can do as they please.
But at least they haven't trademarked the mittens.
I remember reading that one of my favorite scenes around the 37mile scenic drive (near carmel - where pebble springs golf course is), they trademarked the cypress tree.
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Thanks Camilla,
I will give him a call.
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I strongly recommend Tom Phillips, a local guide who knows the history and culture. He caters specifically to professional photographers and is a very good photographer in his own right. He takes you off the beaten path and you see petroglyphs (sp) and ruins seldom seen, along with all the classics. He can only be reached via phone. His number is 928.309.7440. He charged me well under $300 for all day and threw in lunch. We were out before light, and back after dark. He is a great guide, and a nice guy. Give him a call and tell him Doc from Anchorage sent you. He is an amazing Navajo flute player as well.
doc
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[font color=\'#000000\']Khurram, thank you for reporting your experience...anyone tried Hunt's Mesa or have any idea of the quotes to go up there?
Thanks[/font]
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[font color=\'#000000\']Thank you very much for the useful informations!!!
I have been to MV a lot of times but never succeeded to go to Hunt's Mesa...I'll contact Tom Phillips as you suggested, thank you again...
Ciao
Marco[/font]
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Has anyone taken the guided photo tours at monument valley.
Last time i was there, the weather was so bad, i didin't bother.
any good/bad experieinces, suggestions?
I'm going in May, and the quotes i've got are around $300 for a sunrise/sunset tour.
From past experience, i know you pretty much have to get a guide to be able to have access to all locations. but $300 seems excessive - especially since i know exactly where i want to go (also because $300US is around a gizzilion in CAN$;)
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I hate this. "He knows all the good places" is a guarantee that you'll visit the same locations as everyone else and have no capability to photograph your own loctions at your own pace.
While I recognize the rights of anyone to earn a living, charging US$300 a day for *manadatory* "guide" services to this area borders on extortion.
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hello again:
I have been using Daniel's Guided Tours, owner, Daniel Chee at Monument Valley for the past 25 years. He is amazing as is his crew and very reasonably priced. He also organizes overnights which now are at a hogan. I have sent countless friends and photographers and they have all raved about the guides. His daughter and son in law also have horses you can hire for day or half a day. If you want to call them their number is 435 727 3227. Tell them their friend from New York sent them. Lots of luck.
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I found this website you might want to check out.
http://navajo_nation.tripod.com/tours.html It lists tour guides for the area. ::
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[font color=\'#000000\']I'll give another vote to Tom Phillips. He did an excellent job for us for three days on a workshop with Steve Kossack. Here's a link to his web site.
Kéyah Hózhóní - Monument Valley Tours (http://www.monumentvalley.com/Pages/english_homepage.html)
Jeff Johnson
www.jjsviewbox.com (http://www.jjsviewbox.com)[/font]
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[font color=\'#000000\']just got back from my 25 day trip through the southwest.
tried two different tour operators, one was Tom Phillips, who was a little more expensive ($200 sunrise/sunset), but was worth it, the other Danial's tour was a little bit cheaper, but the guide was not nearly as good for photographers.
Tom was able to let me know when i should start to wrap up at a location to be able to catch good lighting at the next location, whereas the other guide really didn't seem to know when the good light at a particular location would be.
thanks for all those who provided the terrific input!!![/font]
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[font color=\'#000000\']Marco,
I wanted to do Hunt's Mesa, but my guide (Tom Phillips) indicated that it is that to get good lighting, you pretty much have to make it an overnight trip.
For my wife and I the cost would have been $500 (it cost us $300 for sunrise/sunset day for me, and sunset for my wife-after 3pm).
He said that he and another photographer (can't remember the name), hold a workshop, where participants camp out at Hunt' Mesa, but i'm not sure when that is.
Not sure what kind of rate you would get from another guide, but one thing i found, was that while you may be able to get another guide, at a better rate, he may not know where the best light is, or take you out during ideal lighting conditions.
Tom also took me out to Teardrop arch as part of the full day cost, whereas, Danial's tour charged us an extra $45 each to go out there, since the arch is not actually in Monument valley.
The other advantage to going with Tom, is that you are in an enclosed vehichle, whereas Danial's tour, and most of the other tours I saw were in open vehicles (sort of like a pickup with 4 rows of seats in the back). This may not sound like a big deal, but it makes a big diff considering all of the dust when you are driving off-road with camera gear.
Prior to my tour with Tom Philips and Danial's tours, I had also asked Gouldings for a private tour, for the last day I was to be there, since there full day regular tour rate was around $65. But they said the smallest tour they do is groups of 4, unless you are willing to pay for 4 people (even if two are going). after seeing a couple of gouldings tours while i was out there, i'm glad i didint' book with them - they are not geared towards photographers at all.[/font]
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[font color=\'#000000\']Go to google, search on Hunt's Mesa. One of the first hits is a workshop there.[/font]