Do you know what the following films have in common: Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Once Upon a Time in the West, Back to the Future Part III, Space Odyssey, Easy Rider, Thelma & Louise, Forest Gump?

At least one, if not several scenes were shot in Monument Valley. It is a natural site located between the states of Arizona and Utah in the United States.

For me, Monument Valley is inseparable from the films made by John Ford when he directed John Wayne.

Monument Valley is the ultimate symbol of the American West. I am sure that it reminds you of cowboys, Native American Indians, or even Forest Gump contemplating the huge buttes.

Only one road, Route 163, leads to this mineral natural site, which is a huge eroded plateau made of buttes.

When you arrive on the small dusty and rocky path that goes down into the valley, you immediately imagine the wagons that colonists rode to colonize the American West in the 19th century.

Movie sets and Indian attacks immediately come to mind. Each time I visit, I see dozens of scenes from all the mythical films that inspired me to come to live in the United States.

However, Monument Valley is not just a series of postcard landscapes. This site is in the middle of the Navajo reserve. Each butte has a name that evokes a characteristic shape representing an animal. You can see "The Great Indian Chief", "The Weeping Eye", "The Three Sisters", "The Cowboy Boot", and "The Totem Pole".

If you take the time to talk with the Navajo people who live in the valley, they will tell you the stories of their ancestors and how they came to this reserve.

For me, Monument Valley is a perfect reflection of the beauty and vastness of the mineral landscapes of the American West. The atmosphere is calm and serene. It is an ideal place to sit and contemplate the mysteries of life. Close your eyes and let yourself be immersed in the beauty of the landscapes.

Thus, I chose to photograph Monument Valley in black and white.

I believed that it was the only way to create symbolically strong photos. I absolutely wanted to avoid postcard photography.

I used wide frames to evoke the vastness of the expanses of the west. Life, death, and solitude are evoked through the trees that survive in this rather hostile desert environment because the temperatures are cold in winter and extremely hot in summer.

I chose pure compositions that illuminate the glorious sky and clouds.

I chose different formats such as 3:1 panoramic and 3:2 to better capture the expanses that stretch as far as the eye can see.

This collection of art photos is ideal if you are looking for a breath of fresh air. These infinite spaces will encourage you to dream. You will escape into a nature that man cannot tame. He tried well but he quickly gave up.

The tones are soft, and the details are fine.

My hope for you is that you will one day get to visit Monument Valley, one of the most mythical places in the United States.