South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

A few visuals from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. 

Desert View Watchtower in Grand Canyon National Park

A few visuals from a stop at the Desert View Watchtower (also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View) along the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. 

Forrest Gump Point in Monument Valley

Located just north of Monument Valley on US Scenic Highway 163, Forrest Gump Point is arguably one of the most photographed and recognizable views of the American Southwest. 

Featured in the 1994 Best Picture Winner, Forrest Gump Point is where Tom Hanks (as Forrest Gump) ends his cross-country run and unceremoniously decides to go home. Naturally, you'll see lots of people stopping here and running to get the same shot (myself included).

Monument Valley scene in Forrest Gump (1994)

Southwest USA Travel Shoot 2022

Two weeks, 6 states, 7 national parks / preserves, 12.6K images, nearly 7500 kms driven, and my first return to travel shooting on the road in the U.S. since March 2020. 

From the Grand Canyon to the California coast, from hiking in Arches to camping in Joshua Tree, from searching out desert art installations to classing it up at the Beverly Hills Hotel ... can I just say how much I've missed this? 

My sincerest thanks to everyone who made this series of travel shoots an epic success. Now, where to next? I'm thinking I could use some recommendations as I'll be camped out in the edit suite for the next few months to continue work on the documentary ... 

Are you planning any travel in 2022?

Open Roads & Wide Open Spaces

It's been a minute since my last road trip travel series through the good ole U.S. of A, but after 17 hours of driving south I'm happy to share that I'm back at it again. I hope you'll join me over the next few weeks as I share some highlights from the road and a few behind the scenes teasers of some of the new travel content I have in the works for 2022. 

This series of shoots is all about making up for lost time. Please be sure to engage with the new posts to continue to see them in your feed if you're interested. 

*Reposted from @editingluke

Hoover Dam at the Nevada / Arizona Border

Constructed between 1931 to 1936, the Hoover Dam (once the Boulder Dam) was an engineering feat and a massive undertaking when it was built during the Great Depression. Over 5,000 people worked on the project, and the town of Boulder, Nevada had to be established to house them all. Spanning the border between Nevada and Arizona, the Hoover Dam is still a hugely popular landmark and stop along the Colorado River.

These images are from numerous casual visits captured over the last decade. During that time the construction of the Hoover Dam Bypass project (Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge) was completed, which rerouted the interstate from crossing the dam and onto the brand new bridge spanning the canyon.

Located just a short drive from Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam also resulted in the creation of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States. Water demands and drought have taken a toll here with some of the lowest water levels since the lake was filled in the 1930's. There are very real concerns, as in addition to water supply, the Hoover Dam is still a massive generator of hydroelectricity providing power to nearly 8 million people in Arizona, southern California, and southern Nevada. The "bathtub ring" around Lake Mead shows the devastating drop.  

Construction of the Hoover Dam Bypass project in 2008.

Inside the tunnels of the Hoover Dam.

Completed Hoover Dam Bypass in 2010.