jorgearmand

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

USA | Monday, November 7, 2011 | 5 photos

My two buddies and I drove a long time before we reached Kayenta, Arizona. A drunk told us we could pitch our tent at an RV camp in Monument valley. When we arrived, it was night.
We drove past the RV camp because we weren't satisfied with the location – it wasn't close enough to the rocks! – We hid our Jeep in the valley and packed our bags in the dark. It started to pour rain and we were trying to set up a tent in the middle of a desert. Around us there were these terrifying black figures, there was no moon and you could only see the silhouette of the "monuments."
Our tent was set and the rain ceased. There was a light. We thought it had to be a park ranger, but they didn't say "is anybody there?" We concluded they were thieves or murderers. Fabio, who is in the Air-Force, gave me and Blaise a machete and a knife. He conducted a military strategy that would "keep us safe." We killed the lights and climbed up a rocky hill. We sat atop this hill, with our backs against each other, looking and clutching to our weapons. It was freezing, but we looked for hours. Our noses dripping and lips chapped from the dry air. Nothing happened; we were paranoid. We got up at five in the morning and took photos. The film ones got really hot in Las Vegas, thus they have a yellow tint.
Originally from Venezuela, I live in Montreal and study film & communications. I love traveling and adventures. After graduation, I will travel and document it with photography and writing. I am not sure whether I want to be a filmmaker, a writer, or a photographer. Perhaps I will be all of them.