Joshua Tree National Park, to the south east of Los Angeles, offers a unique visual canvas on which to tell stories. The rock formations and the trees make it a most distinctive playground for the filmmaker. An added bonus is that whilst the main roads through the park boast modern tarmac surfaces, thereare some wonderfully timeless single lane dust tracks cutting through the scorchedterrain.
In our early morning scouting trips to Joshua Tree, these dust roads were the focus of our attention, because a road often offers the lead component around which to build a story. I found a spot that, when looking west in the early morning light, offered so much, including the disconnect of snow on the distant mountain.
However, we were thrown a curve ball by the light. As many who have travelled to Joshua Tree will testify, the visuals are at their best within an hour of sunrise and an hour of sunset. This meant a 3.30 am start for Cindy Crawford and her team in order for her to be on set by 6 am and she is known for her punctuality.
My narrative was simply that a girl returning from Vegas, has either run out of money, run out of fuel, or both, but despite this misfortune, she cuts a figure of lackadaisical, carefree sexuality. It may, of course, have been those attributes that drew her to Sin City in the first place, but that is for the viewer to interpret. I can only show, not tell.
I like to shoot with an historic period in mind rather than in the modern day as it adds another layer to a still photograph. The abandoned Ford pick-up truck certainly takes us back in time and the Willie Nelson T-Shirt homes in on an 80s vibe.
Cindy Crawford is a remarkable woman and we both love this photograph.
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