The kurtimus maximus' photostream

Lucky for me, I was born and raised in Kanab, "Little Hollywood" the Hub of the Grand Circle. Kanab is surrounded by some of the country's most beautiful National Parks and Monuments. In my Photostream you can see pictures of the Vermilion Cliffs, Grand Staircase, Bryce, Zion, and the Grand Canyon as well as many other Secret Places in the surrounding area. The variety of scenery attracted many Hollywood producers, bringing the Western movie industry to Kanab. Hundreds of movies such as Gunsmoke, MacKenna's Gold, Apple Dumpling Gang and The Lone Ranger, were filmed in the area. Grandpa Merrill would lease his land and farm animals to these outfits, leaving me with the memories of styrofoam boulders and rubber tip arrows. Thanks to my friends at Kimotions,which build movie sets, I eventually had the experience of working with the Special Effects Coordinator's Eddie Surkin and Lou Perez. I got to meet actors like Kiefer Sutherland, Martin Sheen and Linda Hunt. Eventually I assisted location directors like Frank Pierson from Paramount pictures and Photographers like Frans Lanting and Richard Barnes which were assigned by National Geographic. Thanks to my family from Sanderson River Expeditions and friends at Grand Canyon Expeditions, I've rafted the Colorado River with special interest groups studying geology, archeology, and photography.

Living in this magical canyonland area has led to many amazing opportunities. I enjoy touring the country by jeep, the canyons by rope, and the rivers by raft. I love to share these adventures through photography.To see more of my explorations, click on Kurt Robinson Photography.

Enjoy!




Hey,

Read my Best Friends featured employee of the month biography.

When Kurt Robinson, Angels Rest
assistant caretaker at Best Friends,
strolled into the Welcome Center in
September 2004, he had no clue he
would end up walking away with a
job. That day, he ran into his friend,
Best Friends co-founder Anne Mejia,
who grabbed him on the spot
and told him about the position.
The rest is history.
Kurt is a man of many talents.
Before coming to work at the
Sanctuary, he performed a variety
of different jobs, ranging from doing
photography shoots to cutting
and selling firewood to working
as a river guide (a “swamper”).
He hasn’t had time for river trips
since starting at the Sanctuary, but
he still stays busy with most of his
other hobbies. Working three days
a week at Best Friends, Kurt has
some wiggle room in his schedule
for those other interests.
For one thing, Kurt works as a tour
guide for hikers and photographers
through the Paria Outpost. Hikers
and photographers alike find
an expert in Kurt. He grew up in
Kanab and knows the back country
inside and out. Photographers in
particular make great use of Kurt’s
insights. “Photography kind of
grew on me as a kid,” he explains.
He asked his mom for a camera at
Christmas and has been snapping
shots ever since. (Several of Kurt’s
prints are hanging in the current
Village exhibit.)
Here’s a guy who knows not only
the great places to take visitors
for photo opportunities, but
also when to take them — both
time of day and seasonally — for
optimal lighting and other considerations.
National Geographic
hired Kurt for 30 days to help
their photographer on a project
about the Vermilion Cliffs National
Monument.
When he’s at Best Friends,
though, it’s a totally different
scene. He spends his time preparing
the graves for the animals,
maintaining the wind chimes,
weeding and cleaning the
grounds, and assisting with the
burial services. He even manages
to take photos of the chimes
and other interesting details at
Angels Rest when he has a spare
few minutes.
Kurt says his favorite thing
about working at Best Friends is
the positive atmosphere. “Everywhere
you go, everybody is
so friendly.”
– David Dickson / Communications

"Best Friends Animal Sanctuary"