American Bald Eagle

Sometimes kayaking on a lake surrounded by granite boulders can be delightfully monotonous. And that puts me into a “zone” of detachment from all surroundings. Especially on a sunny day on Watson Lake in Prescott, Arizona. No matter, I always take my camera with me in case the rocks have a new story to tell.

On this end of May, while gently kayaking from cove to cove I noticed a silhouette atop the rocks. It was about 200 meters away but it was unmistakable: an American Bald Eagle was resting majestically on these hot rocks.

I was happy I had mounted the old 1960s Nikkor-P 180mm lens on my camera. Still, the eagle was too far for a clear picture, and the kayak too undulating to keep my hands steady. 

But I tried.

So here is what I saw first.

As I moved closer paddling gently, the eagle decided to take flight. I quickly shot two frames, hoping for the best. Here is the better of the two.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed his talons. I could not believe that they were so prominently captured. So I digitally enlarged the picture to show why the Bald Eagle is so unique in his posture and awe inspiring built.

Yet, he did not go far, and found a lonesome tree a few hundred meters away to perch and look at me. I paddled fast to get closer.

Finally, he flew away but not without allowing to take one more picture of the flight.

… I now wanted to get to shore, to my car, and quickly home. It was time to see what I had capture in that dark box of mine through the heavy, scratched but still “eagle-eyed” 50 year old telephoto!

May 30, 2015

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2015

Santo Domingo Pueblo Dancers, New Mexico

The Santo Domingo Pueblo is located on the east bank of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. The dancers of the pueblo are famous for their dresses and intricate footwork. Each August 4^th the largest Indian ceremony in the Southwest of the United States is held in the Santo Domingo Pueblo. Most famous is the Green Corn Dance in which more than 1000 Santo Domingo natives take part.

During a dance ceremony by the Santo Domingo group I was most attracted by the footwork and delicate moves. So decided to take a few pictures representing my appreciation of the dance.

The buffalo head was worn by the male dancers. They were tall and the headpiece made them towering over the group.

Capturing a dance on still photos is always a challenge so I opened wide (f2.8) my 1960s Nikkor-P 180mm lens and let the Nikon F3 decide on the shutter speed. I like this one where the movement is in smooth tonal ranges.

The women wore immaculate Indian high moccasins made of deer skin. The footwork was synchronized beautifully among the male and female dancers.

Yet, the delicate movements of the female dancers were most attractive to me. Here is a movement frozen on film.

Finally, a young girl joined the dancers. She might have been 6 years old perhaps and eager to learn the moves. Not quite there yet but soon she will join them in good timing of each step.

May 26, 2105

 © Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2015 

Hopi, Navajo and Western Art Festival

I was at a Western and Native American art festival. The Hopi and Navajo sculptures were exquisite with bronze base and turquoise inlays. When looking at Hopi sculptures depicting women, I was struck with the effaced facial features – all sculptures had the same face, flat, round and impersonal. Further, the bodies were of a giant tear drop shape. When I asked the sculptor about the reason for such presentation, she said:

“We do not show specific facial features. Hopi are all “one people”; there is no distinction among us. As for the body shape, it is the shape of a gourd, which is the fruit of the calabash tree. It is the fruit we use most for eating but also for making containers and kitchen utensils from it.”

So, I walked around, with my 1960’s Nikkor-P 180mm 2.8 lens.

The first “street photograph” I noticed was an artist’s case under a tree, near his/her paintings. The sun was soft just before sunset and the serendipitous placement of the case just perfect.  What delighted me was the carry sling on the old case as it was a 33mm camera strap from the 1960s and 1970s! One can see the film canister loops on it.  

The ceremonial headpiece on this statue was delicately carved, yet what interested me was the placing of this Chief into a modern context. A few minutes of wait and a man positioned himself perfectly in the background. With the lens diaphragm open at f2.8 I was able to blur him while focusing on the statue.  A shaved head contrasting the plumes and dear hide – it was a time capsule of sorts.

This last shot was totally unplanned and an example of that elusive “decisive moment.”  Took me a second to focus and click. I thought the long horn bull was perfectly placed to tell a story regarding the body posture of the woman. 

It was later on when I looked at the printed picture that I wondered “What does the legend say?” So, I enlarged it and could not stop laughing! Perhaps I had captured a moment that made the title of this painting most à propos…..

... It is for moments like this that I continue to carry the 4 pounds of a Nikon F3 and its venerable 180mm lens around my neck….

May 24, 2015

©Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2015

The Five Ws and an H

“It is the angle that counts” he said while chewing on a Granola bar. “Not only the physical angle, but the story you bring out.”

He is a retired journalist who, like me, still uses film and spends long hours in his darkroom. So we have a lot to talk about when we meet on hiking trails.

“We used to have two guidelines – the “Five Ws and the H” and the “Inverted Pyramid.”

Of course I was curious so he explained. “The Ws are Who, When, Where, What and Why, while the H is How. These should come out in any story you write, or any picture you take.  The Inverted Pyramid has its base up so it narrows down to the tip of the pyramid going down. This is how you present things: people should get most of the information at first read or first glance like the base of the pyramid; if not, you lose them.”

As an epidemiologist the Ws are part of my investigative training. But I had not placed these within the context of presenting a story.

…So, on Earth Day, when a lot of people were in the streets learning about ways to keep our environment clean and attractive, I took my camera and decided to find physical angles in the crowd.

At a kiosk about water management, a split second clicking gave me hands and a brochure around this doll. But why was the doll there? Was the umbrella a symbol of rain and water?

A man was discussing the wild animals that co-habit with us in the desert. I wanted an angle where man and antelope show the sharing of the land. His mustache seems to blend with the chin of the antelope. 

Finally, I found it interesting that the country music singer on a platform in the town square had taken her sunglasses off. It was a very sunny day and she was singing with the sun in her eyes. Why take the glasses off?

I did walk around looking for a context in these pictures. The arm of the man and the hands of the woman gave a frame, maybe a framework, to wondering why was that doll in the kiosk which sported a banner about water conservation in the high desert of Arizona.  The antelope and the man still give me a serene feeling of being grateful to having the beauty of the desert.

The singer, framed by the vertical lines of the stage, is a bit of a challenge to interpret. But perhaps it helps if I say that the refrain of her song was:

                    “Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die”

April 4, 2015

©Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2015