In the Shade of the High Desert Sun

The bright sun of the high desert allows me to use slow lenses. Over the years I have collected fast lenses (aperture 1.4 or smaller) hoping to use film cameras without a flash or to be able to isolate the picture’s subject by blurring the background at full aperture. Nowadays even an aperture of 3.5 is fast enough given the sun and the light reflections from stones and sand.

What the desert environment has also brought to me is a certain pace in daily life. One learns to be patient, take things as they come. After all, most afternoons are best spent in the shade, with a book or good company. I think my photography is increasingly reflecting that pace.

Here are a few examples of street photography where people do take life as it comes, and where I can use “slow” old lenses and get the shades I always look for.

This man sitting at the balcony of a local café and having a drink of Tequila gives a sense of non urgency. His large cowboy hat adds to the ambient flavor and ecology, even if he is sitting in the shade.

I noticed a young woman cradling a baby under the shade of a tall oak tree. It was very peaceful, and wanted to capture the harmony of the moment. This time I focused on the feet of baby and mom as they seem to represent both a phase of life and the respite from the constant attention a baby asks for.

A few yards away, a man was playing the violin and many were listening. Again, my goal was to capture the harmony people in the high desert have found through the daily changes of temperatures. 

But a crowd has to tell a story, and in this case it was the Yorkshire dog who noticed my inquiry. After printing the picture I realized that he was not very happy with my intrusion into the peacefulness of his moment!

To contrast the calm with action, I wanted a picture about “movement”. This one I took with a Nikkor-P 180mm at 1/30^th speed and aperture of 2.8. I like the various shades that found their way into the frame along with the sense of movement and youth.

… After walking around town with a heavy, 30 year old camera around my neck I secretively envied the man sitting on the balcony of the café with his large hat to isolate himself from the environment!

July 24, 2015

©  Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2015