Conosco i Signi de l’Antica Fiamma.

Agnosco veteris vestigial flammae. Probably the only line I remember from Virgil’s works. It translates into “I recognize the traces of an ancient fire” as Dido feels passion again when she meets the Trojan hero Aeneas in Virgil’s Aeneid.
I have always liked this line, and also like its Italian version as Dante used it in the Divine Comedy. It reads “Conosco i signi de l’antica fiamma.”

… My photography is a visual validation of what I have learned from other forms of art and artistic expression. Poetry is what I have always cherished as the purest form of universal expression. But when my eye sees a scene, I convince the eye of my camera lens to understand it and place it within a certain context of artistic expression.

To recognize the vestiges of ancient flames, or at least one ancient flame, takes two. At least.
So, here are a few examples of how I cherish capturing the universal expression of remembering through the eyes of living creatures that surround me.

Deer: This mama deer was near my house a few days ago. I grabbed my camera and got as close as I could with my 1970s Nikkor –P Auto 180mm lens. She did not move and kept looking at me with almost a comfort look.

Then her baby came to join. Now I understood why she was not running away. And they both looked at me for a short moment.

Peccary (Javelina): This herd was also near my house. I took a few photos by getting very close to them but on my guard because the males do attack and they have long fangs! I like this photo of the two javelin heads mixing into a unit, again with a comfortable look.

Hummingbirds: It is practically impossible to freeze a hummingbird in flight using a mechanical camera like a Nikon F2. I just do not have fast enough speed and lends to do so. But the movement can give shadows and make us think. These two were on the bird feeder and I tried to capture their flight. The hummingbird at the lower plane seems to have an interesting look…

My dog with his friend: I took this one in a small New England town where he used to visit this lady and get a tasty treat. Again, I wanted to capture that comfort in expression I like to freeze in time.

So, how does one recognize the traces and signes of ancient flames? Although Virgil’s Dido needed a new passion to remember and recognize what she had found in her husband Sychaeus, I think that old flames give us a comfort rather than new burning passions.
And that comfort is in realizing that we had the privilege of living through old flames.

April 17, 2018
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2018

The Poetry of Looking Through the Right Angle

I was reading about the upcoming exhibit of Le Corbusier’s “Le poem de l’angle droit” (The poem of the right angle) which will be at the Architekturmuseum in Munich.

Like any creative work, this poem was written in the form of 19 lithographs and long –hand writings by Le Corbusier from 1947 to 1953. The poem, which received little attention for decades, is now considered the Swiss-French architect’s vision of the cosmos as well as a kind of self portrait.

One of the lithographs is about “Caractère” and the 7 stanzas read:

The amazons are ready

      to leave to go to come back and

             to leave again and

      to fight combat always

      soldier.

      The amazons are young

      they do not grow old.

For some reason, Le Corbusier’s  interest in looking at the world according to some angle of view and the mention of amazons reminded me of photos from Vienna.

A look at a painting of the best known Empress of Austria, the Bavarian born Elisabeth best known as “Sissi” :

A street angle of view in Old Town Vienna at midnight:

... The amazons are young

      they do not grow old.

Well, neither do the right angles of view!

April 15, 2018

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2018

Arizona People and Venues:Prescott, Sedona and Phoenix

I had not used my 1969 Nikon F for a while, so decided to give it some exercise on a trips to Arizona cities.

Prescott: I have posted photos from this charming cowboy town in the mountains of Arizona. Since it is Easter today, here is a street photo to stay in that spirit. The woman was wearing bunny ears, which is most appropriate on this day but would be out of context for the remaining days of the year!

But Prescott is also home for national social issues and reactions. Here is a moment from the Women's March. Note that the signs do address multiple social issues.

Phoenix:  As any metropolis, Phoenix is all brouhaha of cars and people. On an early Sunday morning I wanted to capture a slow moment. This woman seems to wonder why everyone is eager to go non stop.

Sedona: A city of magestic rock structures and spritualism. On a hike in the rocks, I noticed a man who had climbed high and staying at the edge of the rock. He was more than 500 meters away, and contre-jour. I wanted to test the prowess of my 1970's Nikkor 105mm portrait lens.
Here is the complete negative:

And the cropped segment showing the man:

The imperfections on the film give a feel of a starry evening sky -- and the joy of using film and mechanical cameras.

April 1, 2018

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2018