Photos can not tell the story

I have been taking photographs since I was 10 (Kodak Brownie Holiday - 127 film and proud of it!) and more or less semi-professionally since the early 80's - that is, I take routinely take photographs in the practice of my profession, but I don’t sell the photographs. And no, I’m not using the Brownie anymore. And, if you think its getting hard to find 35 mm film, try finding 127!

I’m not fond of taking photographs when I’m playing, it seems entirely too much restriction on experiencing. However, I do like to look back at photographs, because, like scents and sounds, they can vividly bring back the experiences surrounding what had been happening when the photographs were taken.

Taking photographs in New Mexico is as technically challenging as anything I’ve ever shot. Not only is the dynamic range of light far greater than film is capable of recording, there is the omnipresent strong ultraviolet component from the high altitude. When spot metering the observation of interest, shadows and highlights are inevitably extreme. Some of that was compensated for by using a circular polarizer, which for most orientations to the sun corrects the sky colors to something approaching the experience, as opposed to the outpouring of UV washing out the image. If I found that digital cameras were capable of greater dynamic range than color film, that would be a reason to switch. Bruce, what’s your take on that?

BUT, nothing - NOTHING - can capture the immensity of the vision in the high desert. Even a panoramic camera could not capture but a small portion of all that is in view. I’ve experienced that before, on the water, but almost always on the water one is trying to image a specific thing, not the immensity of the water and sky. On the high desert, there simply is never one thing of visual interest - the WHOLE HEMISPHERE IS SAYING SOMETHING! That can be felt, but not really seen, and no camera - no panoramic device, no fish-eye lens - can ever capture what is experienced. It is photographically very frustrating. Quite literally, you have to be there to comprehend it.

Those of you who have been in the high desert know what I’m talking about. Those who haven’t, you must go. You must go.