I received an email from the town of Taos, New Mexico this morning. Taos is one of my favorite places in the whole world. Okay, I admit it, I haven't seen the whole world, but Taos is one of my favorite places based on the places I have been. And I've been quite a few places. I like Taos for it's laid back atmosphere. It is, after all, the hippie capital of the world and embodies all that title implies. So, I like it a lot.
The email was from their Visitors Bureau and outlines all the coming festivals and other happenings. It details the Face the Mountain: Vintage Photographs from Spanish Taos an exhibit of prints which focus on Taos' Hispanic heritage. Also, the
Eighth Annual Taos Mountain Film Festival which will examine the environment and human rights. Then, of course, there's the Haunted Hacienda, the Balloon Rally, and one that caught my eye, the Taos Wool Festival. But these have nothing to do with photographing whores unless you count some of the sheep (sorry, baaaad joke.)
There was also a piece in this email entitled "Celebrate the End of the Harvest Season at Taos Pueblo." At the bottom of the blurb was this note: 'Please note, no recording devices, cameras or cell phones allowed.' I really won't be attending that celebration!
Don't get me wrong, I realize that the Taos Indians along with all other Native Americans have been poorly treated so save your hate mail. [Hell, we've all been treated poorly. My ancestors were enslaved after the Norman invasion of 1066, but I'm not pissed at the Vikings for that...much...but I digress.]
If you want to visit the Taos Pueblo, it'll cost you. You'll have to pay an admission fee. If you want to bring a camera, you'll have to pay another fee. If you plan to make an image and sell it, you'll really have to pay for that. And that rubs me the wrong way. Not the paying part, the whoring part.
The Taos Indians (and most other Pueblo tribes) profess a desire to share their heritage with the rest of us. They preach a doctrine of understanding and cultural exchange. They say that their culture is all-important to them and that they strive to preserve their way of life. Their beliefs dictate that they reach out to others so we can understand their ways and their values.
For a price.
There is a name for people who sell their beliefs and values for a few bucks. We call them whores. I suppose the politically correct term is prostitutes, but the idea is the same. For a few dollars they'll let you look at their house and they'll dance like a monkey, and in the process they'll prostitute their whole, formerly proud, heritage. A complex and diverse culture reduced to this; the almighty dollar.
I, for one, will not be a party to prostituting an entire culture. But if you want to photograph some whores, I'll forward the email to you.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Blog Opener
So, for some time now I've been trying to determine the subject for my first entry. I finally decided I'd talk about the most common question I get when I'm out on a shoot or showing my work.
"What kinda camery d'ya use to take a pitcher like that?"
I was going to say that my response is usually "It's the fiddler, not the fiddle, that makes the music." I often explain that some of the most significant photos have been made by relatively simple cameras, particularly compared to today's digital models.
I'd go on to explain that my real objective is not to capture the scene that's in front of the camera. Any fool with camera can do that. That type of photography is chemistry and physics. Follow the rules and you'll get the picture.
No, my photographic objective is not to capture the scene, it's to capture what the scene means to me. That's called art. That's why an Ansel Adams print on five dollars worth of paper demands a price of thousands. Some folks just don't appreciate chemistry and physics in the same way they appreciate art. Of course some folks acquire their art at WalMart. Go figure.
As Al Swearingen would say, "Anyways..." that was going to be my subject. Then this morning I read one of my regular blogs and David duChemin beat me to the punch with his post this morning. Be sure to read his rant here. He covers "my" subject better than I ever could.
So, now I'm back to wondering about a subject.
"What kinda camery d'ya use to take a pitcher like that?"
I was going to say that my response is usually "It's the fiddler, not the fiddle, that makes the music." I often explain that some of the most significant photos have been made by relatively simple cameras, particularly compared to today's digital models.
I'd go on to explain that my real objective is not to capture the scene that's in front of the camera. Any fool with camera can do that. That type of photography is chemistry and physics. Follow the rules and you'll get the picture.
No, my photographic objective is not to capture the scene, it's to capture what the scene means to me. That's called art. That's why an Ansel Adams print on five dollars worth of paper demands a price of thousands. Some folks just don't appreciate chemistry and physics in the same way they appreciate art. Of course some folks acquire their art at WalMart. Go figure.
As Al Swearingen would say, "Anyways..." that was going to be my subject. Then this morning I read one of my regular blogs and David duChemin beat me to the punch with his post this morning. Be sure to read his rant here. He covers "my" subject better than I ever could.
So, now I'm back to wondering about a subject.
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