Into the Canyon
After some pretty wet weather, Lady Luck was with us. It was a beautiful morning, and we met our guides early.
As we bumped and jounced along, we could see that the tracks had improved. Repeated traffic yesterday had packed down many of the iffy areas, and we had no problems.
Yes, our drivers still had to take care and pick their way, but we had no bogging down.
As we came around one bend in the river, the early light and river patterns made a great place to stop. As with yesterday, at first, some of our participants didn’t get out of their cars, but quickly, everyone was out, seeking his and her own shots.
It really was a great way to start our photographic day.
Because of the floods and damaged tracks, we could only get as far as First Ruin, but it was glorious in that first light. With the reflections on the river, and the ruins high above Chinle Wash (the river), it made for great shots.
We had talked to our group about how to use one’s lenses effectively, and I found a lone plant, thriving in a patch of fragile, biological soil, to illustrate our point. Some of our group were afraid of lens flare from the sun, but I love it at times.
I asked one of our guides to share some stories with us. He talked about growing up in the canyon nearby, of being sent away to boarding school, having his hair cut off, being punished for speaking his native tongue and being made to stand in the corner for the whole day. It was not a bright spot in our history, for sure.
He also shared some stories about Spider Woman. As a child, naughty bilagáana (white people) are told, “Just wait until your father gets home.”
For the Diné (Navajo), that child is told that his/her transgressions will be told to Spider Woman. Our guide said that it kept him behaving!
We had final critiques, and it was great to see the growth during our short-but-intensive time together. Hugs and goodbyes were shared, and people, bit by bit, left to go home or continue their journeys. Two were to join us in a couple of days in Taos for our next workshop.
Several people stayed, and we asked them to join us for a final, unofficial shoot. It was a beautiful evening, and some just sat and enjoyed the scene, taking in this magnificent canyon and the skies above.
At the cliff edge, much to Arnie’s discomfort (it makes him nervous to see me so close), I made a final image showing Antelope House Ruin at the bottom of a great cliff, the water streaks leading down and creating drama for me. The Navajo often refer to these streaks as women’s hair. With my long hair, I imagined it was mine on the great wall.
And so, another workshop ended, and we were happy everyone did so well.
The next day would see us traveling to Taos for the beginning of our next workshop;.
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Beautiful Photography and wonderfully written:)) Have a great weekend!! Robyn
Robyn,
Thank you for writing and for your compliments. It is wonderful when I hear that a blog speaks to our audience.
Take care,
TBC