Category Archives: Photography
Photography 101: Connect
The prompt says, “There are many ways to interpret this theme: from a gadget to a handshake, from a bridge to a gathering among friends. What’s yours?” Well, I have two. One is quite literal, and I think it’s a strong image:
“Blessed be the ties that bind….”
If you’re a sailor, there’s nothing more important than well-connected lines. This is concrete understanding of the physical world. It means something right away. Here’s one that’s a bit more intuitive:
Sisters
How strong is this image? Well, it is emotionally powerful to me. These are my two living sisters. We had just learned that Sarah’s husband has cancer. I was visiting them in California. We get together; Dharam greets Sarah with a hug, I pull out my camera. How do you connect? (I hugged her, too, BTW)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Minimalist
Yucca curl
You might think that desert living is minimalist living. I mean, what’s out there? How do you survive on nothing? (see my post “Wilderness and the Myth of Nothing” here). Native ancestral pueblo dwellers made a lot of useful things out of the very simple materials in their environment. Like yucca fibers. They’re strong and fine. Sandals, baskets, and rope were made from them. The rest of the plant was used for even more things like shampoo and paintbrushes. Yeah, paintbrushes. They had time for art in their ‘minimal’ lives. Go figure.
Photography 101: Solitude
One of the wilderness character traits is Solitude, a dwindling natural resource. Where do you go to realize your solitude, to find humility, to gain perspective? Where do you find reminders that we do not dominate the planet?
(And thanks for the tip on the Rule of Thirds…I’d heard it mentioned, but not explained.)
Photography 101: Bliss
“To love another person is to see the face of God.” – from Les Mis
Touch
Photography 101: Water
Water in the desert. It’s a huge factor, and not in the way you’d think. Water shaped the desert landscape, even though you might think there’s none there. The canyons and caverns of the American West were formed by water. I heard a very enthusiastic Death Valley National Park ranger named Jay Snow expound on this amazing fact. He was right. Death Valley is all about water. So is the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns and all those other iconic desert places. Many of them were once part of a vast inland sea, believe it or not. Water is ancient and powerful and wild. When we’re not tampering with it, that is. (and that’s a huge topic for another post on my ‘In Wilderness…’ page)
Upper Falls at Bandelier
Carlsbad Caverns ceiling
Photography 101: Street
Highway 4 near Jemez Springs, New Mexico
The Photo 101 prompt says, “try to capture an establishing shot: a wide-angle photo that sets up a scene. It might mean moving back some steps, or finding higher ground (like climbing stairs) to fit all of your scene in one shot.” Here’s the ‘higher ground’ I used to get this shot:
photo by Steve
Photography 101: Home
I’ve found another Word Press Photography challenge! Joining my pals Jeff Sinon and Mariah of Great Follies, I am going to see if Photography 101 helps me to get better at picture taking. The first assignment is ‘Home’.
I have was born on the East Coast (Salem, MA) and lived on the West Coast for 15 years, but the Midwest is where I’ve spent most of my life. I raised 4 kids here and brought myself through elementary school and mothering years by staying connected to woodlands and prairie. I photograph the land quite a bit. But home is movable. I love to travel and feel at home in lots of places. Where my heart is vulnerable and needs sheltering, centers around the table.
When I share a meal, I am inviting you into my deepest home. I am offering care and sustenance, as I need to be cared for and sustained. The people who eat at my table are family, whether by blood or by honor. We create Home together in mutual covenant. It is a sacred space.
photo by Steve
photo by Steve
Elect Eco Leaders!
As you head to the polls, I want to encourage you to Look UP!
Battleship Rock, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
Look up from your life, past your own career, beyond your own neighborhood. Look to the wider world when you vote. What kind of leadership are you electing for the future? What kind of vision are you supporting? Are you helping to put in place legislatures that will protect natural resources or exploit them? Are you voting for human development or for the environment that hosts all life? These are challenging times, and much hangs in the balance.
How will you stand on the Earth?
© 2014, essay and photographs, Priscilla Galasso, All rights reserved
Wilderness and the Myth of Nothing
“There’s nothing out there! It’s a barren landscape. Why would you want to go there? Why should we preserve that useless place?”
Nothing out there, eh? Well, if that’s Nothing, it’s pretty spectacular. It’s vast, for one thing. Stretching in all directions, as far as the eye can see and further. And it’s limited, encased in a single droplet from a juniper berry, sweet and pungent in my mouth, yet powerful enough to stimulate a rush from my salivary glands and wet my parched throat. You could live on Nothing. Many have, and left their artwork in symbols on the rocks. Yes, they had time for Art in ‘subsistence living’. Do you have time for Art in your life? It is barren of some things. There are no strip malls. There are no straight lines. There is a meandering curve of vegetation down there. It’s a lot more narrow than it used to be. The air is warming. The climate is changing. Fecundity is fighting the curse that foists barrenness upon it. The energy of life will not give up easily. And that’s why I want to go there. To learn. We must preserve it in order to let it teach us. We are ignorant. We ignore the wilderness and call it Nothing. There is a story there. A Myth. One day we may get wise.
The Ojito wilderness
© 2014, essay and photographs, Priscilla Galasso, All rights reserved
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