Junkyard Beauty

                                                                                     Beauty can be seen in all things.

                                                                                     Seeing and composing the beauty is what separates
                                                                                     the photograph from the snapshot.

                                                                                                                    -- Matt Hardy



Though it might seem unlikely, junkyards are great places for photography.  The challenge, as Matt Hardy notes in the epigraph to this post, is to find the beauty and get it in the frame.

For me, finding beauty in a junkyard is primarily an exercise in close-up (or "macro") photography.  Details, rather than full depictions, are where I find visual interest and, yes, beauty.  Multi-colored -- and multi-textured -- rust and peeling paint on the exteriors; headlights, hubcaps, and door handles; busted grills and broken glass . . . all of these are prime candidates for my eye in search of beauty.

A few days ago I went with my photo buddy Barry to the Broadway Truck Salvage yard on the south side of Albuquerque. 

 We were greeted by Ali, the ebullient office manager, and granted free run of the yard.  

For this shoot, I decided to use only a 50mm "macro" lens, which is best for close-ups and details, but works well as a prime lens -- it just doesn't zoom, so I have to "zoom" with my feet.

For this post I'll start with the large scale images, then move to smaller elements, and finally the more abstract close-ups.

Along the way I discovered one derelict car inhabited by an arachnid:

Ultimately, my primary target was cool-looking rust and paint on fenders, doors, and hoods.  The closer you look, the more beautiful the subject becomes.

Sometimes the patterns and textures worked both horizontally . . .

. . . and vertically:

Most fun was looking for faces in the rust.  These two are the same rust patch, but viewed from different directions and framed just right:

I found E.T. . . .

. . . and a fish.

My favorite face appeared on this old (1970s era) Cadillac.  Do you see it?

I call it the Junkyard Scream (homage to Edvard Munch):

If you would like to see these images -- and more -- in a larger format, visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.

Enjoy!

La Danza de los Matachines

                                                                                 O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
                                                                                 How can we know the dancer from the dance?

                                                                                                   -- William Butler Yeats, "Among Schoolchildren"



One of the things we appreciate about living in New Mexico is the easy commerce among the three predominant cultures:  Native American, Spanish, and Anglo.

Every year in early August, a little town called Bernalillo just north of Albuquerque celebrates all three cultures in the Feast of San Lorenzo, patron saint of the town.  

As part of the celebration, a select group of town citizens perform an ancient ritual dance called La Danza de los Matachines -- part celebration, part morality play.

In Bernalillo, the dance has been performed every year since 1693 -- the oldest continuous performance of La Danza in the western hemisphere.  Last year I photographed the Bernalillo dance on two successive days, one cloudy and one sunny.

The history of the Bernalillo dance goes back to 1680, when the indigenous people revolted against the Spanish who occupied the territory now known as New Mexico.  The revolt is called the Pueblo Revolt, and the Spanish were driven out of the territory for 12 years.  You can read more about it here.

According to oral tradition, the Spanish settlers of Bernalillo were on good terms with the nearby Sandia Pueblo natives.  When the revolt was imminent, the Sandia people warned the residents of Bernalillo ahead of time, and the Spanish were able to escape safely to what is now El Paso, Texas.  The exiles promised that if they were saved, they would dance the dance every year at the Feast of San Lorenzo, which occurs on August 10 -- the first day of the Pueblo Revolt.  And so they have.  This year's dance will be the 324th.

La Danza is much older than 324 years, and it is incredibly syncretic.  The dance traces its origins back to medieval Spain during the time it was occupied by the Moors, and many of the costume elements, including the face coverings, are thought to be of Moorish origin.

When the Spaniards came to the western hemisphere, they brought the dance with them, and then incorporated elements of Aztec culture while celebrating Spanish conquests.  Later, as the Spanish culture spread northward into the Rio Grande valley, the dance incorporated even more Native American elements, as well as the evolved iconography of the Roman Catholic church.  You can read more about the symbolic and ritual elements of the dance here and here.

The setting for the Bernalillo dance is a typical New Mexico neighborhood street, augmented with small bleachers, tents, and spectators.

There is a shrine for San Lorenzo set up on the street at the headquarters house . . .

The dancers gather in the back yard . . .

. . . while on the street, under a tent, the violinists and guitarists tune up.

Soon the dancers emerge to take their places in the street, and La Danza begins.

You may notice from some of the images (including the two images immediately below and the image at the very top of this post) that in the Bernalillo version there are two identical sets of dancers and lead characters that perform the steps and actions in mirror image.

The dancers' roles and position in the dance hierarchy are inherited through many generations of family lines, and until recently women were not allowed to participate.  Times have changed, and the dance -- as it always has -- changes too.

One of the more recent changes to La Danza is the addition of a little girl figure, called "la Malinche."

Her name stems from ancient records that say she was the paramour of conquistador Hernán Cortés.  In fact, in Belize the dance is known as the "Dance of  Cortés."

The Bernalillo version of La Danza includes roles for two girls (mirroring each other), but they are drawn from a cadre of young females who alternate throughout the dance (which lasts 45 - 60 minutes with a brief break in the middle).

The chief dancer -- the only one dressed in all white -- is called "Monarca."  He carries a rattle and a trident, which in La Danza is called a “palma,” and represents the Trinitarian belief that God is one and three at the same time.  In the indigenous culture it reflects the triune god Quetazlcoatl of Mexico, who is lord of the air, land, and water.

Another character in the dance is the bull (el Toro), wearing a red shirt and cape.  He circles the dancers constantly, attempting to break up the party, and has to be driven off periodically by protectors with whips.

Eventually, la Malinche confronts el Toro . . .

and el Toro is vanquished and castrated.  (Sorry, didn't get photos of that!) 

If you would like to see these images and others in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Master Class

I'm on the board of Music in Corrales, an all-volunteer non-profit organization that brings high quality music performances to our community eight times a year, and also provides supplemental music education for students and teachers in local schools.

Last November we presented the Lysander Piano Trio, a classical ensemble -- piano, violin, cello -- of young, talented, Juilliard-trained musicians.  (You can visit their website by clicking here.)  In addition to a general audience concert, the Trio agreed to conduct a master class for string ensembles from local high schools, and I had the opportunity to photograph the event.

To begin, the Trio performed a few short pieces, then took questions from the students.

 




















Then, it was the students' turn.  First up was a double string quartet with players from Albuquerque High School and Sandia High School:

The Trio members watched and listened intently . . .

then provided critique and suggestions:

Next up was a traditional string quartet from the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program:

They, too, listened intently to the feedback from Trio members:

Last up was a solo violinist from Rio Rancho High School whose quartet colleagues bailed at the last minute.  But the Lysander pianist and cellist generously agreed to accompany her so she could play her piece and receive feedback.

The best part for me as a photographer was capturing the intensity of the student musicians.  And black-and-white seemed to convey that intensity best:

 

If you would like to see these images in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.

Enjoy!