<p>I was residing on the north side of Black Mesa on Navajoland. I had landed in the small community of Rough Rock and was documenting sacred sites, ceremonies by invitation of medicine men and women who were based in Rough Rock. <br>
My images were not speaking the language I wanted to represent the depth of mystery and teachings inherent in what I was asked to capture. <br>
I wrote Ansel, he knew of the indigenous project I had been invited into. He invited me out, put me up in a motel in Carmel and we visited for a couple weeks, no image-making, just visiting at his home and around. <br>
When I was ready to leave, he said, let a new camera find you. Until then, no images. You will know when the time is right. <br>
a few months later, a friend in Vail wrote and said he had a used Yashica Mat/Zeiss lens for free. I said, i'll take it. <br>
A couple weeks after that, in early Oct a Navajo friend of mine and I hiked into the Canyon (de Chelly) to feast our eyes on reflections, soak up the place. I took the Yashica Mat, had it set up on a tripod in the middle of the Chinle wash running through the bottom of the canyon. <br>
There must have been 15 large format dudes that came around us. They were all in a hurry, packing equipment. We started asking some of them what they were doing. They would all pass us, go around the bend at white house, and disappear toward the mouth. One by one they'd pass us, and would say they were from Florida, CA, TX, you name it. They all said, "You better hurry up, don't you know this is the day Ansel made his famous White House image!" <br>
I went ahead and made my image on Plus-x, the first since my time with Ansel. My buddy Fred and I strolled around the bend toward the mouth, about an hour's hike out to our ride. <br>
There they all were, lined up side by side, capturing the same image, a the "magical" moment Ansel did his thing-that same day in October. <br>
I thanked Ansel for assisting me to leave the herd. I have continued to document many more sacred sites, ceremonies, ranchers and farmers from my roots in western CO etc. I also became a licensed therapist to teach others to express their creativity through somatic or child-like innocence and curiosity that we all innately have, yet oftentimes cover up as adults with analysis, posturing, whatever. <br>
Some say to graft onto those that we feel led to be mentored by. That's fine, that's good, as long as we know we will be called by a true mentor to step onto our own path, risk exposing our own vulnerabilities through images or whatever purpose we fulfill to express our deepest essence. </p><div></div>
