Chaco Canyon is special to me beyond words. It is a place that always evokes the twin feelings of awe and mystery, and the more we learn about the Chacoans and their culture, the more enigmatic they seem to become. It is quite possible, even likely, we of this time will never know the full story of their rise or of their demise. Even so, the awesome structures of their great houses, and Pueblo Bonito in particular, will continue to intrigue us and challenge our sense of who we believe we are and how unique we believe ourselves to be in the “modern” world. Wherever we arrive in our journey, Pueblo Bonito will always remind us that we were not the first in this land to dream great dreams, nor to suffer the consequences of those reveries. To be in Pueblo Bonito is to be humbled by history, or to admit, if we dare, that we are arrogant beyond salvation. This was what ran through my mind as I stood before the plaza of Pueblo Bonito and its array of kivas looking at the lines of mortered rock that formed the double wall between a pair of them, with a section of the ruin and the canyon wall behind. A focal length of 17mm gave me the angle-of-view I wanted. An aperture of f/20 and a shutter speed of 1/8th second at ISO 100 gave me a medium overall exposure. What happened here in the four centuries of Chacoan prominence is an important page in the great drama of humanity.
Simply WOW! I am guessing you shot from a low position.
Don, Thank you for sharing this very special and spiritual place with us this morning. Beautifully captured in every way. Such a contrast to what we see here in the Smoky Mountains.
Don, what an extraordinary photo. You captured light and dark in the same image, without compromising the other, as well as beautiful texture and depth: A wonderful talent and eye for beauty.
As always, thank you for the visual delight.
I’ve never been there. It is a nice photo. Took me a while to fully take it in the blending of the bluff with the ruins and cactus. Have a good time in Moab. It is a place that you can spend months taking it all in. I’m headed for zion next week.
Last night at a “Dias de los Muertos” concert, I viewed an art exhibit. Another patron, an ignoramus, was spouting off about photography not being art, because (he said) good photography requires great skill, but not great creativity or imagination. Said he, the scene is already there, waiting to be photographed; all the photographer has to do is skillfully take the waiting image. I held my tongue, lacking a good counterexample (snapshots on my cell phone wouldn’t have helped). But I would love to have had this image to show him. Even to the untrained eye, the selection of what to include and exclude, the choice of timing to get the light when and where it is, the foreground diagonal and triangle of rock and grass pointing between the arcs of wall, all surely shout, “Vision, imagination, creativity.”
Amazing don such majesty and amazing awe of hertiage and the stories that must be echoing from your trek I am honored to view such a spectacle from your generosity in sharing this moment captured in space and time. Something I needed at this time in my life. A new experience a visual getaway from your perspective trek on and let us partake. So fine indeed Dana
Great image! No simple story here… it’s another saga image! The lighting is great creating shadows to emphasize the drama. Your camera placement gives the feeling that this is a path to another world. The grass in the foreground and the blue sky are a welcome site and assures us we are still on planet earth. Your guys must have spent quite a while there. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve seen (and taken) hundreds of pictures of Chaco but this is a new and different, fresh perspective. Making the old, new. Just Wow.
SDon, such a delicate and rich use of balance,tones and graphics. Thanks Good to have a piece of you with us back here.
Howdy Don – I’ve been there and it’s a wonderful and spiritual place. I love how you found the lines to lead the viewers eye into and around the image.
Your shot lead me to think about the daily lives of the Chocoans and how they lived, worked, and played. If we listen carefully, we can hear their voices at their kivas. The back to back kivas remind me that we all have conflicts, conflict resolutions, and unity–and that complex structure is part of all history and all nature without dividing lines.
I once heard that the perspective from heaven is like being on the hub of a wagon wheel and that time is like the spokes. History is not linear. This is another example of the three-dimensional way in which we live–the time and relationship of nature, all the living and nonliving, being one.
Your photograph is a masterpiece of beauty and power. It evokes retrospection.
It is early in the morning. I meant to say it evokes introspection.
Don, I think I would’ve liked to see a bit more of each of the Kivas. This would’ve helped better define the message you were trying to convey. With that said i still like the composition and hope you are all enjoying the trip. Best, John
Hello Everyone. Greetings from Capitol Reef and the quiet desert town of Torrey, Utah. It’s amazing how far we have come and how much we have seen since being awed by the spirit of Chaco. I am delighted that Kiva Lines resonated so deeply with so many of you. Whenever I stand in one of these special structures of look down into one from above it is as if I hear the spirits of the Ancient Ones speaking their gratitude to the Universal Spirit that dwells in each of us; and so I appreciate that this Image has spoken to you.
Hey Judy. Thank you for joining us. I take it that you and Bob are having a wonderful fall in the Southern Appalachians. We look forward to seeing y’all when we get home. You have surmised very well; I was kneeling on both knees and the camera was about 16″ above the stones. Thanks for your kind comment.
Hi Lou. Thanks for your kind words. The high desert of the Southwest and the almost temperate rainforest of the Smokies could not offer a clearer contrast, and yet they are both so very much a part of me.
Hi Allen. I am truly honored by your kind words. It’s always good to hear from you and to read your thoughtful comments. From your emails it would seem that you have enjoyed a busy and productive autumn. I hope it has all been good.
Hey Don. From a mathematician your words are lyrical and I deeply appreciate them. They are kindly and considerate beyond measure. You would have very much enjoyed the group that accompanied us westward and you would have marveled at the places we have seen; and when someone lacking in perception might offer some meaningless refrain on the nature of your craft, you could produce them even an iPhone and demonstrate the creation of art. Be well, my friend.
Hi Dana. Your words are so very kind and I receive them with gratitude. I am honored that this small collection of photographic elements could reach inside you and pull forth the comments you have made. Thank you.
Hey Nancy T., the stories you share with us are always so thoughtfully considered and meaningfully composed. And I always love to read them. We were in Chaco for nearly a day-and-a-half, and every moment was wonderful. We are very much looking forward to seeing you soon.
Hi Nancy Y. It’s always good to hear from you, and I very sincerely appreciate all of your kind words. I do know how much you have always enjoyed this wonderful place, and that makes what you have said all the more meaningful. Thank you.
Hey Robert. Thank you for joining us and for your kind comments. It’s always good to read your thoughtful observations. Having the Subaru along on this adventure has been a true pleasure. I look forward to our next adventure to Edna’s. Hope you are having fun in the mountains of home.
Michael, it’s always good to have you join us. I hope the New England fall has been spectacular for you. Your observation on the use of “line” is well-considered and gratefully received. I’ve always appreciated how you get directly to the essence of the composition, and line is certainly the story of this image. Be well.
Hey Warren. So very well spoken and deeply appreciated. The unity of complexity, as you have so succinctly stated it, offers a wonderful simplicity both in history and in nature that is so easy to see and yet so difficult to integrate in appreciation, understanding, and acceptance. Your words point us so clearly in that direction. Thank you.
John, I know I can always count on you to see other possibilities that I can easily appreciate. Since I was at the limit of the focal length range, the only way I could have taken in more kiva would have been to vote with my feet and back up. This would have meant taking in a greater angle-of-view all around allowing for more information in the foreground or sky, or both, than I wanted. More sky might have been acceptable if there had been more clouds to go in it, but I had used up my share of them and above the edge of the frame, all was clear. We have been having a wonderful time and wish you were here to share it with us. Walk in Beauty.
Thank you all, again, Everyone. It has been a wonderful conversation that I have thoroughly enjoyed for all of the thoughts and feelings you have shared.