Hi Joe,
You've reminded me of something I think about often and wrote about a
day or two ago.
Nice narrative. Thank you.
The point I'm attempting to make is that some photos may be 'enhanced'
by a story, whereas others standalone without one. I guess it depends
what one's intent is, and I think pictures with a story may, in some
ways, be a different 'art form' than just photography alone. Maybe akin
to written poetry and a performed piece of music with lyrics. I know
that analogy has some problems.
Am I making any sense? It may be getting to late.
In any case, I think it offers one explanation as to why I find myself
drawn to a photograph of my own (because I know the story behind it),
while others find no attraction to it. I sense that is often the case in
photography.
Tom C.
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Thanks again, Tom. I do understand your comments and your perspective.
Perhaps I should have posted the story along with the links. But I
thought it more interesting to post the links alone, and let people
project their own stories. In a sense, these photos were a counterpoint
to Bruce's recent series. No criticism of Bruce. I loved his photos of
Monument Valley and other places. But I posted mine to say that there is
more to this place, and many fascinating places and people are just
around the corner on some empty county road.
The last time I actually went into the Ismay Trading Post was 11 or 12
years ago. My wife and I went in for cold sodas, and wound up with
lukewarm ones. The owner is a laconic fellow (he would have to be, no?),
and our attempts to talk elicited mainly "Yet" and "Nope." When I
commented on how much water there was in nearby McElmo Creek, he replied
(his longest statement) that it was mostly sewage from Cortez (a small
town upstream). Whether or not this is true, it indicates that he lives
where he does because he wants to. Also, he owns a trading post in
Indian country. One can make money in this business if one is in the
right place. For all I know he might be able to afford to build a
completely new store, but chooses not to. It wouldn't surprise me.
Thanks for the comments, everyone. Interesting discussion.
Joe
