SnakeMedicine_Book1

C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t h e A r t i s t
Dad wanted to see some of the Zuni’s land. We were travelling together for a few
days. We stopped here because I love the landscape of the red soil with the green
trees. It was so green in such a parched area that I thought they must have had some
rain recently.
The shape of the tree is the focus. It automatically draws the eye through the
tree. The limbs alone look like the tree should be dead, but the leaves show that it is
well and alive. The rocks look so uninviting and dead. Such a contrast! To me, it is
obvious that the rocks are sacred.
There were no other angles to this shot—the split in the tree had to be right in
the middle. There is great energy with the red lines. The life and death energy is
cyclic—such a contrast between the green of the tree and the red of the rocks
contrast. There is a flow between the rocks, trees, and plants.
I would crop it tighter on the tree in the center of the photo, and cut out some
of the clouds. Viewers’ eyes naturally go through the tree to the rock. It is a very
complete picture, framed by the tree.
Can you see how the power of this photo is intensified in the black-and-white
version?
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