Arizonafour

We`d been told at the Lost Dutchman State Park Campground that there was a rattlesnake in the vicinity, that it had bitten and killed a dog, and so to be careful. When, in the pitch darkness of the moonless night, the rattle sound came from the bushes a few feet behind our tent, we jumped out of our freshly tanned skins. Europe can`t offer experiences like that!
The photos in the lower half of the page are from a powwow held in Tempe, near Phoenix. You might notice the muted tones of the colours as compared to the photos of the Cody Powwow on Wyoming Page Two. They were shot with good old Kodachrome 64. As this is a slow film, a little improvisation was needed . The mandatory 1/125 second shutter speed to freeze moving bodies was not always possible in the available light, so the camera was mounted on a tripod and the dancers allowed to blur at 1/4 to 1/8 second speeds.

Teddy bear cholla foreground for the
Black Mountains near Kingsman

Superstition Mountains
from Highway 88

Teddy bear cholla foreground for the
Black Mountains near Kingsman

Saguaro cacti after sunset,
Picacho Peak State Park

Saguaro cacti at
Picacho Peak State Park

Smoke tree and saguaro cacti,
Picacho Peak State Park

Saguaro at Picacho Peak State Park

Saguaro cacti at
Saguaro National Monument

Unstable saguaros needing support near
Tonto National Monument

Old artifacts at a roadside gas station
near Kingsman

Rattlesnake roadkill, Highway 88

Flowering cactus in Lost
Dutchman State Park

Saguaro cactus in bloom,
Picacho Peak State Park

Children baking marshmallows, Saguaro
National Monument Campground

Golf kart crossing by a sign
in a Phoenix suburb

Irony in a Phoenix suburb

Golf kart crossing by a sign
in a Phoenix suburb

Powwow dancer, Tempe

Powwow regalia, Tempe

Powwow dancer, Tempe

Powwow regalia, Tempe

Powwow dancer, Tempe

Powwow dance, Tempe

Contesting despite an arm in plaster
at Tempe Powwow

Jewellery stall at Tempe Powwow

Traditional dress in the digital age

Powwow dancers, Tempe

Powwow dancer, Tempe

The camcorder comes to the powwow

Counting her dad`s winnings
at the Tempe Powwow

Young Indian girl, Tempe Powwow

Young powwow contestant rehydrating

Not a contestant, but dressed
for the occasion anyway

The 11th Miss Indian USA,
if you hadn`t noticed

Powwow dancer, Tempe

Serious stuff, this powwow business

Powwow dancer, Tempe

Young Indian girl still only spectating

More powwow regalia

Powwow dancer, Tempe

For image licensing or to purchase a print, contact Ian Swarbrick
e-mail: imagesfromthewild@bluewin.ch
Rehetobelstrasse 34, CH9000 St Gallen, Switzerland
Tel: 0041 71 245 29 17
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