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Landscape Photography To view the landscape image of your choice, please click on one of the text links below. Text links on this web site are designated by blue text which changes to orange as you pass over it with your mouse. Text links are not underlined. To return to another gallery click on the large navigation text below or use the links contained in the filmstrip image map above. All navigation is also available at the bottom of each page.
"Delicate Dusk" -- call concerning
availability Below are direct links to the Grand Canyon/Landscape narratives: Grand Canyon narrative -- " The Big Show" Grand Canyon narrative -- "The Soul of the River" Grand Canyon narrative -- "Rhythm of the River" Grand Canyon narrative -- "The Ribbon of Sky" Grand Canyon narrative -- "Into the Gorge" Grand Canyon narrative -- "Nature's Great Crescendos" Grand Canyon narrative --"The Human Factor" (Special note: The Grand Canyon narratives came to be during our private float and as a result of my dissatisfaction in the attempt to express myself only with photography; which, although somewhat successful, seemed a bit incomplete. In frustration I began to write down my feelings, often in-flow. The results include these narratives. The narratives should be read in the order presented above. I hope you exact some of the power and glory of this marvelous place from the writings.)
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"The Big Show" The Big Show. The Big Ditch.
The Great Kohuna. The Greatest Adventure on Earth. It's the Grand
Canyon, of course.
And it is the Big Show. By everyone's standard.
More than 10 miles wide and over 5000 feet deep, the Canyon is second
only in the Solar System to the great canyon system on Mars. But
here, within the great walls of stone, the Earth's history (the
history of life) is revealed. Two billion years of history, by most
estimates.
Brian's here. Brian, with all the cameras
and equipment, high-tech boat and ailing back -- anxious family
left behind -- this could be his last hurrah. He once owned a river
company and has been successful in many other business ventures.
Brian's a superb photographer with a specialty in action whitewater
images. He's also politically active, making for the possibility
of lively discussion as we descend into the Canyon.
Why is this group here? Why leave behind appreciative wives, lovers, family? Why abandon laughably opulent homes in overpriced neighborhoods? Why ignore continuing responsibilities, dwindling savings accounts for future college expenses, personal businesses, public trusts, expensive vehicles, fancy possessions, power lunches, cellular do dahs; why leave all of this behind? Why not! All of this is the reason why we came here. To be humbled by the rock, the heat, the unrelenting whitewater, to be beaten up and thrown about. That's why. To understand (again) that humility in the presence of this place is really what we as humans are all about. Let's all be thankful there are still places where one is able to experience this necessary humility, to feel overwhelmed in the greater sense. That is what the Grand Canyon is, and that is why it is so intoxicating. And here the experience is proactive. You don't just look, you must act. You must become a part of this sacred place, part of the water, rock and sky.
As we float beyond the Navajo Bridge and begin to see the walls of Marble Canyon stack up, a quiet reverence overwhelms us. Soon, around a few turns in the river, we hear the distant roar of the first rapid. Let's proceed on this, the greatest adventure of the planet. Let's descend into Major Powell's Great Unknown. It's showtime.
Copyright Willis Greiner, 1994. All rights reserved. |
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| Landscapes | Wildlife | Underwater | Photofantasia | Astrophotography | Copyright © 2001 by Willis Greiner and Cheryl Price. All Rights Reserved. All images on this site are for viewing only. Images are not to be reproduced, distributed, circulated, offered for sale, or given away, in any form, by any means, electronic or conventional. |