GUADALUPE APPARITION - history

Back in the days when we were only trying to decide between Carter and Reagan, my idea of a good time was to grab a camera, head out in my old VW camper, and take some pictures. On this one particular trip, It was of waterfalls. When I got back and looked over the results, I wasn’t all that impressed, so I stuck them in my “later” file . . . When "later" finally came to pass, (some 30  years later!) and I was going through some of my old work, I came across the ones of the falls. Taking a closer look, I realized that in one of them the way the water was splashing off the rocks vaguely reminded me of depictions I’d seen of La Virgen de Guadalupe . . . Overactive imagination? I made a print - and everybody I’ve shown it to has had the same impression - and now I can't see it any other way. So, after ten more years, (and the Internet) you can take a look at it - and own a copy if you’re so inclined. It’s not up to me to claim anything profound, that’s a personal choice, I just enjoy the picture. I suppose the Church might dismiss it as just a “natural phenomenon”, but people do like to make up their own minds about such things. Many might see, as with my initial glance, just a plain old waterfall - some, the Virgin - others will try to impose their own beliefs, for good or evil - and, of course, there are those bound to insist that it’s a fake - annoying, but no surprise for there are folks out there who can practically create magic using Photoshop - I’m not one of them - at 87, after having lost one eye to Glaucoma, and the other not all that far behind, I’m not up to such fancy tricks. What you see was there, at least for that, some might say fortunate, moment. (Actually a one-second exposure.)
    
Some waterfalls are so dynamic that their appearance changes from moment to moment. Of my other half-dozen tries that day, none conveyed quite this exact impression, so it’s hard to say whether this same combination would show up again, what with the constantly shifting angle - and amount - of water randomly sloshing over the rim at the time - being deflected by the wind - the light that afternoon, etc, not to mention that all the natural disasters occurring there over the years have done damage beyond any hope of repair. Changes to the falls? - who knows. As much as I'd like to get back down there and find out for myself, it has long since been too hard. (87!)

Even I am a little surprised at how detailed my recollection is. I don’t remember much else from that day. In any case, for those interested in such details, the picture was taken with an old  camera called a Praktina, left over from the 1950’s. I used it out in the wilds so it wouldn’t break the bank if it fell into the river and drowned. While it was hardly state of the art, I have managed to make a fairly decent 24x36” print from it, a real stretch for any 35mm negative . . . I forgot to bring my tripod that day so I had to prop the camera up on top of a nearby boulder. Can't take much credit for the result, having little choice about where and how to place the camera, and given the way it had to be balanced (vertically) on that big old rock, it  got very tricky to see through. And finally, each time I advanced the film, the whole setup had to be realigned! With all that going on, it’s a minor miracle I came away with anything at all. Now and then you do get lucky, even if it takes half a lifetime(!) to realize it.

That’s about it.

January 1, 2020