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Sometimes images become important by what they don’t do rather than what they are supposed to do. The accustomed thinking is that photos should be tack sharp and clearly tell a story by showing you every aspect of the scene you are depicting. Follow the rules, in other words.

I’ve found that there are many times when the rules don’t count, like when you’re sitting cross-legged on the hard packed earth down in a kiva and everyone else has left and suddenly you are faced with the silence and the realization of where you are. This a sacred place for many people and it has been for hundreds of years. It may not be part of your belief structure or mine but there is no denying a sense of spirituality and power when you quietly sit and try to understand what went on here.

Fortunately there were many people on this tour and the rangers weren’t keeping a close head count and didn’t notice one head was missing so I had time to experience this place in a way that you don’t usually get to. Leaning back against the wall, smelling the scent of very old earth and feeling the sense of ceremony and tradition that permeated the atmosphere, it was easy to imagine the presence of others, the ancient souls that became more and more alive as time passed.

Somewhere down the line the rangers did a head count and discovered there was one missing and came back to get me. Busted I had time for one more image before I was herded back to the flock. When I got home and processed the images I found that this last one had moved out of the rule structure and taken on a life of its own. The glimpse of shadowy, fading ancients moving up the ladder comes to my mind every time I see this image. I can smell the scents, feel their presence and hear their chants. Some times its good to break the rules.