Image Source: Arizona Highways, September 2010
In his 1967 book, People and Places, Barry Goldwater wrote, “Every face, every rock, mountain, canyon, tree or lake has offered the special challenges of composition. The problem is how to best show the subject so that the resulting picture will recapture the character of an old Indian’s face or a scene with a friend – a friend like you, who will glance through this book.” Former Senator Goldwater’s words are shared by most serious photographers who accept the challenges of composition and producing an image that recaptures the moment for the viewer. Goldwater goes on to say, “Emerson has written that beauty is reflected from the eyes of the old but it goes through the eyes and into the heart of the young. So I might say that the beauty I see in a face or a mountain, a river or a forest, the questioning challenge of the design in an old tree or in the markings on a rock, the never-ending loveliness of changing light goes, not just through my eyes to my heart, but through the lens of my camera onto a piece of photographic paper which I hope will awaken in the viewers heart the same thrill the original awakened in mine.”
To be honest, I’m more aware of Goldwater’s as Senator than photographer, that is till the other day when visiting with neighbor Rose Nehring on some history of Tanuri Ridge topics. In our conversation she mentioned her husband Art’s family association with Barry Goldwater, which lead to her talking about Goldwater the photographer and sharing her copy of the September 2010 copy of Arizona Highways. The issue included a few Goldwater, photos from which I scanned those in this posting. The images are from Michael Goldwater’s book on his father, The Eyes of His Soul: The Visual Legacy of Barry M. Goldwater, Master Photographer.
The things I have in common with Barry Goldwater are photography and we both voted for Goldwater for president in 1964. Of course, Goldwater lost as did every presidential candidate I have voted for till Bill Clinton.
kenne
Images: Top — Hopi Child, 1959; Right — Barry and Boys; Bottom — Navajo Pony, 1938
My grandpa is barry goldwater