I've been passing these roadside markers for 15 years now, since moving to AZ. They stand where loved ones died in car accidents.
It occurred to me many times that it might be worthwhile to try to capture some of the feeling of the memorials...or at least, how I imagine those placing them might feel.
"The first DESCANSOS were resting places where those who carried the coffin from the church to the camposanto paused to rest. In the old villages of New Mexico, high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains or along the river valleys, the coffin was shouldered by four or six men.
Led by the priest or preacher and followed by mourning women dressed in black, the procession made its way from the church to the cemetery. The rough hewn pine of the coffin cut into the shoulders of the men. If the camposanto was far from the church, the men grew tired and they paused to rest, lowering the coffin and placing it on the ground. The place where they rested was the descanso.
The priest prayed; the wailing of the women filled the air; there was time to contemplate death. Perhaps someone would break a sprig of juniper and bury it in the ground to mark the spot, or place wild flowers in the ground. Perhaps someone would take two small branches of piñon and tie them together with a leather thong, then plant the cross in the ground.
Rested , the men would shoulder the coffin again, lift the heavy load, and the procession would continue. With time, the descansos from the church to the cemetery would become resting spots."
--Introduction/Dios da y Dios quita", from Descansos: An interrupted journey
, by Rudolfo Anaya, Juan Estevan Arellano and Denise Chavez (Del Norte , 1995).
As a photographic subject, Descansos have a built in emotional appeal. I've approached them many different ways, but I usually settle on a low point of view and narrow depth of field. If the background is in any way interesting, I will try to include it. Even with the narrow dof, the background can be useful for supplying an appropriate setting and context for the image. Including the road and traffic tells the story in a strait forward manner. In some cases, the background is a distraction that I'd rather not include. In those cases, moving the point of view to above the marker, and/or framing tight on the marker can be effective.
All three of the images in this post were made with a Jupiter 9 85mm f2 lens on various film cameras.
Comments