Monthly Archive for August, 2009

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John Delaney – Kazakh Golden Eagle Nomads

“Fine horses and fierce eagles are the wings of the Kazakhs.” – Ancient Kazakh Proverb

Nobody knows exactly when man tamed the golden eagle of Central Asia. Herodotus refers to nomadic hunters in 5th Century B.C. Genghis Khan is said to have had over 5,000 “eagle riders” in his personal guard. We do know that since the 15th Century, nomadic Kazakh tribes on horseback with Golden eagles have roamed freely across the borders of what is today Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Western Mongolia.

Every fall, soon after the first snowfall these majestic men will head up into the mountains in search of prey.  They will lose their eagles on any unsuspecting fox, rabbit, and even wolf.  At one time this hunt provided needed food and furs for harsh winters. Today it has become an honorable tradition and a right of passage for the Kazakh men.

But at the dawn of the 21st Century, the nomadic way of life is fragile and in danger of being eradicated.  History has long threatened these legendary horsemen: the Bolshevik Revolution, Stalin’s purges and China’s cultural revolution drove roaming Kazakhs to the mountains and valleys of Western Mongolia, where they found refuge and freedom to live as they have for centuries.

I have traveled twice to the far western edge of Mongolia to photograph the Kazakh nomads before these old traditions are lost forever. I shot this work with both large and medium format, and all with natural light. The project has been well received, winning a number of awards including the 2008 IPA/Lucie “Discovery of the Year”.

Bio:

John Delaney (1963) is an American photographer based in NYC. When not shooting he operates a small traditional B&W printing lab. His client list includes Bruce Davidson, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Annie Liebovitz.

Photographs: John Delaney
Website: www.johndelaney.net

Editor’s Note: Please only one comment per person under this essay.. Further discussions should take place under Dialogue..

Many thanks… david alan harvey

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EMT

Emergency Medical Technicians are the men and women responsible for keeping you alive from the time you get hurt, to the time you get to the hospital.  They have to be able to deal with any and every possible situation where someone’s health and survival has become compromised.

It is an experience that holds the widest range of situations, circumstances and emotions.  One day they will celebrate with a family delivering a newborn child, and the next they will help a grieving widow who has just watched her husband pass away.  Emergency caregivers see it all.

While an EMT is well trained in the necessary skills to keep a person alive, the real training starts when they get in the ambulance and head to the call, where they know little if anything about what they will encounter.

It is important to recognize EMTs for the service they provide.  Without them, countless lives would be lost in the time it takes to get to a hospital.

This essay joins the Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad (C.A.R.S.) in Charlottesville, Virginia as they go on calls.  It was shot over three days in June 2008 and three more days in June 2009 as an assignment for David Alan Harvey’s workshop, “The Photographic Essay”.  “EMT” has become a larger project now and I am currently riding in New York City with the St. Vincent’s Hospital ambulance squad.  After New York I will keep working on the project in the cities of Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles. This essay has not yet been published, as it is a work in progress.

Bio

Ryan Scherb is currently working as a fashion and advertising photographer in New York City and is expanding into the world of documentary.  Ryan also has a background as an EMT in Connecticut where he has ridden with the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department.

Photographs: Ryan Scherb
Website: www.ryanscherb.com

Editor’s Note: Please only one comment per person under this essay.. Further discussions should take place under Dialogue..

Many thanks… david alan harvey