Las Mariposas y Michoacán
Have you ever heard butterflies? The first time I stood quietly in a mountain forest in the midst of millions of monarch butterflies, their velvet wings beating like the flutter of little orange angels, was for me a spiritual moment.
I traveled to the mountains of central Mexico (Michoacán state) to photograph the winter sanctuaries of the monarch butterfly. Intrigued by the people and the culture surrounding these mountain sanctuaries, I have expanded this project to include the entire state of Michoacán. It is a work in progress and a labor of love.
The monarchs arrive in Michoacán at the end of their incredible 2,000 mile migration from the US and Canada on November 1st : the day the Mexicans celebrate El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). This and the many other religious festivals, such as Semana Santa (Holy Week), are intrinsic to the color and spirit that is Mexico. Mexico for me is like the biggest box of crayons and I’m a kid again. The warmth and quiet dignity of the Mexican people make me happy that we are neighbors and extended family.
Since I began this project, the monarch sanctuaries have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, yet these oyamel fir forests are being decimated by illegal logging.
Migrant workers from Michoacán are returning home from the United States, where there is no work and the border fence gets higher and longer. It may be time for me to change direction and refocus, but I know that the soft sounds of the monarchs will never leave my soul.
Photographs: Medford Taylor
Music: Danza Espanola, Op. 37, H. 142 – XII. Arabesca
…Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet !!!
I’ve never witnessed so many butterflies or seen them photographed this way. Absolutely beautiful. It makes me feel the gift of earth and nature. And the way that Medford brings us back every few frames with the butterfly imagery really make it the unifying element of this essay. And what an insightful and personal look into a colorful world that is so close. Bravo!
Medford , what do you think about the coincidence of the Monarchs returning on the day of the dead ? do you read anything into that? I mean It seems like a pretty heavy scene when everyone is celebrating lost souls and uncounted hordes of butterflys descend just when you are thinking about the souls of the dead.
I also loved your stuff on the dog fence from a ways back – is there anywhere we can see more of that story?
Cheers Glenn
Just went you your site and found them ,
Nice photo of Sandy Kidd in his aeroplane!
“the eye is valued by the distance
it covers outside it
and the light it’s capable of taking in.”
–Homero Aridjis
just magnificent, simply magnificent…..as both an essay, a long song, a song of birth, death and recapitulation….
for the last photograph (which is also the cover photograph), i’d trade every photograph i have ever shot, and then lay down my cameras…….that photograph is worth it’s weight in gold….
from the Harvey credit card which had been maxed out to this magnificent photograph and brilliant labor-of-love essay, the name Medford is branded now in my skull….may your golden eye never run less luminous….
magnificent…
thanks
bob
magnificent, magnificent, magnificent!
I too have seen/heard/experienced hundreds of thousands of monarch butterflies on every leaf of every tree, bush and blade of grass, hovering in the air and painting the entire world a vibrating orange & black. I’ve also been fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in a poor Mexican neighborhood where the people accepted us Norte Americanos with openhearted grace and generosity. So Medford’s essay touches me on many levels, including the personal.
But beyond that, I was fascinated by the variety of subjects he included, all of them reflective of life in this region. And speaking simply as a photographer, his images are rich and colorful, vibrant and full of the passion of the people.
This was an essay I did not want to end.
Patricia
Medford:
just a quick brief follow up as Marina and I have both looked at the essays again, as well as your website…
this final Golden photograph is so so magnificent….and i just wanted to say how special of a photograph it is. Not only is is delirious beautiful, and reminds me of a) Van Gog’s Yellow Room, b) The Sun (she is the sun), c) a character in a novel by Marquez (chronicle of a death foretold), d) paintings by Botero….but also this…
on saturday, Marina and I took our son again to the Art Gallery of Ontario and there they have a print of Irving Penn’s magnificent Portrait of chilean children, and your picture is a sibling to that photograph….born of color and light and the sun now….so, that too is the photograph i wished to draw other’s attention to as a complement to the magnificence of your essay…
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MgQ5mHQZkhA/SJ8PJhWGhDI/AAAAAAAABac/oEPsOpIZ6jo/s400/Penn_PeruChildren.jpg
cheers
bob
Oh, that comment was by Me (i forgot to change the name)….BUT, IN TRUTH, marina and I had the same thought :)))))….so it is serendipity that her name shows the writing :)))))…we’re the same family :)))
cheers
bob
Too long. About half as long on each image would have been better. Very pretty images.
If Mexico is like
a box of crayons….
what’s your favorite color?
Lovely…
what is happening in the photo with the man is shackles?
life
death
rebirth
evolution…
dancing
in
colors…..
xx
**
man IN shackles?
Medford, at a time when my spirit needed it desperately, your essay touched me. Made me feel. Made me smile. Beautiful, beautiful. Thank you.
Nice work, Medford.
Don’t think there’s one individual image in your set that I don’t like but find the ‘essay’,as a whole,
somewhat disjointed and without any real flow.
The Monarch images, which were/are very compelling just seemed to be dropped in randomly.
I was left wanting more butterfly images and fewer of the more commonly seen Latin American
daily life pics
Mark
Well Chief-my congrats-you have come a very long way-the essay is magnificent-i am proud to call you my friend for so many years-lets put out some more fires!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MEDFORD,
What equipment do you use for this essay?
actually not vincent but… photoshop van gogh (vincent’s nephew)
We call it penitencia in Spain. Nowadays it’s more of a tradition (as in doesn’t hurt as much as it looks nor as much as it used to) to suffer for one’s sins. I have atheist and agnostic friends in Spain that do take part in Easter for not losing the trade, it’s quite interesting.
I really liked the burnt faces on the edge of the shade in picture 9. Reminds me of the descriptions of Mexico by both Kerouac and Burroughs when they decided to cross the border.
Very nice medford; work in progress and a labour of love – you must be a happy man. The opening photograph (24 in the sequence) is wonderful – makes you smile. As an essay it holds together very well: 24 photographs of butterflies, no matter how beautiful, would have been too many. You say in your introduction that you have expanded your project to include the entire state of Michoacán and I believe that you chose wisely; to show the people of the region living in the land along with the wildlife will be more cohesive.
This short essay really brought home to me the immense cultural difference between U.S. and Mexico. Crossing a border in Europe brings changes but nothing so glaringly different as what you show. The light looks wonderful – so much brighter than here in England – I envy you!
It always strikes me as sad that Mexico, a country so rich in culture and family values is saddled with poverty that requires the migration of many of its citizens.
Good fortune with your work Medford.
Mike.
Color, color, color! And so beautifully used.
I’ll leave the poetry to Wendy and Bob… for I, like Marcin, am interested in the tech side. (Sorry!) Fujichrome? D700 with velvia curve? Small things, I know, but if you care to share…
Thanks for such a moving slideshow.
Cheers.
This is beautiful and intriguing. I love how you’ve punctuated the colour of daily life in Michoacán with the butterflies, blood (the bloodsports), and religion (with the cross/crucifix displayed in a number of shots). The references to religion actually seem, to me, as much of a focal point in this essay as the butterflies. Perhaps the link is the reference in the intro to your experience of the butterflies as a ‘spiritual moment’?
Also, the music you’ve chosen suits the essay perfectly.
Only one criticism – I want to see more!
All the best,
Andrew
Medford, you seem to have a very gentle touch… My personal favorites are 6, 9, 16, 17.
Hi Medford,
I want to go there! with the butterflies…….Love the hot colors and #15 the shot of the bullfighter is a very strong image for me.
My best, Valery
wow… thank you Joni… That must be something to witness…
Thanks for the insight..
**
Such a beautiful subject ! A kind of magic…
Well done work Medford, keep the faith.
What a lesson, which explains in a most poetic manner why so many of us find our real selves in the most humble places, amongst the humblest people, and that one can endow us with as many trillion dollars of money of any color, it’s all wasted if we live constantly with the fear of tomorrow, and forget the most important in life, to open our eyes and with it, our heart. No contest for me: give me a million butterflies over a trillion dollars, and that’s no wishful thinking, quite the talk I have been walking all my life.
Thanks, Medford!
Hi, my name is Ross Gordon. Was introduced to Burn by my friend Gina Martin. I love it. I do however, have a question. This may be because I’m in Ecuador right now not sure, but it is taking a very long time to view the flash slide show. Even when I turn off the music and try to view individual images it is very slow in downloading. Is there anything I can do about this. I desperately want to get active in the forums but it it very difficult with the amount of time its taking to view the essays.
By the way, the essay Los Mariposas y Michoacán uses color beautifully to illustrate the brilliantly, lively culture of Mexico…
Hi Herve, how are you? Excellent your last photos from Cambodia and the Chinese New Year parade in Pattaya.
In addition to my comment above, I wanted to include that I feel there is a very gracious sensitivity that Medford brings to these photographs. Before looking up his website, I actually thought that these were shot by a woman, because there is a feminine, almost maternal, sensitivity to these photographs, and to all of Medford’s work. This is not to say that I am judging the work from a sexist standpoint, or that I have a preference for women vs men photographers; it is just interesting to note the standpoint of the photographer and how the connection to their subject comes through. I find that Medford’s images make me feel like I am experiencing what he did when he shot them; these images not only made me feel something, but also touch upon and elude to how he must have felt when capturing them. This is not an easy feat to achieve, and a skill that I think (for most who possess it) comes innately. I simply feel wonderful after watching these images pass from one to the next. And to handle color so eloquently…the ultimate accolade from a die-hard lover of black-and-white. Nothing but praise…
… Try to empty the cache on
your safari…
Peace
Hi Ross, welcome. I just tried starting the slide show and pressing the stop button – then clicking on a random selection of photographs. This seems to work and speeds up the viewing. Hope this helps. Enjoy Ecuador!
Mike.
It’s a beautiful work-in-progress. I will be interested to see how Medford expands and integrates the butterfly components into the cultural explorations. Should be fascinating.
Wow, thankyou Medford. I’m in awe.
Checked out your site, further awed, and maybe a little bummed too.
It’s like when I go to my yearly flute camp “Boxwood”, Hearing the great players can bring tears to my eyes, partially because the music is so beautiful, and the players chops are so amazing, and partly because the rest of us know we will never play like that in a thousand years.
But what the hell, it’s not a contest. Thanks again for the inspiration.
Absolutely beautiful and original, I hope it will achive the exposure and the success it deserve!
Beautiful photos, Medford. Can’t they do something about all the bugs, though?
Akaky…
I share the same “INSECTOPHOBIA”( say what????)
with U!!!
:)))))
… How about if we lock all the bugs at
the same cage we locked the Fish and the Unicorn???
Just kidding…!!!!
:))))
“To exchange identity with a butterfly is radical. It is to be what you are obviously not. It is to find surprising connections to the world, as well, perhaps, as hidden dimensions, small but powerful, outside your range of perception.” – Sharman Apt Russell as quoted from, An Obsession With Butterflies
Medford- inspiring use of color, light and composition. I am curious to know what effect a tighter edit might have on this series? I noticed that about half way through, the images began to pack a visual punch, whereas at the start I wasn’t immediately grabbed in such a visceral manner, like I was at the finish. However, this might be intentional on your part, building to a crescendo of light, color and movement, a la Mariposas.
JIM..
i think there may be a tech problem..this show should run at 4 secs each…if that is too long for you , then that is too long..but, if you are seeing it longer than that, then it is the tech glitch..we will try to fix it…
Wow, Medford. I can’t say anymore than what’s been said. You are a gentleman and a friend. Thank you.
Mike
Beautiful stuff. At first I wasn’t sure about how it held together as an essay (like what the hell is this dog in the surf?) but then about half way through I got it. Yeah, I think as Krissy points out above the first half/third could use some reworking.
Makes me want to go to Mexico and make some photographs.
Beautiful Medford. I like the idea of Mexico being like a big box of crayons for you. Your work definitely shows it–beautiful color!
LUZZ…
i do not know why Medford did not jump in here and respond, but i do know there is no Photoshop in this photograph…it was evidently shot in a copper shop or factory and the copper is literally reflecting this natural light…
Dog — unbelievable — we have followed you through this adventure and you have surpassed what anyone could have conceived. — Where is our Lightening Strike?
Your Arizona friends,
ML and Tim
What a celebration of color and feast for the eyes. Brilliant!
This essay makes me love Mexico.
Yes, it is running at more like 8 to 10 seconds per slide. I actually had this problem once with a Slideshow Pro slideshow I made and could not figure out why it was happening. I think it was a server side Director problem, though.
The photograph of the little girl (cover) was taken in a copper shop in Santa Clara Del Cobre. The burnt orange color is from outside light bouncing off huge copper pots. I was talking with her mother, the proprietress, when I saw the girl, the rose and the light; and they all came together in a moment of serendipity. This is the heart of Mexico and why I love being there.
I am humbled and inspired by the gracious comments from all. In 1972 I called David Harvey from the road to mourn the death of Life Magazine and now in 2009 I congratulate him on the birth of BURN Magazine. It’s been one hell of a ride and I suspect you ain’t seen nothin yet. Yee Ha !
Muchas gracias.