Pow Wow

[Snarkbyte]

I went to San Xavier this weekend to get some shots of the old church. Serendipitously, the Annual Pow Wow (inter-tribal dance competition) was being held right behind the church. I was completely unprepared, of course, but that didn't stop me from getting a few shots.

I'll post the Church shots separately; they need a bit more PP.

C&C is invited and appreciated.

#1: Intensity.
I'm not qualified to judge if this guy was the best dancer, but he was certainly the most intense, and obviously loved what he was doing.



#2: Dignity
The woman's posture and demeanor just exude grace.



#3: Dance Leader



#4: Elder



#5: My Favorite Costume



#6: Supergirl
The "Up, up, and away" pose is just an accident of timing... but she does have the necessary cape!



#7: Just Too Much Fun
Not the most elaborate costume of the day, but this little girl was having as much fun as anyone.

[mythlady]

These are wonderful -- what a lucky day to go there. I love pow-wows. I also love San Xavier, and I'm looking forward to your pictures.

[Donald]

That's a lovely set of pictures (not sure about the font size of the accompanying text though!).

[jeeperman]

Great shots! Thanks for sharing.

[jiro]

Awesome shots and story, Al. The crops are a bit tight but still OK. Very good!

[Snarkbyte]

That's a lovely set of pictures (not sure about the font size of the accompanying text though!).

Oops! Sorry, Donald. The font size gets reset sometimes when I cut and paste. I edited the post so that it no longer looks like I'm shouting.

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Elise, it is interesting that you know of San Xavier. I've lived in Tucson for a dozen years, and I had never been to the mission until this weekend. I always thought of it as a local tourist trap, but I definitely changed my mind yesterday; it really is a beautiful and interesting place.

[Snarkbyte]

Awesome shots and story, Al. The crops are a bit tight but still OK. Very good!

Thanks, Jiro, and I agree about the crop, but I didn't have an appropriate zoom with me. All were shot with a 200mm prime and most were cropped only in vertical to remove clutter, not horizontally. Most of the shots really could stand to be a bit wider, but that's what happens when you're completely unprepared for an event.

[mythlady]

Al, my sister-in-law and mother-in-law lived in Tucson (mother passed away, sister's husband as well, so she's moved back to California), so I visited there a number of times over the last five years or so. I'm greatly attracted to missions and churches in general, so the first time we visited, at the earliest chance I made a beeline from Oro Valley to San Xavier. It was under construction the day I visited, and at that point I was, shall we say, less developed as a photographer, so I didn't get great pictures. But I greatly enjoyed visiting, except for the part when a man (another visitor) scolded me for taking pictures inside the chapel. This despite the fact that there was a sign saying pictures were allowed, but no flash.

Anyway, Tucson is a very interesting place, except for the weather -- After nearly 40 years of living on the California coast, I just can't do that heat any more.

[BJ Denning]

Great photos with great color. My only distraction is the sun glasses, but nothing you can do about that.

[jjbacoomba]

Awesome photos. I mis going to Pow-Wows. Now that I am into photography I will have to attend a few. The colors/costumes are always amazing as are the dancers. Thanks for posting!

[tb72]

Nice set of pictures