Dispatches from the Verapaz region near Coban, Guatemala [www.chrisengholm.com]

This is a running account of a photo shoot in the Verapaz region of Guatemala.  We’re set to depart from LAX at 11pm on Friday night.  Our guide, Manuel Barrios, will pluck us from the throng at the Guatemala City airport on Saturday morning at dawn. 

 I’m writing him the following letter suggesting an itinerary for our five days together photographing the Verapaz region of Guatemala —

 Manuel: I suggest we first head south into the mountains route CA-10 to visit El Cristo Negro in Esquilpas.  I have not viewed the basilica before and have plans to photograph it in a ‘painterly’ way — you can hold me to this promise.   Devotees come from afar to visit this sacred place and there is a cave and a cemetary nearby that I’d like to see as well.  

 Then perhaps we can start back and connect with the CA-14 to get to Salama.  I’d like to  continue north to visit the Biotopo de Quetzal at sunset.  Maybe we can make it to Coban to stay there Saturday night.  On Sunday we can visit the lagoons and whatever else you have in mind.  On Monday, maybe we can see Cancuen.  I will see you Saturday morning at 5am at the airport. 

|~dayblog~| Update on Shooting Anti-war Rally with A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition, Sept. 15th

The A.N.S.W.E.R. anti-war rally is fast approaching.  Ms E. notified me yesterday that the group is expected “thousands” of demonstrators to show up at the Capitol Mall on Sept. 15th.   I’m trying to remain as objective as I can, but I must admit their cause is intoxicating.  The government appears to be doing whatever it can to subvert the organizing efforts…including the levying of stiff fines on A.N.S.W.E.R.  I attach an email from the group. 

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GOVERNMENT FINES ANSWER COALITION ANOTHER $10,350 Call a friend and tell them to come to Washington on September 15!*Please circulate widely*

Today, one week after it filed a free speech lawsuit, the ANSWER Coalition today received a second round of fines for a total of $10,350 for posters promoting the September 15 March on Washington to End the War on Iraq. In the last two weeks, the ANSWER Coalition has been fined a total of $21,000. There is an effort underway by several branches of the government to disrupt the organizing for the September 15 march, which will be led by Iraq war veterans and their families.

What should each person do? Call a friend and tell them to come to Washington DC on September 15.

Two weeks ago, in the face of the first round of fines, thousands of people called or sent emails to DC government officials insisting that the fines be rescinded. On Monday, August 20, constitutional rights attorneys from the Partnership for Civil Justice filed a major lawsuit against the government challenging anti-postering regulations that have been used to fine the ANSWER Coalition.

You can see the free speech lawsuit by clicking this link:

http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=-XFUS8eNQxHDTuH0aJ2I4Q..You can see video and audio from Monday’s press conference announcing the lawsuit by clicking on this link:http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=x7iP8WILtm1OECFAoOPhbQ..Now, we believe the most important thing is to focus on building the demonstration itself. We believe that we can prevail with the combined force of our legal challenge and political support. But the best way of thwarting the government’s effort to disrupt the organizing for the September 15 Mass March is to build that march so that it reaches its full potential.The last thing the Bush administration wants to see is people from all over the United States joining together in the streets of Washington DC led by Iraq war veterans and the family members of soldiers and marines, in combination with the Arab American and Muslim community, demanding the immediate end of the criminal war and occupation in Iraq.

The ANSWER Coalition has provided thousands of dollars as a scholarship to help Iraq veterans and other veterans get on the bus to join the September 15 protest. Thousands of Iraq war veterans want to join the protest. The biggest obstacle is lack of money. If you cannot come to Washington DC yourself but would like to provide a transportation subsidy for others, you can make a generous donation by clicking on this link:

http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=oGoVd0J15y6GfLe9OBKJfg..BE IN DC ON SEPTEMBER 15!100 transportation centers – Get on the bus!

For more information, click here:

http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=7OZub-DfgJkP2BhmCugO8Q..To organize transportation, click here:http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=P6D1AjdRSsRIyUve2vLiHg..To become a volunteer, click here:

http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=e6ZPM-HZMzzq0SfI4UyWaQ..To endorse the march, click here:http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=PTh22IUiJ8aVnTSHnRxmeg..To download Sept. 15 literature, click here:

http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=r1-XLl8Gh4qNUho5jzpxnQ..To order Sept. 15 literature, click here:http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=Iiv8YJb5R-0jP1wdgjav2w..Be sure to check outwww.Sept15.org

http://www.pephost.org/site/R?i=Al_CWW657A-kN0VLmEkQwQ..

|~dayblog~| Final “Eternal Esperanza” (Fire) Photo Shoot

This morning I ran up to the Esperanza Fire site for one last shoot before a forced shutdown of any more shooting before the gallery show. it’s time to print this puppy, mount it, and let others see it. Of course, I ran into two or three great scenes that will make the final 25. A summer storm had rolled in and the light was soft throughout the morning. I shot all wide in different formats: 67ii with the 35mm (awesome for landscapes), the F5 with the new 18mm, and the Noblex panoramic. On the way down, the thunder started and soon the east county was reporting flash flooding.

The past two days we’ve been using the new light table with this project, to great benefit. It’s wonderful to be able now to lay out an entire project and edit free from a computer. It’s such a direct and tactile process compared to being inside the software. Yes, yes, I know Lightroom is wonderful…but before lightroom there was Light Table. And remember, I’m hopelessly old school.

|~dayblog~| Nikkor 18mm f3.5 Review and Trial (from Chris Engholm.com)

I love buying vintage lenses, especially from sellers on eBay. Yesterday I received a new (old) Nikkor 18mm f3.5. I had been hungry for a wider perspective lately in part due to my recent inspiration from Atsushi Tsunoda, who shoots with something wider than a 20mm. I once owned the Nikkor 18mm f4 but the lens wasn’t particularly sharp at the edges and frankly, the ghosting and barrel distortion relegated it to the back of my shelf. The 3.5 is totally different and great. Nothing like these old metal compact AIS Nikkors — fast, sharp, reliable, and pocket size. Just plain natural feeling in the hand and just a kick for the eye. I have a Nikkor 28-70mm that I had been thinking of trading in for the 17-35mm, in order to get that added width beyond the 20mm. But I HATE the clumsy bulk and conspicuousness of these zooms, and opted to simply add the 18mm instead. It was the right decision. And the cost: $199 in perfect condition. Smokin’ solution.

This is a 10% detail from a strobe-lit shot with this lens. The detail represents 10% of the original digitally-captured shot. Pretty good for a 20 year-old lens.

This is a shot with this lens on Velvia taken in Guatemala. It’s just as sharp as my 24mm Nikkor, however with more light fall off and some lost sharpness at the edges (however, the shot was taken hand hand and wide open at 1/15 of a second, so who’s complaining?

|~dayblog~| Photography Workshop in Guatemala: Itinerary

Our departure date is August 31, 2007. Our guide in Guatemala, Manuel Barrios has responded with a go-ahead for our proposed route to Coban and the caves, ruins, and forest lagoons in the vicinity. He writes:

“Hi Chris, four full days are enough to see Coban. I know the area by
heart as I´ve been there many times. I would recomend first visiting the
area of Salama, which is next door to Coban. Then we can visit the caves including Rey Marcos and
La Candelaria. We cam stay at the lagoon of Lachua which is considered
PARADISE. We can see the area of Chisec too and if there is time we may see more places.

See you soon. Su amigo Manuel Barrios”

Manuel confirms that: “Mel gibson has
been in Guatemala recently, and there are only two ways to get to El Mirador –
by helicopter and by mule…and by mule takes at
least five days. So we’ll have to wait to see El Mirador.