Passing on the tradition Photo

Photographer’s Note

The contemporary Pow Wow is a link to the past that helps maintain Native American heritage. Seen by outsiders as entertainment due to the singing, dancing and colorful regalia, the Pow Wow is a spiritual legacy which should be treated with respect and honor. It is a time for Native American families to be together with other family members and friends. It is a time of sharing, of laughter and tears, of learning, and of caring. It is a time when Native Americans reflect on their traditions. It is a time to honor the past and celebrate the future.

- taken from the ASU 21st Annual Powwow information sheet -

This photo seems to symbolize, to me, much of the reason for the pow wow ... the passing on of traditions from father to son.

I had to crop the photo a bit more than I would have liked due to an inconvenient head covering part of the father's feet and an undesireable leg to the right of the boy. In addition I brightened, increased the contrast and sharpened the image.

scobert has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

scobert (5333) 2007-04-28 13:14

Hello Mark,
A very good pow wow photo which is an excellent example of the documentary/photojournalistic syle of photography. This image really brings out the close family and community bonds of these events. We need to share our knowledge with the TE members around the world to attempt to accurately portray the often misunderstood Native American cultural. Pow wows are always hard to photograph due to all of the distracting elements: chairs, people in the background, trailors, etc. Good work!
TFS,
Stan