German Bison

Bison #1 /September, 2005
[Holga]

Now that I have been off the travel circuit for a few days, I am finally finding a spare moment here and there to get to the prodigious pile of Holga and pinhole negatives that I have accumulated over the past 4 months in Peru, Santa Fe, Germany and New England. I hope to be able to devote at least 2 or 3 posts per week to these images.

Ironically, this photograph of an animal most commonly associated with the American West, was taken in the former East Germany. The location was a modest (some might be tempted to use the word 'mediocre') theme park that had an Old West area. The bison (there were four of them) were featured in the Wild West Show and their part was to gallop into the arena, roll around the in the dust and then gallop back out again.

To really appreciate this scenario, you have to imagine Germans dressed up as cowboys and indians and, of course, speaking German to each other. Although that might not seem odd to a German, especially those who grew up with the western stories of their native Karl May (who, interestingly enough, never even set foot in America until four years before his death and long after he penned his Western stories), to me it does have a decided and delicious surreal quality to it.

Comments

[mr bill]

This so reminds me of Susan B's extreme closeup shots with her toy cameras and homemade contraptions. Did you use any closeup lenses with this particular shot? Anyway, I just love the framing and, of course, the subject matter.