Paul Stachelek - Photographs

Notion: “a vague or imperfect conception or idea of something”

Most of these images are scans from early work in color slide film (mostly San Diego and many downtown before redevelopment).

Called “the land of fire and ice”, Iceland is characterized by its geographic landmarks including volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, tectonic rifts, molten lava fields and treeless grasslands.

The terrain of Iceland is diverse. It can be verdant and serene and it can be rugged, harsh and sometimes violent…but in most cases it is visually stunning.

All photographs made in June 2017.

Anna Maria Island is a seven-mile long barrier island on Florida’s Gulf Coast the main attraction being the turquoise waters and white sandy beaches. Originally used for hunting and fishing by various Native American tribes, the only way on and off the island was by boat. In 1892, George Emerson Bean became the first permanent resident on the island followed by John Roser. These two men and their families developed the area by adding streets, a water system and homes. Today, tourism development has been targeted as a key economic goal.

The Blue Ridge Mountains form the eastern front of the Appalachian Mountains running from Pennsylvania in the north to Georgia in the south. When thy reach Georgia in the northeastern part of the state, the mountains turn westward and expand up to sixty miles in width.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for having a bluish cast when seen from a distance. Primarily this cast is created by the properties of light, organic compounds given off by plants (especially pines in the region), and perception.

This photographic essay demonstrates landscape photographs made in and around Blue Ridge, GA in the fall of 2014. Additional photos included are from Blairsville, GA, Murphy, NC, Brasstown, NC and Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville, GA.

“The far-famed valley came suddenly into view throughout almost its whole extent: the noble walls, sculptured into endless variety of domes and gables, spires and battlements and plain mural precipices, all a-tremble with the thunder tones of the falling water. The level bottom seemed to be dressed like a garden, sunny meadows here and there and groves of pine and oak, the river of Mercy sweeping in majesty through the midst of them and flashing back the sunbeams.” —John Muir

Most of these photographs were made between 2002-04. This was a particularly dry period and forecast a significant drought in California between 2007-09. What are conspicuously absent are photographs representing the “thunder tones of falling water” during this period. Many waterfalls ran dry or only at a trickle.

For further inquiries about books, prints and limited edition portfolios contact pstachelek@gmail.com

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is located near Carmel-By-The-Sea in California. Point Lobos is often considered the “crown jewel” of the California State Park system. Nature lovers (and photographers) have long spent time exploring and admiring this delicate ecosystem where the Pacific Ocean meets the coast.

Bodie, CA is an original gold mining town from the late 1800s. In 1859 William S. Bodey discovered gold near what is now called Bodie Bluff (change of spelling). A mill was established in 1861 and the town began to grow. It started with about 20 miners and grew to an estimated 10,000 people by 1880. What’s left today stands in a state of “arrested decay”. Bodie is maintained by the California State Parks system, which took over the town in 1962 and made it a State Historic Park.

The Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum in Vista, CA is the setting for this visual exploration of the colors, shapes, and textures distinguished by various examples of mechanical ingenuity and crafts associated with the early days of the American farm and rural community.

Devil’s Den is a boulder strewn area located in the Gettysburg National Military Park near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The original name is somewhat uncertain, but local lore tells of a large snake that inhabited the area and acquired the name, “The Devil”. The boulders were presumed to be the snake’s den; thus, “Devil’s Den”.

On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate soldiers occupied Devil’s Den which provided their sharpshooters with an excellent vantage point to fire on Union positions held on a hill named Little Round Top.

The next to the last photo in this sequence is a familiar location to those familiar with the history of photography. It was here that Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner staged a photograph by dragging a dead Confederate soldier into this location and propping him against the boulders.

Around 1984 I developed an interest in the semi-nomadic lifestyle of older/retired Americans who traveled to the southwestern deserts for wintering. Commonly referred to as, “snowbirds”, there are basically three migratory paths followed during the winter in the US; east, mid-west and west. My focus was the west in the southern California and Arizona deserts.

Most snowbirds return to their northern homes, typically just before April 15th (to send in their federal income tax returns!). However, some had become “full-timers” meaning they lived year round in their RV’s and migrated around the country based on seasonal changes. They had sold their brick and mortar homes of 30 or 40 years for the nomadic lifestyle.

There are also many choices to “land” with this lifestyle. Some might choose a planned RV community around Yuma, AZ for example, where the RV is placed on a concrete pad and hook-ups of gas and electric and various amenities can be acquired. Others stay on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) where, at the time, they applied for 14-day permits. After 14-days, they would have to move to another BLM location. This is somewhat of a more primitive, camping lifestyle. But, each RV’s had a supply of water, toilet, cooking, refrigeration, heating/cooling and various accoutrements.

The socio-economic structure to these encampments tended to be homogenous, but not entirely. It was very possible that a $300,000 BlueBird RV could be found camped on BLM land with a pick-up and camper shell. What did appear to be a common thread amongst the snowbirds is that they were from relatively the same generation and shared common life experiences. They had all grown up someplace, gone to school, gotten married, worked a job, had children and now found themselves in a new phase of life. It didn’t seem to matter what the details of all those years were, but the fact that you made it through and now you found yourself “here”, in the middle of the desert.

Among the rights attributed to Amendment I of the US Constitution is “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”.

Jose Napoleon Duarte led a civil-military Junta from 1980 to 1982 and was then elected president of El Salvador in 1984. Supported by the Reagan Administration and the CIA, his time in office occurred during the worst years of the Salvadoran Civil War which saw numerous abuses and massacres of the civilian population by the Salvadoran security forces and the death squads linked to them. When Ronald Reagan became President of the US, Duarte became a symbol for “anti-communism” although documents later showed that far more human rights violations were carried out by the Junta than the FMLA anti-government guerillas.

These photographs depict demonstrations staged against US support for the Duarte Junta. Photographs were made in 1983-1984 in Tijuana, San Diego, Los Angeles and the project culminated in San Francisco at the time of the Democratic Convention held there.

Photographing these events was a visual exercise in both photojournalism and street photography. I was impressed with the guerrilla theater that accompanied these assemblies. Elaborate costumes, make-up, props and performances punctuated the message. Signs, chants, music, and puppets accompanied the hundreds of participants that filled the street.

This was a cursory overview of the historic Savannah Riverfront district done in the summer of 2018. At the time, the heat index was around 106 degrees. Needless to say, we did not stay long. We joked about going to where it was cooler; in Florida!!! Some of the images are made handheld at night (when it was cooler). I like the use of monochromatic images for these architectural subjects; seemed to fit the period. Lovely place; full of history, southern hospitality and cuisine.

Black and white photographs taken on a trip to Mexico during December 1982 and January 1983. Locations include; Mexico City, Oaxaca, Puebla, Mazatlan, Yelapa, Puerto Vallarta. Original 35mm black and white negatives digitally photo copied.