and outfitters , leading rafting trips through the whitewater of the Colorado , Salmon and Yampa Rivers . Many of her photographs of these rivers were of textured rocks and rotting wood , rather than majestic panoramas , and you can see that she was drawn into the minutiae of nature that most people never see - - the tiny world of nooks and crannies and deep fissures , the contrast of shadow and light . In a sense you could say that the river is in these photographs , with its unpredictable and tumultuous turns and eddies , quiet and raucous passages . Nature is very much present in each of her pieces .
Consuela was inspired to take up photography at age 1 5 , when a single image grabbed hold of her and wouldn ’ t let go - - a rough boatman with pool cue in hand and a cigarette dangling from his lips , framed by the doorway of an Idaho bar . There was something about the composition , the evening golden hour lighting , that made the image seem painterly . It was then and there that she decided to become a photographer . Consuela would later study photography at the University of Utah , which undoubtedly gives her work a professional underpinning .
Consuela generously agreed to grant me the following interview , which will lift the veil on these sumptuous images .
JM : Thank you , Consuela , for being with me today . As I always like to do , let me start at the beginning . You were raised in the West , working the rapids for your family business . Were you always a risk taker growing up ?
CHC : I ' m not sure how much I ' m really a risk taker , at least not in all things . Socially I feel very reserved , especially in crowds of people . I ' m the opposite of a risk taker when I ' m with people . Most of my risk taking growing up was because of a need to rebel against authority . It was a means of keeping from sinking into despair . Even when running rivers , my kayaking friends in Colorado would pull bait and switch moves to get me to run Class IV and V whitewater with them . They ' d call me on the phone asking if I wanted to do the Class III-IV run and then when I get there , they say that they decided to do the more technical run instead . But then I have done very scary things such as climbing down a glacier in Montana without the right equipment . I lost my footing and started sliding out of control . My foot broke the surface of the crusty snow before I would have careened to my death onto the jagged talus slope below . It was incredible luck that I didn ' t die that day .
JM : I ’ d say that qualifies you as a Class V risk taker . White water rafting