Salida Streets, Real and Surreal     We all recognize Salida or think we would if presented with a photograph.  But to see an entire block, absent cars, filled with random events and stories whose beginnings and ends we haven't been told, is in fact very unlike the Salida we encounter day to day.  Behind the facade of every building and in the shoes of every shopper is a story.  Often these stories did not begin today, but rather with immigrant ancestors or on a ranch displaced by development.  The book seller may be a fierce hunter and the auto mechanic,  a poet.     Photographic images provide me with time to explore not only  the illusion of reality but also the mysteries of that reality.  In these images of Salida, there are stories hidden on every block, tied to the unique nature of our town.  These layers upon layers reference the past upon which the town has been built and suggest that we laugh with friends at our humanity, while sharing a great love of place.     My involvement with photography goes back over 50 years.   I do not manipulate reality with photographic techniques.  Rather, reality manipulates me and photography is the lever that gives it moment.   Ultimately my concerns with technique are secondary to the surprise of creation. Richard Smith Salida, Colorado August 2010

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