Photographer: Denise Rocco-Zilber, Fairfax, California Image Title: Kalash Solstice Category: Indigenous Cultures   Technical Details: Nikon N90s, 17mm-35mm lens, E200 chrome Location: High in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Pakistan Description: Only a thousand or so Kalash people remain, the last "Kafirs of the Hindukush", their territory restricted to three narrow valleys within the extreme Northwest of Pakistan. The Kalash have succeeded in keeping their identity despite the tumultuous history and religious changes among their neighbors. The blue eyes and red and blond hair of the proud shepherd warriors are European features that are said to have come from soldiers of Alexander the Great when he crossed the high passes of the Hindu Kush.   This is standard daily dress and make-up for a Kalash woman or young girl.   Whether the subject is a medicine man in Vietnam or a vanishing forest in Costa Rica, Denise Rocco brings together photography and cutting edge technology to tell a story, to open minds, to try to make a difference in our future.   She began her photography career coordinating the production of two groundbreaking book/cd-rom projects, "From Alice to Ocean: Alone Across the Outback" and "Passage to Vietnam," the second of which won the CODIE Award for Best Multimedia Title of 1995. Breaking free from traditional limitations, these projects illustrated the impact technology could have in the world of publishing and photography. Rocco immediately turned to another challenge: making this innovative approach benefit Earth's environment and population.   A variety of projects followed, and her work has appeared in a number of magazines, including HOW Design magazine, PC Photo magazine, Popular Photography, American Photo, National Geographic's Online Visions Gallery, and Photo District News has also profiled her. Each step has clarified her vision and her role in producing projects that impact the world. As Executive Producer and digital photographer for One World Journeys, Rocco has coordinated the best of the web - digital photography, sound bites and writing.   Rocco's work meets the eye, opens the mind, and excites the imagination as to what the world holds and how the individual can make a positive difference in that world. As a photographer and as a producer, Rocco tells us stories - true stories - about what is and about what can be; these stories resonate within a harmony of images, of words, of sound, of hope.   For more about her many projects, visit her web site.   Denise Rocco-Zilber Phone: 415-457-9966 Email: denise@roccophotography.com Web: www.roccophotography.com     Return to 2003 Galleries | Return to 2003 Indigenous Cultures Gallery     Home | Contact Us | Copyright