This photo of a red shouldered hawk perched on a dead tree limb was made after doing a rural land shoot in Torrance County, New Mexico. One of my photography philosophies is that a real photographer always makes the effort to get a photo they see. I was tired, had just been outside for 90 minutes in the desert, had another 45 minutes to drive back home, but I pulled over, got out my camera, and made the effort to get this shot of the hawk because as a photographer you just cannot pass up opportunities to get a shot. For me, especially one of a large bird as they are very hard to get in New Mexico. Back when I lived in Florida, photographing large birds was easy, they were all over the place. Birds and animals are rare to see in New Mexico, even in the remote places I often travel too.
I am often out in remote Rio Rancho on weekday evenings in the midst of a 55+ property rural land real estate photography assignment for Hemingway Land Company. On a recent shoot clouds were heavy on the horizon and I was counting on the sun dropping below them, just above the horizon, and allowing me to get some of my signature HDRsunset photos. The sun did in fact reveal itself, but with a fiery wrath!
I am in the midst of a major rural land real estate photo series of shoots for potentially over 45 properties in northwest Rio Rancho, New Mexico mostly off of Southern Blvd. Hemingway Land is keeping me busy visiting this area each weekday evening the weather is good. As you can see from the photos, there have been some spectacular skies to feature in the showcase sunset HDR photo I make for each property I shoot. These shots are punctuated by using the new Aurora HDR 2019 for processing them, an improvement on the already very good 2018 version I had been using. I recommend upgrading if you have not yet already!
Lordsburg, New Mexico is about 4.5 hours southwest of Albuquerque and was the location for my lasted multi-day rural land photo and drone shoot for Hemingway Land Company. I had never been to this area of New Mexico before so I did not know what to expect. The skies cooperated providing clouds for a spectacular sunset each night, with mountains in the background each time too. In fact, pictured above are the aptly named Pyramid Mountains. This is a very peaceful and quiet area, where nothing happens in a hurry. Lordsburg itself feels that way. This is a place to come for low-stress living, but where can you buy an iPod??
Me and Jessica and the dogs had some free time on a rural land shoot weekend in Navajo Dam, New Mexico, and saw that Durango, Colorado was not that far away. We took the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk up a scenic highway, and kept on going right through Durango finding first a natural hot spring, and then later a crowd gathered around this small bridge. Not until you get up on the bridge do you have any idea the amazing views of the Animas River from it, and you really get a better look at the beauty of this area from the drone’s eye view! The crowd there, however, were mostly to watch people jump off the cliff bank 30+ feet into the Animas River below! It was tricky to time out and capture with the drone, but in the video you can see two people making the plunge!
The rural land photography and drone video work I do takes me all over the state of New Mexico, and I mean all over! Just during the late summer time of August and only half of September, I have been to Angel Fire twice, Taos, Farmington, Belen twice and Socorro. This is a selection of sunset photos I made at those places. If you would like any of these photos as fine art prints to put in your home or office, use the buttons below. Prints are less than you might think. Ask me about getting a 30”x40” canvas in particular!
On a recent multi-day rural land real estate photo shoot in Navajo Dam, New Mexico, there was free time one day for an afternoon trip up to nearby Durango, Colorado where Jessica and I pretty much stumbled upon Pinkerton Hot Springs. Right on the side of the highway sits this natural hot spring that you can take your shoes off and dip your toes in the warm water burbling up from somewhere way down below. Usually these natural hot springs require a hike or at least a small trek to reach. This one though, you can drive right up to! It's a small hidden gem worth stopping for if you are ever near or in Durango, Colorado!
