Winter Views of the Sandia Mountains from Rio Rancho New Mexico

February 03, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife, Fine Art

Sandias from a unique perspective in Rio Rancho

I often have opportunities to photograph the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico from unique viewpoints that no one else can get because I am on private property photographing the land for real estate clients. Add to that exclusivity for this series of photos the fact the land was in a more established neighborhood setting with a hilly topography and I was able to make a close-up photo of the mountains with some flora in the foreground. In another photo I got lucky and capture a flock of birds flying by. Then of course hovering right over the mountaintops were some dramatic clouds to add that still little bit extra to make these some of my favorite photos of the Sandias yet.

White Sands Black and White Fine Art Photography New Mexico

January 13, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife

Black & White footprints at White Sands

In December I had two opportunities to visit White Sands National Monument, and they could not have been more different. The first was on a weekday late morning, and the desert was empty, the sand was pure free of footprints, and there was not a cloud in the sky. On the second visit it was near sunset time, the sands were covered in footprints as it was very crowded there (well for White Sands at least), and clouds added to the landscape story. Clouds and low sunset light shadows definitely add drama to photos of White Sands. However, there is nothing more mesmerizing to me than the footprint-free ridges of the sand dunes at White Sands for producing landscape photos. What set of photos do you prefer: these black and white footprints, or the stark white and blue footprint free dunes photos?

White Sands Minimal Fine Art Photography New Mexico True

December 17, 2020 in Nature & Wildlife

Minimalism in blue and white

After two years I had the opportunity to return, briefly, to White Sands National Monument. It was not at an ideal time of day for photography, but I had a new powerful tool with me this time, the incredible Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens. For this photo series I really wanted to focus on the minimalism of White Sands when photographed up close. The patterns in the sand dunes fascinate me. They are mesmerizing. Then there is the stark contrast between the white sand and almost electric blue, cloudless sky above.

Farm Dreamscape in New Mexico Fine Art Photography

December 17, 2020 in Photo Story

12mm farmland dreams

Taking my new Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens out on its first shoot recently, on my way to the actual shoot location, I saw this farm irrigation system. It was a good chance to check out just what 12mm can capture in a dreamscape setting with the setting sun and dramatic clouds above. The emptiness of the land to me lets me dream of what grew here earlier in the season, and what has grown on it in decades past. What do you see in your dreams in looking at these landscapes?

Dramatic Clouds over the Sandia Mountains New Mexico True Photography

December 10, 2020 in Nature & Wildlife

Clouds like coral over the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico

Having been to remote northwest Rio Rancho, New Mexico at least a hundred times over the past 3+ years for rural land real estate photography, I have made hundreds and hundreds of photos of the Sandia Mountains using a 70-200mm lens, with this shot being made by the amazing Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master lens. One might not think a telephoto lens is good for landscape photography, but if what you want to photograph is very far away, it will just get lost in a wide angle lens. On this particular afternoon, the clouds above the mountains rivaled the mountains themselves for drama. To me they look like undersea coral? What do you think?

Sunset Mesas of Rio Arriba County New Mexico

November 12, 2020 in Nature & Wildlife

Telephoto lens for mesa landscape photography in New Mexico

At the end of a rural land real estate shoot in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, near Abiquiu Lake, I noticed some mesas in the distance. I did not need to get photographs of them for the client, but one of my axioms is a real photographer always stops to get a photo if he/she sees an opportunity. So I got out my Sony a7 III with Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master lens attached to get these shots, as the mesas were quite far away and they would look tiny in a wide angle lens one might normally think to use for landscape photography. The sun was going down, and there were good clouds in the sky, a recipe for near ideal landscape photography conditions.

Halloween Blue Moon over the Sandia Mountains Albuquerque New Mexico

November 10, 2020 in Nature & Wildlife

Almost Halloween Blue Moon over the Sandias

At the end of a rural land photography shoot in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, I turned from the west after getting the required sunset shots to see the moon rising over the Sandia Mountains. I would come to learn that in a few days this would be a very rare full (blue) moon on Halloween night. To get unique views one must go to unique places, and not many go miles off road in the desert northwest of Rio Rancho wit a camera.