Eagle Nest Lake State Park New Mexico True Landscape Photography

August 26, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife

Hidden Gem of a mountain lake in northern New Mexico

New Mexico has dual environmental personalities. The lower half of the state is mostly sand and baron. The upper half, is mostly mountainous and tree covered. So when you think New Mexico is a desert state, it’s hard to also picture that there is a place like Eagle Nest Lake State Park that is a mountain lake surrounded by tall grass and other flora. Hiking paths will take you all around the lake with pivoting views of different mountains. This is a place to come and cool off from the extreme summer heat. It was only 74F for a high on this day in late August! Check out the map below to visit this hidden gem mountain lake oasis.

Nearly scared by alpaca to death in Cibola County New Mexico

August 11, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife

Cibola County is peaceful unlike any other place in New Mexico

Cibola County is one of my favorite places in New Mexico. Much of the county has no cell signal, especially in the El Morro, Ramah, and Fence Lake areas. Being in this off the grid area gives me a peaceful feeling that nowhere else in the state does. However, this was all shockingly disrupted by . . . an alpaca!

Valley of Fires New Mexico in Black and White

July 29, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife, Fine Art

The struggle of flora in the Valley of Fires

This was a return to Valley of Fires walking through a different area than three years ago (check out those photos and drone video). This time I observed how the flora of the desert struggled even more to live around and actually on the vast lava field. To highlight this struggle I converted the images to black and white for impact. On the side of a long empty, desert road, I think Valley of Fires definitely qualifies as a hidden gem of New Mexico. It offers exploring for all levels from just observing from afar and up top the vast expanse of this lava field, to walking as far as you want right through the jagged lava formations. If you really like Valley of Fires, you can even camp there. Check out the map below to visit this hidden gem of miles of lava in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico.

White Sands National Park Sunset Photography July 2021

July 22, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife, Fine Art

Closer to White Sands but still a world apart

White Sands National Park outside of Alamogordo, New Mexico is easily the most photographed natural wonder for me in the state. I have had the opportunity to visit this amazing place three times in the past seven months alone. Each time I go the views and the sands are different. This time I did not have the chance to wonder very far to some little trod on area, but I made the best of this near parking lot location by looking even more for the dance between shadow and light and the sunset. As it has been since I got it last year, the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens is an absolute rock star at White Sands. Which of these views is your favorite this time?

Carlsbad Caverns National Park in Light and Shadow 2021

July 15, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife

21 years between visits to Carlsbad Caverns

My first visit to Carlsbad Caverns was all the way back in 2000 during my first attempt to move to California. I have two standout memories from that visit. The first was that it was on a weekday in March with no school groups and the caverns were virtually empty and it was doubly amazing to have them essentially all to myself. The second memory was dropping my (film) camera into the toilet in the visitor center! Fast forward to 2021 and the caverns were filled with few people using the recommended whisper voice, and my camera was digital and mirrorless, and I did not even dare take it into the restroom!

Cocklebur (dry) Lakes New Mexico True Fine Art Photography Black and White Landscapes

June 10, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife

Dry lakes are looking for water and memories

This is another instance of how my rural land real estate work allows me to see places I absolutely never would normally. On the way back from an extended series of property shoots in Chaves County New Mexico, just northeast of Roswell, while actually looking for another nature area but never finding it, this was a true stumbling upon (remember that site?) of Cocklebur Lake, a very, very dry lake. The skies were overcast so I knew then while making these photos I would ultimately convert them to black and white as the landscapes themselves were already nearly devoid of color. Walking on the dry lake bed, under a wide open sky, one could feel the yearning of the land for water. In that sense this dry lake felt like an old memory that you could only 5% remember. That’s what I feel a dry lake is to me.

Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico True Photos

June 03, 2021 in Nature & Wildlife

Wetlands breakup monotonous desert views

While on the Road traveling for my rural land real estate photography work in New Mexico, with often long drives to and from locations, I like to break them up by visiting some of the off the beaten path attractions of the area. This time it was Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which judging by the very few other people there, is an overlooked natural landscape northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. I cannot say it was the most stunning wetlands area I have ever taken my camera too, but it was a nice break from the harsh desert and boring cattle land views on the long drive back to Albuquerque.