Event photography inside the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
I have been photographing various events for NAPAC 2022 around Albuquerque this week, one of which was an evening event at The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History which I had never been to before. NAPAC stands for North American Particle Accelerator Conference so the attendees have knowledge of nuclear science and thus it was a great idea to host part of the conference at the nuclear museum! Once the long time tour guides (they go by a different title actually) announced the choice of going with one about a certain topic and the other for another topic, I had the chance to get some candids of the NAPAC 2022 attendees in the museum itself, and also in setting sunlight, out on the grounds with various airplanes as the background. The photo above is my favorite of the event, as it seems to really have a story behind it. That gentleman in the photo was by himself the entire time wandering the interior and then exterior of the museum keeping to himself with his own thoughts.
Walk into 1923 at the Pioneer Museum in Chloride New Mexico
New Mexico is full of hidden gems, like the Pioneer Museum in the very small (population 10) ghost town of Chloride, New Mexico. When the store went out of business in 1923, it was sealed off, and essentially became a time capsule for the period. All the shelves are just like they were that last day it was open in 1923. The current owner gives a fascinating history of both the contents of the store and its former owners. Chloride is not exactly on the beaten path, but what hidden gem is? If you are visiting Truth of Consequences, this is a great day trip to make as the roads leading out there are great for driving as well. Have you been here?
Atlas Obscura is a great website for finding hidden gems and odd places when traveling. This is how Art Cartopia Museum came on my radar on a recent rural land photography shoot in Trinidad, Colorado. This museum is free (though donations encouraged) and dog friendly indoors and out, and open during Covid-19 for guests wearing masks. What can you see at this museum? Art cars of all kinds, styles, and designs! A van covered in eyeballs? Yes. A huge skeleton driving on top of a car? Yes. A dentist’s dream (or nightmare?) car? Yes. Oddities abound in car form. The owner as one would expect is friendly, a character, and makes you feel like you are the very first visitor ever to the museum, which to me is always a sign of a great host, making you feel like you are the first visitor ever!
Driving back to Albuquerque after a weekend of rural land real estate photographer in Angel Fire along the very scenic Route 66, one can find amongst an unbroken stretch of canyon, trees and river a place that very much stands out, the Johnnie Meier Classical Gas Pump Museum. Thanks to Atlas Obscura, a great website for finding strange and odd things, we knew to be on the lookout for it. There are not just old gas pumps, but any number of things from a past that is slowly being forgotten. For me seeing the old coin operated animal rides that I used to take in the 1970s and 1980s, it was a strong shot of nostalgia. Even the old cigarette machine jogged my memory to when you used to see them in every restaurant waiting room. And when was gas only 32¢ cents a gallon last?
