Food Truck Menu Photography clean and ready for display!
Elder drove his food truck right up to my house for an extended menu food photography shoot at the JCP Home Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In just over two hours I was able to photograph 30+ menu items for Elder. He wanted a clean white background for the photos as these will appear on TV screens on his food truck. We still made time to get a hero shot and a couple other highlight shots of the New Mexican food dishes he and his team prepared that morning. This was also the first time for me to use my new LED continuous lighting for a shoot, so that while shooting tethered with continuous lighting, Elder could see in real time the shadows and highlights of each dish even before I pushed the shutter on the camera!
Historical Photography in the Wind at Fort Union National Monument
On a very windy Sunday morning I returned to Fort Union National Monument for a second visit and a new photography perspective. Even though it was bright sunshine out, the light was not harsh allowing me to get the most out of my new Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens in a series of shots where I wanted to feature different viewing angles and foreground objects. Having heard most of the ranger’s tour and history of Fort Union I think helped me connect with the place and make better photos trying to pull out of the years the last glimpses of the remaining physical fort. I definitely recommend visiting when a ranger can take you on a tour. Just be prepared for why this place is nicknamed Ft. Windy!
A recent visit to Colorado did not go exactly as planned, but we were still able to take in some views on the famed Million Dollar Highway that is north of Silverton. What a fantastic driving road with views that go on for miles. At least in the summer, there are no lack of amazing mountain towns to visit in a sports car to take advantage of all the sweepers, hairpins, and twisties on the roads in between all nestled in stunning setting after stunning setting.
Wanting to escape the heat of the city yet again, going to over 7,200 feet in elevation to the forest surrounding the San Antonio Campground in the Jemez Valley area of New Mexico, brief relief was found walking among the tall trees and the moss covered rocks. Naturally I had my camera with me, and wanted to look for secrets and textures of the forest. I recently learned a new term for fallen trees, dead fall. How the tree in the above photo came to rest like that in a dead fall of horizontal symmetry is such a secret I was looking for. Large rocks sat in isolation with moss growing on them, and being mostly in desert areas of New Mexico, these were not often seen textures with life clinging and growing to the rocks. I imagine to the moss and such on these rocks, each rock feels like its own planet in a galaxy of trees.
Waking up Saturday morning and not wanting to spend a hot weekend in Albuquerque just sweltering, I headed to Santa Rosa with intentions of swimming in the natural spring they have there, called the Blue Hole. I actually first saw the Blue Hole five years ago, but returning from a 2 month road trip, I just wanted to make it back to ABQ dry. This time I was ready with swimsuit on from leaving the house! However, it was overwhelmingly busy upon first arrival, but after 5pm there were only a few people left and I finally had my chance to make the jump. People of all ages were jumping in, including kids, and I am a very strong and confident swimmer. Nevertheless, upon standing on the rocky overhang, which of course looked much higher up once actually on it than it did from the angle you see above where I took the photo, I felt a bit of hesitation. It is definitely not nothing jumping in from up there! I jumped in feet first and the 61F felt refreshing as I made my way back up to the surface then swam to the steps.
Simon Ruin highlights an amazing canyon hike in New Mexico
Even on my tenth visit to the Navajo Dam and Navajo Lake areas of San Juan County New Mexico, I still found another hidden gem to explore for the first time. The San Juan River connects the lake and town, and in the middle are “holes,” day recreation areas, most of which are accessed on the south side of the river. I wanted to check out the northern side of the river, which led me to the Simon Canyon Trailhead which culminates at an old Navajo ruin atop a huge boulder. It was used as a kind of fort and is surprisingly well preserved. Climbing around the area on boulders myself I photographed it from all angles. The hike out there from the trailhead on its own, with its stunning canyon views, would have been worth it alone, but with the ruin to see at the end, this is a definite hidden gem you should work into your San Juan County travel plans! Check out the full history in the photo below and at the bottom of the page a Google Map to get you there yourself!
Summer along the San Juan River is still freezing in the water!
Navajo Lake and Navajo Dam is one of my favorite areas of New Mexico, and having just made my tenth visit to the area, this was the first time to be there in the heart of summertime. I thought this, finally, was my chance to go for a swim in the San Juan River. The air temperature was in the low 80s. This made me totally unprepared for just how cold the river was. You could not ease your way into the water, which is not my custom anyway, so I made the plunge completely under water, only to have to immediately bounce back up and make my way out. The cold was so intense I felt something like frost bite! After warming back up, I took out my brand new lens, the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, and made a few photos of the river mostly from a low angle. Doesn’t the water look inviting on a hot summer day??
