Ceramic artist Noah Starer, now Santa Fe based, brought his latest collection of ceramic art to the JCP Home Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico for photos to be made of 25 new pieces. I have photographed a lot of Noah's art in the past, and was glad to be able to attend his opening weekend exhibition of his work, titled Naked Clay, at Santa Fe Clay earlier this summer! I am glad to have seen his art career journey from Las Lunes now to Santa Fe and all the success he is deservedly having now. He is also teaching classes at Santa Fe Clay so check for when his next classes are to learn how to create your own naked clay!
I have been to many places around the world, some considered wonders of the world, like Angkor Wat in Cambodia, some hard to reach, like the jungles in Borneo, as well as famous wonders in the U.S. like the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. Monument Valley in Utah ranks up there with the most wondrous places I have seen. I bookended my time at Monument Valley first with a sunset visit, then the next morning at 6am with a sunrise explore. The photos you see here are all from that very early even-pre-sunset time in Monument Valley. So early, no one was at the gate to even pay to enter! No one else had yet driven into the valley that morning. I had the view of the two Mittens and Merrick Butte all to myself for awhile.
All my brief time in New Mexico I heard of something called, Shiprock. I heard many things about it. "It is a spiritual place." "It is very hard to drive to." "You have to go there." I can now say all of those statements are true. After several wrong turns, accompanied by Jessica, our dogs, and two friends visiting from Florida, I pointed my Jeep Renegade Trailhawk down the correct dirt road and rolled slowly toward this towering rock formation that the day before was visible from 30+ miles away in Arizona. Twilight was already arriving as we arrived. The rain held off and provided dramatic clouds for the background of the photographs I took from the surface with my Nikon, and the drone photos and video I took from the air.
I long dreamt of Malibu, in particular its miles of coastline offering near infinite sunset views over the vast Pacific Ocean. In December 2017 I got to fulfill that dream, but just for one sunset. At least it was a great one and though it is a rare thing in life, expectations long daydreamed about were met and surpassed. Some day I will get to see more sunsets in Malibu, perhaps even from my own back door.
Revisiting the photographs I made at Echo Amphitheater in Abiquiu, New Mexico I found some more that I wanted to edit and offer as fine art prints and commercial license usage for businesses that want to display a unique view of New Mexico natural wonder in their home or office for friends and clients to enjoy as well. Standing in the base of the curved rock formation that produces the echoes the place is named for, I found the shape of the rock wall to be fascinating and photographed it from multiple angles. If you have received a business card from me you have already seen my favorite angle of it (check it out here), but I like these for their partial views of the upper edge as well.
I had the chance to go west for a rural land property shoot in Grants, New Mexico this week. I most often go north or east of Albuquerque. This was a completely new area for me. This property was not that far from the city of Grants itself, but it rested high up in the shadows of a black mesa over looking an interstate, train tracks and an airport! I also usually only shoot very flat land properties, where this one was nearly completely rolling foothills allowing for more creative sunset landscape composition.
Going through my recent rural land photography archives while out in remote places in New Mexico, I was reminded of being brushed by a strong thunderstorm. It does not rain often in the winter in the greater Albuquerque area of New Mexico, much less a thunderstorm. Thus, my surprise at having to stay close to my Jeep Renegade Trailhawk in case a deluge broke from the sky or lightning started striking the ground.
