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.
El Vado Lake a hidden gem in Rio Arriba County New Mexico
Rio Arriba County New Mexico is one of my favorite places to visit for my rural land real estate work in particular because of the spectacular scenery of and around El Vado Lake. This lake is part of a state park (open seasonally). The water level changes radically with the seasons. I have been at the lake and was shocked at just how low it was at that time. In these photos and drone video I would say the lake is pretty high and near its full volume. Another unique thing about this lake, is that if you are coming from the south, one option you have is to take a 16 mile dirt road right to this southern point of the lake. The dirt road is well maintained, so pretty much any vehicle with a little ground clearance could do it in the dry, and is my recommended way of visiting El Vado Lake. If you are looking for a hidden gem of a lake in New Mexico, use the map below to visit El Vado Lake yourself.
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?
This was my first visit to the actual Saguaro National Park, though my second time photographing these statuesque cactus in Tucson, Arizona (check out first photos). This time I wanted to focus on the height and unpredictable arm shapes of the saguaro, shooting in vertical orientation, framing them to extend up and out of the frame. What makes the arms of these saguaro grow in these twisting shapes? It was fun to imagine and anthropomorphize what they looked like and what hand signals I thought they were giving! What do you see in the shapes of these most revered cactus?
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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.
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?
Leaving Albuquerque on a scenic drive for a day trip can take you to Abiquiu Lake. Driving offroad can get you to this less visited southern area of the lake. I was on a rural land real estate shoot for a client who also wanted some footage of the lake. Finding access from the south was a challenge due to a couple of locked gates, but I found a place to launch the drone from just in time to get this stunning golden hour and sunset cinematic 4K drone video. Check out the map link below to visit Abiquiu Lake yourself.
