Sunrise cow friends
I found myself at 5:50am on a piece of ranch land just outside of Artesia, New Mexico recently. After somehow getting buzzed by a semi on the tiny dirt road as I stepped out of my Jeep, it was all quiet after that, save for the sounds of farm animals on the neighboring ranches. I like to make animal friends when I am out on these rural shoots, like these horses in Belen earlier this year. So I was glad that two cows came over to see me this sunrise time and even prop up an ear in curiosity at perhaps the two large cameras and lenses I had on my person. It was nice to have company, but I eventually had to move on and finish up photographing the property. I feel like the cows, like the horses, were sad I went away. Maybe some day I can have an animal sanctuary as long has been my dream and then I can stay with all the animals all the time!
Read MoreFind this Road in San Juan County New Mexico
On a recent rural land photography shoot in the Navajo Dam area, the road to the property was a beauty for driving: winding and sweeping between mesas with good pavement and sight lines. Even though I was just in my Jeep Renegade Trailhawk, that is designed to shine more offroad than on, it was still a great drive. I made this HDR landscape photo to show that New Mexico indeed has some great driving roads.
Read MoreArchitecture Photography Tips for Albuquerque
I used to get to make architecture photos a lot, actually, when teaching DSLR photography lessons in Florida. I would meet my students in downtown St. Petersburg or Tampa where there are both tall office buildings and fancy skyscraper condos too. So i found myself in downtown ABQ last Friday evening and realized, I have not seen a view like this before so pointed my Nikon with 50mm lens on up toward this interesting building.
Read MoreAliens sell in Roswell
A recent rural land photography & drone video trip took me southeast to Roswell, New Mexico. The photos of the land due to its setting and lack of topographical features were not spectacular. However, the photos I made of downtown Roswell, also for the same client to help sell the land, are much more interesting. As you get further and further into the heart of Roswell, the more and more aliens and extraterrestrials start to adorn businesses. Such alien themes are not restricted to local, independent business. Take a look below and see a huge alien holding up a Dunkin Donuts sign!
Read MoreSalvation or Dr. Seuss?
I have shown you a dedicated outdoor art exhibit in Slab City, California called East Jesus. Before you get there, you must pass Salvation Mountain. At a casual glance, this may appear to be a tribute to Dr. Seuss with its vivid colors and unusual shapes. It is in fact a very religious symbol, that you can walk on and over! You can walk to the top of Salvation Mountain along a vivid path that offers a wide open view. To the side is a labyrinthian area that is an even more of a Dr. Seuss meets LSD scene.
Read MoreObscuring Monument Valley Beauty
In bookend visits to Monument Valley in Utah, I made a lot of photos being there for sunset one evening, then sunrise the next morning. I had time during these two forays into this stunning environment to look for other shots besides sweeping landscape photos, like this one with a twisted tree. There was so much movement and texture in this gnarled tree that I wanted to find a way to photograph it that really made it come through the frame. I set my camera on my tripod at its lowest leg extension for a below standing eye level perspective. This eerie tree composed this way as to obscure the beauty of the mesas creating a contrast in visuals.
Read MoreHorses wanted me to come over
While out on a rural land real estate photo shoot in Belen, New Mexico, I made some new friends. My dog, Kiki, was with me on this desert shoot as she often is. I noticed that she was noticing something in the distance to the east. I was focused on the west getting ready to make my signature HDR sunset shots. In the far distance I saw two animals moving. I thought they were cows as those are the most common large animal sighting in that area. One was really white though and I thought that is an odd coloring for a cow. Looking closer I saw they were in fact horses. I had already been to that area of the property and knew there was a barbed wire fence. I wondered if they would jump over it?
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