Going for the abstract with Christmas Lights
Going and strolling around Christmas lights displays is not really fun or entertaining for me, unless I bring my camera and a large aperture lens, in this case my new Sony 50mm f/1.2 G Master, the largest aperture lens I have ever owned. I personally think Christmas lights look better in photos out of focus, so that the frame is nearly entirely bokeh. I purposefully tried to make the photos out of focus to get the most bokeh in every shot and highlight the color and shape of the lights. Which one is your favorite?
Read MoreStreet Photography Challenge
Early in my photography career when I was living in St. Petersburg, Florida, back around 2010, I used to teach a lot of photography lessons because DSLR cameras were just starting to be bought and used by non-pro-photographers, i.e. enthusiasts and hobbyists, and who the heck could figure out how to use something with a dozen buttons on it? So a couple times a week I’d spent 2 hours with someone walking the streets of St. Pete teaching them my 5-stop process for shooting in manual mode while finding interesting things to make photos of.
Read MoreNot quite as large as I imagined the Very Large Array to be
The Very Large Array was one site I had not been able to get to before in my 4.5 years traveling all over New Mexico for my photography work and on drives with the BMW Club. Well, the latter finally brought me to the Very Large Array Rest Site where I was able to actually see the array in action. While standing there, the huge dishes all started rotating in unison. However, they were not as big as I imagined them to be, nor was there any one central giant mothership type dish. Still, it was very cool to finally see the array and for once, the clouds were amazing when I visit one of these New Mexico True sites.
Read MoreGet on the catwalk!
Some four hours away from Albuquerque, hidden in the small town of Glenwood, there are catwalks that elevate you over a creak along the side of sheer rock. Free and dog friendly (though holes make it tough on some paws), this is a real hidden gem for the dedicated New Mexico True fan who wants to visit a unique place well off the beaten path.
Read MoreRoute 66 begins in Seligman, Arizona
My photography work in the past four years has taken me all over New Mexico, and now it is expanding into Arizona where I get the chance to check out more small towns, like Seligman, Arizona. This town is credited with being the birthplace of Route 66. It might be funny to think how a tiny town without a single stoplight would start the first great traveling road in the U.S. Of course, like all Route 66 towns, the hey day of Seligman is long past, but I still enjoy trying to listen and hear an echo of what once was
Read MoreBiking to balloons to break a 3 year jinx
My own Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta jinx was finally broken after a span stretching three years, and on opening day I was able to see the Grand Ascension. Fog, traffic, Covid, all thwarted plans the past three years, but finally some luck in 2021. I must say though, I did not feel the usual energy out in Balloon Fiesta Park on a not too cold morning. Maybe it was just me? This year also marked the first time I rode my bike to the event, which other than a 7.5 mile ride in the dark, was the best way by far to get there. It also resulted in being able to get photos of the balloons along and landing by the North Diversion Trail, a dedicated, paved cycling path that goes essentially parallel to I-25 directly from Balloon Fiesta Park all the way to I-40.
Read MoreHorses free in the world at twilight share a moment
At the end of a long day out in Cibola County, New Mexico on a pair of rural land real estate photo shoots, my evening end with a view of this horse dreamscape. I was rushing around to try and beat the increasing clouds that were blocking out the sunset, but I paused for a moment seeing these horses far in the distance, who I believe are looking right back at me. There was no fence between me and those horses, so I could have walked right up to them and touched them. That makes me think they are wild horses, free in the world. After a very hard day out in the field, for a moment, there was a shared moment of peace with those horses. We then each went our own ways into the twilight.
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