A new studio in ABQ with a friendly owner and cool equipment!
Through the photographer’s grapevine, I heard of a new studio opening up in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque. The owner, Campbell, invited me to come check out YDS Studio for a personal tour. Campbell was so friendly and the studio space was so great, I used my own money to book it for two hours for me and another photographer friend, Tiffani, to go try out and basically just have fun in with all the different photography options only a bigger studio like YDS can provide. We started out with some headshot style photos of Tiffani showing her my usual setup. From there we got out the gels and chairs, as seen here, both orange for some personal branding photography. We finished with actually jumping around the studio! It was a great time getting to use the YDS Studio space and to be able to get creative with a friend in the studio, without the pressure of working with a client. I have already since used YDS Studio for a client and am now offering it as an option in addition to the JCP Home Studio. Thank you Campbell for having such a great space for photographers to use, and to Tiffani for being so great in front of the camera, and showing her photographer skills by actually getting a halfway decent photo or two of me!
Read MoreColorado mountain driving is fantastic
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.
Read More50mm scenes from Hotel Albuquerque’s courtyard
While at Hotel Albuquerque photographing an event taking place in its courtyard, in the moments finding different points from which to photograph the event itself, which was just a reception and not very fast paced, I had the chance to take a few photos of the features inside the courtyard like the large water fountain, the flora, and the event tent itself in place no doubt in case of any unscheduled rain. All these photos were taking with the amazing Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM lens. Every time I use it, I find myself re-remembering this lens not only has magical properties, but it can be used for a much wider variety of photo than one may think. For a 50mm lens, it is nearly ten times what I paid for my very first 50mm lens (Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D) back in 2008, but it just might be ten times the lens!
Read MoreSummerfest returns to Albuquerque with music, cars, and food
Summerfest 2022 Albuquerque returned for the first time in three years (last was in 2019, see car photos). Summerfest is a combination of multi-stage concerts, a car show, and street food. It was extremely hot this year, even after 7pm, but I managed to get a few photos before melting. I chose low angle composition for all these shots to show the viewer something you could not already just see when walking by at typical eye level. Plus using low angle with an empty foreground draws the eye of the viewer into the photo, as seen in both photos featuring cars. Add to that using leading lines, and the photos have two composition styles to show a different look at Summerfest.
Read MoreJumping into the Blue Hole of Santa Rosa
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.
Read MoreSimon 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!
Read MoreAward Winning Landscaping Photographed for a Calendar
The past two weeks I worked with the Albuquerque Water Utility Authority on a fun photography project to photograph the ten winning xeriscape yards around the city. Home owners submitted their landscaping for consideration, and once the winners were announced, I went out to each property to photograph the yards to be featured on the Water Utility Authority’s website and in an upcoming calendar. The winners were from all corners of the city ranging from Four Hills, to the west side, to right in the middle in Nob Hill. Likewise, some yards were professional designed, while others looked more natural and wild. I also got to see an agave in bloom for the first (and only) time in its 10 year life. I forget the exact name of the agave featured below, but it was something like cow’s ear and is a very special agave I was told. Thank you to the team at the Water Utility Authority for choosing me as the photographer for this project!
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