Like many professional photographers just starting out, I photographed weddings. Dozens and dozens of weddings actually, but after a couple of years I switched, for several reasons, to being a commercial photographer. Now, I still photograph a wedding every now and then, but mostly only for friends or friends of friends, and in this case, a networking friend, Sarah. There was something about this wedding that was a first for me, with a wedding being the surprise conclusion to a renovated event hall at the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque. So my challenge was to be inconspicuous with two large cameras and lenses on my person, in a room full of people who knew each other but not me, so as to not spoil the wedding finale surprise! I am happy to say I did not, and the wedding was a complete surprise to everyone in the hall except me.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in candids and speaking
I have lost track of how many times I have had the opportunity to photograph Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, which goes back to when she was a congresswoman in 2018, but every time is always fun as she is a very animated and energetic speaker. This also makes it a challenge to photograph her while speaking becausse many of the photos freeze her in a not so flattering pose. Knowing this, for the event I photographed at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North for the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, I knew I had to take more shots than I usually would of someone speaking and time my shots just right waiting for her to pause after a sentence to have the best chance at getting a good photo. The governor helped me out this time by not standing behind a podium while she was speaking allowing for some head to toe photos as well.
Atlas Obscura is a great resource for finding odd places to stop when traveling between places. In this case, we were driving from Sedona, Arizona to Tucson and made a 40 minute detour to see the Domes of Casa Grande. Atlas Obscura describes these domes as being built around the late 1970s for computer manufacturing, but were never actually completed as you can see in the aerial drone photos below. What are the rumors for what happens in the domes and its tunnels now? Nothing less than maybe satanic worship. The area is totally fenced off with no trespassing signs as they have been slated for demolition, but still stood as of January 2020.
For regular readers of this blog, you may recognize both Kawtar and my M3. Kawtar is a networking friend who also was a headshot client 2 months ago. She has a custom of having themed photos of her made every New Year’s. This year she wanted to pose with a convertible, and it just so happened I have a convertible! We decided on a parking garage location for the shoot because it is an appropriate setting for using a car as prop. You would never know how cold and windy it actually was from the photos, but Kawtar was up for any ideas I had, and Jessica was a great assistant making sure all the lighting stayed up in the air as needed.
Many times when I am out on a rural land photography shoot, it is just me and a cactus passing the time waiting for the sun to set for me to get my final shots. Such was the case on a recent shoot in remote northwest Rio Rancho, New Mexico where this cactus kept me company and allowed me to make this photo featuring a sky full of floofy clouds.
Linda contacted me about making headshots for her here at the JCP Home Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico that were not stuffy. I am always happy to make the kind of creative headshots clients want, and if they want ones that allow me to get more creative than usual, that’s even more exciting for me! To start with, we only used a black background for maximum impact. Then I used a variety of different lighting styles and poses to shape different looks for Linda, even though she remained seated in the same place. It helped she brought a few wardrobe changes and was an absolute natural in front of the camera. Thank you Linda for letting me be creative and for choosing so many photos from your headshot session!
Sedona, Arizona is famous for its red rock mesas. I wanted to see one that could not easily be seen just by driving down a paved roadway. Such are the conditions that were the catalyst for seeking out Submarine Rock. Only serious off road vehicles can make it out to this mesa, or you could go on a long hike on foot to reach it as well. The trusty Jeep Renegade Trailhawk made it, and allowed me to fly my drone and take out my camera to share this video and these photos with you of this majestic and mysterious landscape in Sedona.
