This was a return to Valley of Fires walking through a different area than three years ago (check out those photos and drone video). This time I observed how the flora of the desert struggled even more to live around and actually on the vast lava field. To highlight this struggle I converted the images to black and white for impact. On the side of a long empty, desert road, I think Valley of Fires definitely qualifies as a hidden gem of New Mexico. It offers exploring for all levels from just observing from afar and up top the vast expanse of this lava field, to walking as far as you want right through the jagged lava formations. If you really like Valley of Fires, you can even camp there. Check out the map below to visit this hidden gem of miles of lava in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico.
Standing out on LinkedIn with a vivid colorful background
As expected, once clients saw the first examples of the new vivid color backgrounds I am offering here at the JCP Home Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, they want them too! Christian already has his new, cool green backgroundheadshot up on his LinkedIn profile. We started out making a blue background headshot to match the first shirt he was wearing. He then wanted a three-quarter headshot view for a more casual, relaxed look as he donned a t-shirt for the shot. Thank you Christian for choosing me as your headshot photographer!
White Sands National Park outside of Alamogordo, New Mexico is easily the most photographed natural wonder for me in the state. I have had the opportunity to visit this amazing place three times in the past seven months alone. Each time I go the views and the sands are different. This time I did not have the chance to wonder very far to some little trod on area, but I made the best of this near parking lot location by looking even more for the dance between shadow and light and the sunset. As it has been since I got it last year, the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens is an absolute rock star at White Sands. Which of these views is your favorite this time?
Sunrise commercial real estate shoot in Albuquerque
In order to beat the customer rush, I had to wake up before sunrise to get to this brand new Mister Car Wash location in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a commercial real estate photo shoot. I took the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master lens all around the car wash looking for unique views like the one above, in addition to more traditional shots showing the building and branding. I also used the sunrise itself in shots to add some visual flare. Thank you to the team at Mister Car Wash for choosing me as the commercial real estate photographer for this new location.
Headshots in vibrant colors now available in Albuquerque
Here at Jason Collin Photography I am always looking to improve the headshots I make for clients with both technique and photography gear. The latest addition to headshot sessions is color! Thao visited the JCP Home Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico for headshots and told me that the logo color for her company was purple. Using the new gels I got, I put on a purple one and, voila, a white background becomes purple! I am super excited to be able to start offering clients background colors to match their logos, brands, and personality. Of course white, black, and gray are still available too! Thank you Thao for being a great first colorful background headshot client!
My first visit to Carlsbad Caverns was all the way back in 2000 during my first attempt to move to California. I have two standout memories from that visit. The first was that it was on a weekday in March with no school groups and the caverns were virtually empty and it was doubly amazing to have them essentially all to myself. The second memory was dropping my (film) camera into the toilet in the visitor center! Fast forward to 2021 and the caverns were filled with few people using the recommended whisper voice, and my camera was digital and mirrorless, and I did not even dare take it into the restroom!
Professional Commercial Portraits along the Rio Grande in Corrales
I was already back on location doing more commercial portrait photography for awesome new client Precision Surveys, Inc, (see first shoot), this time in the Bosque area of Corrales, New Mexico right on the banks of the Rio Grande River. I had never been to this area of the Bosque before, and have since already been back for a personal day out enjoying this rather different stretch with more trees, higher view points, and more areas to access the river itself. Precision Surveys needed just one location for this shoot, so after a bit of trekking with the photo gear and the survey gear, we found this spot that had a view of the river and the Sandia Mountains in the background. Thank you once again to the crew who were great in front of the camera and to Larry for choosing me again as his company’s photographer.
