Simon 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!
ABQ realtors show your personal style in your modern headshot
More and more realtors, real estate brokers, and real estate agents in Albuquerque are choosing Jason Collin Photography for their headshots for my modern, clean style of headshot that shows them as the professionals they are. Sean visited the JCP Home Studio wanting to show off his personal style and look in his headshots requesting a waist up shot along with a more traditionally framed headshot (neckline up). I was happy to accommodate his request and make exactly the type of headshot he wanted. To stand out in the crowded real estate agent market, a modern, professional headshot that features your personailty is key. Sean now has his headshot to use to market himself and make that all important first impression with buyers and sellers. Thank you Sean for choosing me as your headshot photographer!
Outdoor team headshots in Albuquerque for Zia Trust
Zia Trust had an established style for their team headshots using a space outside their building right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Things change outdoors though, including landscaping and of course light, so I was allowed some flexibility to choose a different background area for making headshots of the CEO, senior trust officer, and the trust administrator. I have a suspicion that when it comes time update the other team members photos, they will want to use the new style I established with these three headshots. Thank you to Nate and the Zia Trust team for organizing a smooth headshot shoot outside where there can definitely be variables. I do not always recommend outdoor on location headshot shoots, but with the right conditions, they can turn out unique and high impact like these did!
Powder Explosion for Stunning Product Shots in Albuquerque
Regular readers of this site might remember I recently did a tarot card product shoot for Darshanie of Lovely Om. As soon as I saw her tarot cards I knew they were the perfect subject to use to try out my first powder explosion product shot. I needed a couple things I did not have on hand to make this shot, including a Duo Board and the actual powder (check out the how-to video below for where and what products to get from Evan Naka). Once everything is setup with lighting, the powder, etc (see BTS shot below), getting the powder explosion shot itself is just a matter of putting enough powder on the board, and whacking the board hard enough to get enough explosion. It only took a few tries to get the results you see in this blog post. Thank you to Jessica for assisting on this shoot and doing the whacking!
It was great having Ava visit the JCP Home Studio here in Albuquerque, New Mexico for her teen actor headshot photo shoot. She had a number of different outfits and accessories, and we shot on several different background to create a wide variety of actor headshots for her in a just a 30 minute headshot session. Thank you Ava for being so great in front of the camera and for choosing me as your headshot photographer!
Summer along the San Juan River is still freezing in the water!
Navajo Lake and Navajo Dam is one of my favorite areas of New Mexico, and having just made my tenth visit to the area, this was the first time to be there in the heart of summertime. I thought this, finally, was my chance to go for a swim in the San Juan River. The air temperature was in the low 80s. This made me totally unprepared for just how cold the river was. You could not ease your way into the water, which is not my custom anyway, so I made the plunge completely under water, only to have to immediately bounce back up and make my way out. The cold was so intense I felt something like frost bite! After warming back up, I took out my brand new lens, the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, and made a few photos of the river mostly from a low angle. Doesn’t the water look inviting on a hot summer day??
Professional headshot to start your professional career
For young professionals in Albuquerque, New Mexico seeking a new job or having just gotten a new job, a modern, professional headshot is the start of working on your professional brand. Kindyl recently got a new job and needed a headshot with a black background to match her colleagues’ ones on the company website. I used two different lighting setups to create a difference in the black background headshots, and one misfire with a light out of position happened to be a happy accident I liked and gave to Kindyl as a bonus shot. Thank you for choosing me as your headshot photographer, Kindyl, and for the fantastic 5-star review too!
