Across the Southwest » Architecture

A visit to Chaco Canyon

Adam Schallau — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:52:52 +0000

A place far from the modern, civilized, world. A place of extremes with brutally frigid winters and scorching hot summers. A place that was once inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans and was perhaps the trade and spiritual center of their world. A place called Chaco.

Located in Chaco Canyon in far northwestern New Mexico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park protects some of the largest Ancestral Puebloan ruins in the American Southwest. Among these ruins is Pueblo Bonito, the largest Great House in the park which is believed to have been inhabited between AD 828 and 1126. Covering nearly two acres of land it was once four stories tall and may have contained as many as 800 rooms.

Photographically speaking, Pueblo Bonito is an extremely exciting subject to work with. I suggest that photographers come prepared with ultra-wide angle and medium length zooms to capture the interior of the pueblo. The photo of the T-shaped door above and the photo looking up through the pueblo on the left were both created using a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L lens at the 16mm setting on a 5D Mark II camera.

The exterior of the pueblo can be captured using a a full-array of focal lengths from ultra-wide to telephoto. The photo on the right was captured with my Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS lens set at 150mm. I chose this lens to isolate the back wall of the pueblo against the canyon wall, both of which were bathed in a warm, late-evening light.

In a few days I’ll be sharing more photos from my trip to Chaco Canyon and will be discussing additional photo opportunities in the area.

Desert View at Twilight ~ Grand Canyon

Adam Schallau — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:45:18 +0000

The sun has set on another day at Grand Canyon National Park, but a bit of light remains. It is twilight and the watchtower at Desert View soaks up the remaining light as the night sky approaches. In the distance at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River reflects the blue sky above.

Twilight ~ Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon National Park

This image of the Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens

Exposure: 6 seconds, f/8 and ISO 100

Filters: none

Storm over Pecos National Historical Park

Adam Schallau — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:37:05 +0000

A monsoon storm , common in New Mexico during the months of July and August, spreads out over the church ruins of the Spanish mission at Pecos National Historical Park. The mudding used as stucco has fallen away revealing the adobe bricks used to form the walls of the church. Near the village of Pecos, New Mexico.

Pecos National Historical Park

This image of the Pecos National Historical Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens

Exposure: f/11, 1/80 second and ISO 100

Filters: Hoya HD circular polarizer

Kiva ~ Pecos National Historical Park

Adam Schallau — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 02:33:06 +0000

A beam of light from the mid-day sun illuminates the interior of a kiva at Pecos National Historical Park just east of Santa Fe, New Mexico. A kiva is a subterranean ceremonial chamber built by pueblo indians. I love photographing kivas, especially in the summer because they are considerably cooler than the outside air temperature.

This image of a kiva at Pecos National Historical Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

~Tech details~

Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF16-35mm f/2.8 II USM lens

Exposure: f/16, 10 seconds and ISO 100

Filters: none

Notes: I used a large collapsible diffuser over the entrance to the kiva to soften the light that was entering the chamber.

Adobe wall, window, and flowers

Adam Schallau — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:19:39 +0000

A bouquet of spring flowers brings life to an old window surrounded by blue shutters and an adobe wall. A common spring-time scene in northern New Mexico. Photographed near the village of La Cueva on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Salman Ranch Mill in La Cueva, New Mexico

Adam Schallau — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:47:18 +0000

The historic roller mill located in La Cueva, New Mexico. Now part of the Salman Ranch, the mill dates to the 1860s and was part of a major shipping center for the livestock and agricultural produce grown by a local family and their neighbors.

Editor’s Pick Award – Travel Photographers Network

Adam Schallau — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:00:59 +0000

I’m excited to announce that I’ve had an image selected for the Editor’s Pick award by the Travel Photographer’s Network. The photo is of an old Chevy parked behind Saint Francis de Asis Church in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. I captured this photo with my Canon G9 at ISO 80 and it was handheld.

El Santuario de Chimayo Church on the High Road

Adam Schallau — Thu, 28 May 2009 04:21:58 +0000

I originally photographed this church, located on the High road between Santa Fe and Taos, back in 1999. Back then, I wasn’t really into photography yet and had no understanding of shutter speeds and f-stops and as a result the photo wasn’t that great. Ever since then I’ve wanted to recapture this scene, but one thing or another has kept me from doing so. Sometimes it was the weather, my schedule, or it was the hoardes of tourists (nothing wrong with that, it’s good for the economy) that visit Chimayo.

On my way home from Santa fe this past weekend I had some time to burn and decided to stop by to take a look. I was surprised to find the wild roses growing up and over the entry into the courtyard in front of the church. There were many visitors to the church, but I had to have this shot. I setup my tripod and after about a 20-minute wait I was able to capture the scene you see above. I also have several photos with people coming and going, but I wanted to capture the church in a peaceful state. I hope you enjoy the photo.

The Spirit Within ~ Anasazi Cliff Dwelling

Adam Schallau — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:46:25 +0000

I have just returned from southern Utah where I spent a few days with friends exploring the many archaeological treasures left behind by the ancestral puebloan people better known as the Anasazi. This particular shot was captured inside a large cliff dwelling that had a fine dust filtering through it.

This site is not part of any national park or monument. It sits deep in a canyon many miles from the nearest paved road and requires considerable effort to visit it.

Please click on the image for an expanded view.

Blue Doors

Adam Schallau — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:46:11 +0000

I’ve been shooting a lot of commercial work lately as well as teaching, but I haven’t had much time to do personal work. This has lead me to explore my archives in search of images from past outings that I may have overlooked in the processing stage. This is an image I dug-up from a day shooting with Phil Noll of Los Alamos this past autumn in the area around Jemez Springs, New Mexico.

Please click on the image for an expanded view.

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