Great Sand Dunes & Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
I finally had an opportunity to get out and shoot with the Nikon 14-24mm lens in a real world environment. This wasn’t so much a “scientific” test and evaluation as it was a hit and run visit to introduce my mother, visiting from San Antonio, to Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.
The subject for [...]
Wild Grasses Blowing in the Wind
Spring is here and the wild grasses and wildflowers are beginning to come out of hiding in the Orilla Verde Recreation Are near Taos, New Mexico. For this shot I wanted to capture the movement of the grasses that were literally growing out of the cracks in the canyon wall. I used a combination of [...]
A Day Along Historic Route 66
It was known as “the Mother Road” and “Main Street America”, but it was best known as Route 66. A long section of Route 66 once made it’s way through New Mexico and Arizona, paralleling the modern day route that I often take on the way to the Grand Canyon.
Crossing the wide open desert, it [...]
Desert Bighorn – Curecanti Recreation Area
This big guy was definitely aware of me and actually seemed very willing to strike a pose. This photo has been sitting in my archives since last September and I finally got around to working on it this morning. It’s always a wonderful experience to see a magnificent creature like this in the wild, photographing [...]
A Winter Morning in the Forest
A winter morning at Grand Canyon National Park. The canyon was completely socked-in so I took a stroll through the forest.
A visit to Chaco Canyon
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.
Ice Fishing Article in New Mexico Magazine
I’m very excited to share with you the completed product of the first magazine assignment that I shot. The January 2010 issue of New Mexico Magazine features an article titled ‘Ice Breakers’ by Arnold Vigil with the photos shot by yours truly.
Most people know New Mexico for it’s beautiful deserts and canyons as [...]
Cypress on the Guadalupe
Sally and I made a trip to Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday to visit family in the San Antonio area. While we were there, we had an opportunity to spend some time exploring the Guadalupe River near the town of Comfort. I love the Guadalupe and have canoed it many times from Comfort to Guadalupe [...]
A Cold Morning at the Gorge in Taos
Holy smokes was it cold this past Friday! I got up at sunrise to photograph the Rio Grande Gorge in early morning light with a fresh snow covering the rocks. As I drove out of town I noticed that bank sign was reading 12 degrees Fahrenheit, and the coldest part of the morning was yet [...]
Ute Mountain surrounded by fog
On a recent trip to Colorado to photograph fall color I got stuck in New Mexico. It wasn’t because of car trouble or work obligations, it was because we had some of the most amazing fog I’ve ever seen in the desert. It’s important to understand that fog is not exactly a common occurrence [...]
Cumbres & Toltec Railroad – An Early Morning
Engine 484 of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad prepares to leave the station in Antonito, Colorado on a cool September morning.
This was a photo of opportunity. I was on my way to Crested Butte to photograph fall color and had nothing but fall color on the brain. It felt a bit ironic to photograph [...]
The Search for Fall Color
I recently returned from four days in Colorado in search of fall color. It was a bit more difficult this year to find good color with many areas running a bit late in turning and the color was not as vivid as it has been in the past. Did this have an effect on my [...]
Ripples and Light ~ Blue Mesa Reservoir
Here’s something a little different for me, a sunset photo (I know, nothing new so far) captured along the shoreline of Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison, Colorado.
~Tech details~
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: EF16-35mm f/2.8L Mark II USM lens
Exposure: 2 seconds, f/22 and ISO 400
Filters: Singh-Ray, Daryl Benson Reverse Graduated Neutral Density 3-stop, 4″x6″ – [...]
Colorado Wildflowers ~ Lupines on Kebler Pass
Another beautiful day on Kebler Pass near Crested Butte, Colorado. Is there anything more relaxing than wildflowers and aspens in summer? Yes… wildflowers and aspens with the warm sun on your face.
This image is a blend of two exposures, but instead of the normal blend to manage dynamic range, this time two images were used [...]
Farming the San Luis Valley
It’s been awhile….again!……since my last entry here on Across the Southwest. It’s not for a lack of material, but rather, a lack of free time. It’s frustrating too because I really enjoy sharing new images and ideas, and getting feedback from both my regular and irregular readers. I’ve kept busy lately with a few photo [...]
Sunrise on Mount Hayden – Grand Canyon National Park
This image of first light striking Mount Hayden as viewed from Point Imperial on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.
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~Tech details~
Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF16-35mm f/2.8L Mark II USM lens
Exposure: 0.6 seconds, f/11 and ISO 320
[...]
Lower Antelope Canyon ~ A twist of texture
I think I will take a different path in the development of my slot canyon photos. Even though I absolutely love the colors that are found in slot canyons, sometimes you loose all the wonderful textures, lines and shapes when the color overpowers the image. Look for a new portfolio of limited-edition prints to be [...]
Sunset from Horseshoe Bend
An incredibly beautiful spot above the Colorado River just a couple of miles from Page, Arizona. Horseshoe Bend is often photographed at or before sunrise, but I like it in the evening. I actually started my day here for sunrise, shot Lower Antelope Canyon from early morning until just after noon, visited Glen Canyon Dam [...]
Monsoon thunderstorm over Shiprock
The summer “monsoon” took a bit of a break this month but was in full-force again this past weekend. I always seem to miss good, dynamic weather when attempting to photograph Shiprock Peak in northwestern New Mexico. But this past Monday on the drive home from the Grand Canyon the sky was full of great [...]
I’m Back from Arizona
Wow, it’s been over three weeks since my last post! The business has kept me very busy lately. I’ve taken on a few new photography students recently and had several submission deadlines to meet. All of this has kept me from posting on the blog.
Last week my wife Sally and I took a road trip [...]
Desert View at Twilight ~ Grand Canyon
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.
This [...]
Dandelion Abstract
Being a photographer, I like to travel. There’s nothing more exciting for me than to visit a new location, to see the next red rock mesa over the horizon or a waterfall hidden in a mountain valley. But sometimes, when I’m unable to travel, I find a whole new world to explore in my backyard.
Last [...]
North Clear Creek Falls
If you happen to be driving between the Colorado mountain towns of Creede and Lake City, I highly suggest stopping to take in the beauty of North Clear Creek Falls. This waterfall is is easily accessible being just a short side trip off of Highway 149. Here is a link to Google Maps marking the [...]
Storm over Pecos National Historical Park
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, [...]
