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 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
The Wonderful World of Wildflowers ~ Wild Geraniums
The wildflower season in Colorado and northern New Mexico is nearing the end and I’ve begun to sort through my new photos. One of the first things I noticed is that I photographed several varieties of wild Geraniums this year. The first image was captured on Kebler Pass near Crested Butte, Colorado and the second [...]
Spring on the Chama River near Abiquiu
Late afternoon thunderstorms have added some color to the Chama River and saturated the surrounding countryside. Near the village of Abiquiu, New Mexico and Ghost Ranch.
This image of the Chama River is 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 II USM lens
Exposure: f/11, 1.3 [...]
Kiva ~ Pecos National Historical Park
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 [...]
Rio Grande Kayaker
A kayaker navigates the rapids on the “Race Course”, a section of rough water on the Rio Grande near Taos, New Mexico.
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~Tech details~
Camera & Lens: Canon EOS 50D and EF70-200 f/4L IS USM lens
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/125 second and ISO 320
Filters: Hoya HD circular polarizer
Notes: Shot hand-held.
Rio Grande Vision
Often, we photographers have blinders on, and as a result, we miss out on other opportunities due to a narrow field of vision. I’m someone that believes that there is always a photo, it may not be the subject or scene that you were hoping for, but it’s important to keep an open mind (and [...]
Adobe wall, window, and flowers
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.
Alan Heuer – Artist at work
My wife and I were walking the Taos Plaza this afternoon when we stopped in Sage Fine Art on the southeast corner of the plaza. Inside, artist Alan Heuer was working on one of his latest paintings. Alan was kind enough to let me look over his shoulder as he worked and we talked about [...]
Salman Ranch Mill in La Cueva, New Mexico
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.
Rio Grande Gorge with the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II
When it comes to getting new toys, there’s nothing better than getting a new lens. Sure, a new camera body can be great but it doesn’t necessarily change the way you see the world like a new lens does.
I recently purchased a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II ultra-wide angle zoom lens to replace my EF [...]
El Santuario de Chimayo Church on the High Road
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 [...]
Inside a Tepee
This is a shot I created while photographing inside a hot, dusty, but incredibly beautiful tepee near Taos, New Mexico. I used a Canon 5D Mark II with a 17-40mm lens at 17mm to create the wide field-of-view, and I set a small aperture to assist in creating the sunstar.
Old Gas Station Signs
I spent the afternoon shooting at a cool place south of Taos that has tons of old gas station signs and memorabilia. This was another opportunity to test the low-light/high-ISO capabilities of the Canon 5D mark II and again I was left impressed.
This image was captured using ISO 800 with an exposure of 1/25th at [...]
New Mexico Vacation Guide – 2009
The 2009 New Mexico Vacation Guide is out and I have a couple images in it. The image shown here was captured a few years ago in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness Area near Taos, New Mexico while hiking in search of wildflowers. The other image is of Jornada Mogollon petroglyphs in the Three Rivers Petroglyph [...]
Taos Ski Valley Fireworks
Let’s start off 2009 with a photo of the fireworks display in the Taos Ski Valley from last night. This was captured using the 5D Mark II and the EF 24-105 lens with a 30 second exposure at f/8 and ISO 500. I continue to be pleasantly surprised with the 5D Mark II, especially with [...]
First shots from the 5D Mark II
The best-laid plans often go awry. That could have been my motto yesterday. I was scheduled to meet with two clients back-to-back,and then shoot with the second client, and then photograph the Lighting of Ledoux that I wrote of in my blog entry from Friday. The first client was late, potentially cutting into the other [...]
Blue Doors
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 [...]
Sunset on Shiprock, New Mexico
Located in northwestern new Mexico near the Four Corners, Shiprock is a volcanic neck that rises nearly 1,800 feet above the desert floor of the Navajo Nation. Named by Anglos for its resemblance to a 19th century clipper ship, the Diné (Navajo people) call the peak Tsé Bit’a’í or “rock with wings” in reference to [...]
