Across the Southwest / Adam Schallau

Things are quiet now on the ExpressJet ramp. The airline ceased branded, scheduled service on September 1st, 2008, citing higher fuel costs as the main factor. According to xjet.com, ExpressJet will continue to provide charter services and will continue flying for Continental Airlines as Continental Express.

My wife and I have flown ExpressJet several times this past year in our trips back to Texas to see friends and family. A lot of them have asked why we don’t drive, after all Texas is the next state over. My answer; because it’s a 12-hour drive if you make ‘good’ time, and sometimes up to 14-hours just to get to San Antonio. Taking ExpressJet still required the 2-hour drive to Albuquerque, but it’s only an hour and 45 minutes by air. Continue Reading »

I had another opportunity to contribute to the September 2008 issue of New Mexico Magazine. This time it’s for the article titled Enchanting Decanting about New Mexico wineries.

I have several photographs accompanying the article. I’d like to thank Chris, Jesse, Michele and Liliana at Vivác Winery in Dixon, New Mexico, for their time and hospitality. Here are the pictures that accompany the article.

Click an image to enlarge

The September issue of New Mexico Magazine is in the mail and I’ve got a full page image on page 35! This image was created this past fall in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near the town of Red River, New Mexico.

If you are interested in ordering a print of this image, please give me a call or contact me using the contact button at the top of this page.

I’d like to invite you to attend the Taos Land Trust’s 14th Annual Art & Adventures Auction on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at the Kachina Lodge Convention Center in Taos, New Mexico. There will be a silent auction, live auction preview that runs from 2:30 - 5:30PM with the live auction from 6:30 - 8:30PM.

I have donated a framed print of my photo titled ‘Pre-dawn, Monument Valley, and a 1-hour private photography or Photoshop lesson to the Land Trust for the auction.

For more information about the auction and the Taos Land Trust, please visit their website at www.taoslandtrust.org.

If you happen to pickup a copy of the June 2008 issue of New Mexico Magazine you will discover a few of my images in the articles “Taking the High Road” by Katie Arnold, and “Keeping Current” by Steve Shoup. I’d also like to mention that I was impressed with the magazine’s art team and their ability to faithfully reproduce the colors in my images.

The photo of chile ristras hanging from a turquoise beam was shot last summer in Chimayo near the santuario. The other photo of cat tails and red willow was shot this past March along the banks of the Rio Grande River in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area near the village of Pilar, New Mexico. There is a third photo in the magazine shot this past July from the rim of the Rio Grande River Gorge west of Taos.

I had to dig into my archives for this one, all the way back to my days of shooting Fuji Velvia slide film. I’ve shot countless photos in the Taos area over the years, but this is still one of my favorites.

For my first two years living hear I rented a small place in Ranchos de Taos, one block from the historic Saint Francis de Asis church which is easily one of the most photographed buildings in North America. When the light was good I’d make my way to the church with camera in hand. On this particular evening I was being shadowed by a dog (probably looking for a handout) as I explored the light on the church. I kept tripping over him as I’d back up to reposition my tripod, or he would wonder into the shot often getting right in front of the camera. The dog was frustrating the heck out of me.

Then it came to me. I’ve got plenty of photos of the church, why couldn’t the dog be the subject? I couldn’t believe it when I patted the top of the adobe wall that surrounds the church’s plaza and the dog obediently jumped up onto it. He sat there very patiently as I took several photos of him basked in the late afternoon light with the church in the background. What a great dog and another great moment in Taos.

I know it’s spring in Taos when my tulips blossom. And to think that just 1-week ago we had fresh snow on the ground.

Photographed with the Canon G9, raw, macro mode, and manual focus.

It might be spring according to the calendar, but yesterday in Taos it was still winter. We awoke to a few inches of fresh snow on the ground and a very impressive storm assaulting Pueblo Peak. I’d like to say that this image took a lot of effort requiring miles of hiking in blizzard conditions, but in reality I put on my slippers and walked out my front door to get this shot. It was cold and very windy.

This image was shot hand-held with a Canon 5D, 70-200mm lens and 1.4x tele-converter.

What a beautiful evening at White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico. It has been over eight years since my last visit to this wonderful place and back then I had not really discovered photography yet. I hiked into the dune field a couple hours before sunset, found “my spot” and waited for the light. I had expected a brilliant sunset, but that never came to fruition. Instead I was rewarded with the soft light that created the pastels that you see in the photo above. >>>Click here to see some of my other images from White Sands National Monument<<<.

The View
Canon 5D, 24-70/2.8L, Singh-Ray graduated ND filter

I’m often asked why I moved to New Mexico, and more specifically Taos. My answer is the same every time, the view.

It’s always fun to see my photos in print. I have five photos being used to illustrate the 2008 Taos Green Guide and another image being used in an ad within the guide. The full-page photo is one of my images of the Taos Box, a 17-mile long section of the Rio Grande River Gorge.

Canon Powershot G9, 120mm equivalent, hand-held

I walked around the streets of Taos today playing with my Canon G9 looking for ’southwest lifestyle’ scenes. I discovered many great subjects but this door and and wall caught my eye. I love adobe for its warmth and texture, but most of all for its character. Continue Reading »

Canon 5D, 17-40 f/4L, Singh-Ray graduated ND filter

Today’s image is was actually created yesterday at sunset. We’ve had a good winter here in Taos with a recent storm dumping a lot of snow on the mountains and in town. The clouds have finally begun to lift and yesterday we finally had Continue Reading »

Exciting news! My photograph titled ‘Winter Wonderland’, depicting New Year’s 2007 sunrise in Taos, New Mexico has been selected as the winner of New Mexico Magazine’s 7th Annual Photo Contest. The photo can be seen on page 48 of the January 2008 issue of the magazine.

If you are interested in ordering a print of this image please >>>click here<<<.

Canon 5D, Tokina 19-35mm, Singh-Ray 3-stop ND Grad

We all have one, if not several. I’m talking about our favorite places to explore. I have several favorite places myself, often returning time and time again each time finding something I haven’t seen or experienced before. Continue Reading »