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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Mission Concepción – San Antonio, Texas
I thought I would share a few photos from a visit to Mission Concepción in San Antonio, Texas a little over one year ago. The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park consists of 5 Spanish missions built along the San Antonio River in the 1700s to bring Christianity to the native population and to make [...]
Cover Shot – Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers
My peers at the Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers have selected this image to be the cover shot which will great visitors to their website during the month of January 2009. This image was captured a few minutes after sunset on the boardwalk at the Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne, Texas. Located about 30 miles north [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Classic Southwest ~ ‘56 Chevy and Saint Francis de Asis Church
Every now and then, you get lucky. I was eating dinner this evening at the Ranchos Grille, on the patio, when this beautiful red and white ‘56 Chevy pulled into the parking lot.
The driver parked among all the other cars, and my first thought was “cool, I’ll get some shots when I’m done eating”. I [...]
Very Large Array (VLA)
Here are a few photos from my visit to the Very Large Array (VLA) on the Plains of San Agustin. Located approximately 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico, the VLA is part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The VLA consists of 27 massive antennas (satellite dishes) that can be spread [...]
An aerial view of the Rio Grande River near Albuquerque
This is from my flight back into Albuquerque as we made our turn for final approach into the Sunport. We were passing over the Rio Grande River a few miles south of Isleta Pueblo and the bridges that span the river on I-25. Can you tell that we’ve had a lot of rain in New [...]
The end of scheduled service for ExpressJet
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 [...]
New Mexico Magazine, Enchanting Decanting article
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. [...]
Sign atop Mokee Dugway ~ Then and Now.
What a difference two years makes.
I’ve driven Mokee Dugway on Highway 261 countless times and I remember always seeing a few stickers on the sign at the top of the switcbacks, but I wasn’t prepared for what i found this past May on my drive to the top. As you can see in the above [...]
The smiling faces of Grand Canyon National Park.
Here are a few images from an afternoon spent photographing the mules and cowboys at the Grand Canyon upon their return from another successful trip down (and back up) the Bright Angel Trail. All images were captured with a Canon 5D and the wonderful 70-200mm f/4L IS lens.
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Grand Canyon by Helicopter – Part II
After completing our orbit around the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers we headed north towards Nankoweap Butte and Marble Canyon. By this point in the flight my hands were beginning to get very cold and numb. We were flying at an altitude of 9,500 feet and I had the window open for [...]
Grand Canyon by Helicopter – Part I
If you are looking for a unique experience and a different view of the Grand Canyon, you may want to consider a scenic helicopter flight. Flights depart the South Rim heliport and make either a quick trip across the canyon, or circumnavigate it in a counter-clockwise direction.
My wife and I chose the latter. After liftoff [...]
Today’s Image ~ Patience of a Saint
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 [...]
Download USGS Topo Maps!
If you explore the wilderness you know that having good maps is as essential as having a good tripod for photography. This has always meant having to buy the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5′ topographical quadrangles which gets very expensive once you’ve purchased all the maps you’re going to need. Fortunately nowadays we can get [...]
It’s in the bag. How to protect your gear on a river trip.
On my recent river trip down the Rio Grande River through Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park I carried with me my Canon 5D along with 4 lenses, the 17-40mm f/4L, 24-70mm f/2.8L, 70-200mm f/4L IS, and the 300mm f/4L IS. In addition I had numerous filters, extra batteries, and of course memory [...]
Today’s Image ~ On the road again…
…actually we’re back home again after our second trip to Texas in two weeks. This time we made a trip down to Big Bend National Park to start my project on Santa Elena Canyon that is funded through the Luminous Landscape Endowment.
The weather was excellent with highs in the low 80s, the wind was calm, [...]
Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo
Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo. Canon 5D, 24-70 f/2.8L
I recently visited San Antonio, Texas and made a stop at Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo which is part of the San Antonio Missions Historical Park. Dating to 1720 the mission is the largest in the area and it features [...]
Today’s Image ~ St. Francis de Asis Church
Moonrise, St. Francis de Asis Church ~ Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico
Canon G9, circular polarizer, hand-held
