Across the Southwest / Adam Schallau

Moonrise, St. Francis de Asis Church ~ Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico

Canon G9, circular polarizer, hand-held

I’m still working on images from my recent trip. Here are a few of Spruce Tree House and Cliff Palace from Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado.

Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace

Spruce Tree House

Kiva ~ Spruce Tree House

Canon 5D, 17-40mm f/4L

I just got back from a 4-day trip to Moab, Utah to explore and photograph Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. I also made quick stops at Newspaper Rock, Dead Horse Point State Park, Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park, and Mesa Verde National Park.

Unfortunately it was an eventful trip with some equipment lost and damaged, but nothing major. I met lots of great people and had some great experiences. I’d like to say ‘thanks’ to Moab Action Shots for helping me out with my equipment problems.

I’ll be sharing several new shots from this trip here on the blog over the next few days. I’d love to hear what you think of them.

Best, Adam

It’s that time of year again, time for the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally. Even if you think balloons aren’t your cup of tea I suggest getting out to enjoy the sights. I skipped my first two seasons in Taos and I’m sorry I did. It’s an amazing site to see so many balloons over the town with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as a backdrop.

The rally is scheduled for October 25-28 with flights starting at dawn on Friday the 26th. Don’t forget the “Balloomenshine” (aka Balloon Glow) at dusk on Saturday the 27th.

Lets keep our fingers crossed that the wind will be light and that there will be snow on the mountains.

Please click here if you’d like to see more photos of the Taos Mountain Balloon Rally.

Chile Peppers! ~ A New Mexico tradition

Canon 5D, 24-70mm f/2.8L

It’s chile pepper drying time in New Mexico! In late summer and early fall the chilies are harvested and hung to dry so we can have chile year round. What does this have to do with photography? It means we have a very unique type of fall color to shoot in New Mexico. Fresh chile ristras are hanging everywhere along with buckets of chilies waiting to be strung up. I’m quickly filling up my hard-drive shooting New Mexico’s ‘fall color’.

Living in the desert southwest my camera equipment is exposed to harsh conditions. The air is dry and dusty, the two worse elements for a DSLR sensor.

Over three years ago I made the leap to digital and quickly learned that sensor cleaning can be a pain, and down right scary if not done properly. I’ve tried several different methods including brushes and swabs, but nothing felt like the right solution. Many of the products on the market right now are not approved for air travel while those that are (because they don’t require air or liquids) just didn’t get the job done. My biggest problem was that sensor cleaning just wasn’t something that could be done effectively in the field away from a clean environment. Continue Reading »