New Mexico
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While visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico I went for a stroll though a neighborhood near the famous art district, Canyon Road. I happened upon this cozy little casita; with its small deck and brightly painted trim. As I took this shot, I I could envision its owner enjoying his/her coffee in the warmth of the morning sun. How quaint!
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located in northeastern Arizona, on Navajo tribal lands. Its prominent features include Spider Rock spire, about 800-feet tall, and towering sandstone cliffs surrounding a verdant canyon.
The world of photography has changed significantly since leaving (a previous) photographic career. Now in retirement not only do I recognize the importance of continual, mindful and spiritual growth I also recognize my need for day to day stimuli and connectivity; hence this, my photographic journey đ When I left my photographic career, we used 35mm cameras and (we all) had to wait to see the end results (after the negative had been processed, printed and corrected/adjusted). That said however, I was fortunate to own a photo lab and I could tweak my photographic processing to fit my vision; it was a long process! Who would have thought that I can do all of my pre-editing (processing) on my computer, at home and see it immediately..... AND then share it with you! What an amazing world! Anyways, where Iâm going with this is that Iâm now trying to master the digital end of the photographic world and Iâve tried 5 different photography editing sites and I think Iâve chosen this one; it gives me the ability to save crisp photos for web applications. About this photo; I had taken a number of photos of the Rio Chama River (in Abiquiu county, New Mexico) and although I usually prefer to include a sky (to add linear perspective) I felt this chosen photo had so many colorful layers of interest, the sky wasn't needed. Together (the foreground weeds, the field, the lower ridges, the middle ridges and the distant mountain) create the perspective I wanted. Yay.... I love this photo! *Full format of this photo is also available.
In November of 2019, we packed the RV and went on what we referred to as, âa road tripâ through Arizona and New Mexico. I had never visited New Mexico before, so I was hoping it would be yet another, âvisual feastâ... and it was! From Sedona we traveled east to Albuquerque, then up to Santa Fe and on to Taos before heading back west again. On our return, we headed for Monument Valley when this massively tall, heap of rock appeared in the horizon! Strangely it sat all by itself on the desert floor, in the middle of nowhere. "How strange", I thought. We slowed down to take a closer look but it wasnât until we drove past that I observed the deep, dark gouges and the vivid colours of Monument Valley in the distance. âOh wow, how unique and picturesqueâ I said, and with that, we turned around so I could take a few shots. Now one must remember, that weâre in a RV (on a two-lane highway) so turning around takes some maneuvering but in this case, it was worth it. I took this photo in âRawâ because it had the potential to be a prize photo. That said, before I start shooting, I have to decide if I want (or need) a Raw or Jpeg format photograph. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Admittedly, Jpeg is quick and itâs easy because itâs already edited by the software (although limited). There are however many reasons why I choose to shoot in Raw. Here are my primary reasons: 1) Raw gives you more editing options (in Photoshop). 2) I want the highest quality image I can get. 3) You can never destroy the original Raw photo (any edited version is duplicated and is no longer Raw version). 4) If I were to enter a competition, sometimes you need a Raw version to prove its authenticity. Church Rock, is located just off Highway 160, east of Kayenta, Arizona and sits precariously by itself. Itâs a âvolcanic plugâ, which is a geographical formation that occurs when lava cools inside the neck (vent) of an active volcano. Now, thousands of years later, the rock and soils around the plug have eroded away, leaving "Church Rock".
This is an example of a good black and white photograph; it includes the darkest darks and the lightest lights and everything in between. The color version of this photograph didn't have a lot of color variance however I noticed though, that there was a lot of contrast, so I converted it to black and white. I love compositions with lines (and thereâs a lot of them here). In this shot, your eye is lead to the end of the roadway, where it disappears over the hill. Donât you wonder where it goes and whatâs over the hill?
As we drove west through north-western New Mexico, on Indian Service Route #36, this uniquely towering, volcanic rock formation slowly came in to view. âShiprockâ, as its called, stands alone on the desert plain, at 1,583 feet above the valley floor and 7,177 above sea level, it can be seen from 60 miles away. It is an âoddityâ about it because it doesnât match the surrounding landscape. As we drove around, looking for a place to park our RV, we quickly discovered that the Navajo Nation owned and governed the lands that surrounded Shiprock. That stated, not only could we not find a place to park, but we also couldnât find a good spot to take a photo either. As luck should have it however, we happened upon a local, rough and rocky gravel road that lead led us through a Navajo community and towards Shiprock. With some trepidation (we wondered if we were trespassing), we continued on. After taking a few shots, an uneasiness began to set in, so we turned around; sensing this was a sacred place and we didnât belong. Shiprock got itâs name because of its formation, which resembles an enormous 19th. century merchant sailing ship. Note: There are two other versions of this photograph on this site, search âThe Towering Shiprock" and âShiprock Adventure"
âAbiquiu Rio In Full Viewâ
The world of photography has changed significantly since leaving (a previous) photographic career. Now in retirement not only do I recognize the importance of continual, mindful and spiritual growth I also recognize my need for day to day stimuli and connectivity; hence this, my photographic journey đ When I left my photographic career, we used 35mm cameras and (we all) had to wait to see the end results (after the negative had been processed, printed and corrected/adjusted). That said however, I was fortunate to own a photo lab and I could tweak my photographic processing to fit my vision; it was a long process! Who would have thought that I can do all of my pre-editing (processing) on my computer, at home and see it immediately..... AND then share it with you! What an amazing world! Anyways, where Iâm going with this is that Iâm now trying to master the digital end of the photographic world and Iâve tried 5 different photography editing sites and I think Iâve chosen this one; it gives me the ability to save crisp photos for web applications.
As we drove west through north-western New Mexico, on Indian Service Route #36, this uniquely towering, volcanic rock formation slowly came in to view. âShiprockâ, as its called, stands alone on the desert plain, at 1,583 feet above the valley floor and 7,177 above sea level, it can be seen from 60 miles away. It is an âoddityâ about it because it doesnât match the surrounding landscape. As we drove around, looking for a place to park our RV, we quickly discovered that the Navajo Nation owned and governed the lands that surrounded Shiprock. That stated, not only could we not find a place to park, but we also couldnât find a good spot to take a photo either. As luck should have it however, we happened upon a local, rough and rocky gravel road that lead led us through a Navajo community and towards Shiprock. With some trepidation (we wondered if we were trespassing), we continued on. After taking a few shots, an uneasiness began to set in, so we turned around; sensing this was a sacred place and we didnât belong. Shiprock got itâs name because of its formation, which resembles an enormous 19th. century merchant sailing ship. Note: There are two other versions of this photograph on this site, search âThe Towering Shiprockâ and âExceptional Shiprock"