Dream Cows

Has there ever been something that you've wanted to do and the opportunity finally came?  I have many things that are slightly quirky that I would like to do. Recently though, I was able to accomplish one of my ideal situations for a photo: photographing a cow in nature.

Why? Well, part of the reason this would be special to me is that animals out in nature are hard to photograph. They will generally run away if you approach them and it takes time to photograph them. I know cows are a common view of the landscape, but it was my desire to take a great cow photo.

I hiked Mount Taylor with my sturdy camera in hand. Although the landscape was beautiful, the apple of my eyes were the cattle. At one point we came across a beautiful field of yellow wild flowers with a small family of cows. We spent some time in the field trying to approach them gently. They eventually left and we went on our way.

We finished our pleasant hike, then driving out we came across more cows. One even came to my car window and posed. We drove a little bit more and stopped to find a very flexible cow licking his back with a swarm of flies being kissed by the beautiful light of dusk.

Moral of the story? Well, it's the little things that count and dreams do come true....one at a time.



New Mexico Summer Storms

July is the the kick-off season of our monsoon rains in New Mexico. With that come many opportunities for photographing lightning and the natural elements at work. 

So during one of the stormy evenings I decided that I needed to capture these unique moments to my city. During storms, I feel that most people seek shelter from the rain and miss the beauty of the landscape after or during the rains. I geared up in my adventure combat boots, hoodie and weather-proofed camera and found a great spot overlooking Four Hills. I spent about an hour photographing an epic sunset being graced by our dramatic clouds and rains in the distance.

Below are a few of my favorite images from this shoot and I hope to storm chase more!








Recent Wedding

The last wedding I shot was with a close colleague of mine, Guadalupe Chavez. I was the second shooter, which took away all the normal pressures of photographing a wedding. During the familial shots, I was able to use explore our environment more in depth and realized that beautiful bokeh would be produced by shooting through Christmas lights.

I've learned over the past few years that one of the most important qualities you can have a photography is the ability to pay attention. It's also a great life skill and helps you anticipate what may happen as you are in linear timeline of string of moments. The little things make a big difference and will be captured through whatever you do. 



Salinas Pueblo Missions

 South of Mountaineer, NM there are 3 sites of ruins. The original inhabitants of the land had a great community in place when the Spaniards arrived. They used the existing structures to colonize this area of civilization to Roman Catholicism and civil government. They built over the existing circular kivas and made a community under the Franciscan missionaries. The missions were abandoned in the late 1600s, then reoccupied in the mid-1800s. They were declared a National Monument in 1909 and later excavated in 1938.

The architecture at the sites are quite amazing. Every detail of the construction is used for lighting and interior building when electricity did not exist. This is mind-blowing since we rely on technology for nearly every aspect of life. It reveals how aware of lighting that these people were.

Below are a few images from the Gran Quivira followed by the Abo site. The Quarai site is the last of the missions part of the monument, which I was unable to visit.

Here is a link to a more detailed history of the missions:
http://www.nps.gov/sapu/historyculture/upload/SAPU_hsr.pdf










El Malpais

El Malpais is a national monument near Grants, NM. In spanish, malpais means badlands. My photography friends and I decided to venture this direction in pursuit of photos. We found ourselves in the midst of vast caves with beautiful sky windows. This experience along with many others in the state must be why New Mexico is dubbed the "Land of Enchantment." 

On our way back we ran into grazing horses that really captured our hearts. It's just a beautiful thing to run into wildlife in the desert. 




Salt Lakes in Portales

While visiting a friend in Portales, NM  a few weekends ago, we went to the Salt Lakes. The environment was like experiencing a miniature White Sands near Texas. We explored the vast territory, reflected on the wonders of earth and enjoyed our afternoon in the company of great friends. Of course I brought my camera and captured the following images.









Morning Fog


This past weekend Albuquerque experienced a rare occurrence in the city- fog! As many know, we are in a drought, so when there is precipitation of any kind, it is noted. This particular Saturday morning, we experienced a few hours of rain the previous night. The fog stayed in the city for a few hours of morning, and I was able to capture part of its beauty from my vantage point. It was quite a treat!

Albuquerque's Volcanoes

This past weekend I was able to spend time with a dear friend and colleague in the Petroglyph National Monument. We hiked around the volcanoes with the purpose of creating images and practicing our photography. We discussed the need to improve our landscape photographs, but how we love the human element in an image.

When it comes to landscape photography, I feel that the human connection is essential in a photograph. It makes the image more interesting to me to look at and to make. Landscape photographs don't always require a person in the image. Whenever I am out in nature, I feel that the best experience is being right there in the moment of wherever I am. I have come to realize that many will not get to or want to experience nature in this way and that a photograph is the closest thing they will ever experience. So although I do not particularly enjoy taking landscape photos because the quality of nature is better in the flesh, I take photos because I feel like it is a responsibility to share these images with others that may not have the opportunity to venture in the wonders given to us. 




Throwback Thursday

I was looking back through my hard drive and found these scans from high school. These photos were taken with traditional film, and made in the beautiful darkroom. The darkroom is where I fell in love with photography and nothing can replace the feeling of seeing an image come to life in a tray of developer cured by fix.





Film Adventures

In years past, I have spent much of my free time going on "Photo Adventures," as coined by my good friend Gabbi. Together we went on our first adventures during our college days. There is nothing like a solid photo adventure, especially with her or other good friends willing to explore unknown places. 

I have not gone on any photo adventures yet this year, but I believe I have found the next level of adventures- Film Adventures, as introduced by photography colleague, and distinguished film-maker Daniel Zollinger. The last two weeks I've had the privilege to story board and film a few shorts with him. The process is creative, fun and exhilarating. I would like to delve deeper into this world of film and create more shorts.

Below are links to the shorts we made. Of Something features, Tory, who worked with us with an amazing attitude. The latter film, Remnant, features Deserai and her brother John who were in town for the weekend. They had great patience with us and helped capture the intent of the film. We are always looking for new victims to feature in our films!








Holiday Portrait

This past Christmas Eve I had the opportunity to photograph a good friend up in the mountains. There was still a little bit of snow on the ground, which we soon utilized to create a few magical moments. This shoot was a great reminder of always being aware of your surroundings and how to utilize them for unexpected benefits.

Thank you Tory for modeling and Deserai for helping create these magical moments!



A Year in Review: 2013

Below are photos from the last year. I had the privilege to photograph weddings, various portraits and nature scenes from my travels. Thank you to all for your support and allowing me a glimpse into your lives!









Alley cat in Chihuahua, Mexico.



Tom's shoes being given to a child during a Convoy of Hope event in El Paso, TX on Nov. 23, 2013. The Convoy of Hope is an international movement to help the poor in communities. 


Zion National Park, Utah


Bisti Badlands, New Mexico


Bosque del Apache, Socorro, New Mexico


Recent Portrait

This photo was taken a few weeks ago during a brief photo shoot of my friend Madi. Her dog kept jumping on her lap and we decided to work with him for a few frames. This was my favorite of the shoot. 


Beautiful Wedding

In early fall, I had the privilege of photographing the Loudon's wedding with a beloved colleague, Guadalupe. We geared up for a full day's load and went to Algodones, NM. We found ourselves in the midst of a "photographer's dream wedding"-- the weather was in our favor, the a location was gorgeous, and the bride and groom allowed our creative freedom to flourish. In short, the wedding was delightful and left Guadalupe and I in great spirits.

The following are a few of my favorite shots. 









Puerto Rico: Calculated Risk

Last month I was able to take a vacation with my roommate in Puerto Rico to visit her oldest brother. Naturally I took my camera ready to capture what would come our way. A few of these photos were in or across a portion of water. Many times I had to calculate the risk of taking my camera in water over the potential outcome of the photographs I could take. Every time it was worth it and without that risk, many of these moments would not have been captured. Taking a chance is a part of life and makes us nervous, but it's a healthy nervous. It's okay to be challenged outside our comfort zone....better than wondering what it could have been. 

Thank you King family for letting me join in your vacation, it was the best one I've had.







Sibling fun.


This was captured in the water at Secret Beach.

Phelps' Wedding

I recently had the opportunity to photograph the Phelps' wedding. They were a great couple to work with and know how to throw a party. One aspect to photographing weddings is capturing moments...moments that only happen once and you either get it or you don't. The Phelps had many moments filled with great energy that burn into your memory. Here are a few moments from the reception.








Opportunity

Last week I had the opportunity to photograph my co-worker. He was scheduled to spray the Green House with pesticides. This requires that he wear special gear head to toe for his safety. As a photographer his attire mixed with the tropical environment excited me very much. I had 8 minutes and this is my favorite shot. 

There are always photographs to be made and sometimes that's of the people around you everyday.

What I've been up to

It's been a while since I've blogged but I have been shooting. Here are a few photos I've done since last time.

Portraits




 Michaeli's graduation photos




 This was the first shoot done for an "Insomnia" series. There's still many more to photograph.

 Roni & Casey's engagement.

Day of the Dead

I call him "Helicopter Boy"

Landscapes





Spot News

As I was driving last night, I saw that there was a fire. I decided to stop by and see what was going on. It turned out that a sushi restaurant, Fujiyama, had caught fire off Central Avenue, west of San Mateo Boulevard. There were at least four fire units at the scene and many cops securing the area. Since my camera was handy, we hung out in the area for a few minutes.

My last major spot news event was when the basement of Zimmerman Library flooded after being renovated due to the fire prior to that. I got my feet wet in the midst of the scene and it was exciting. This too gave me excitement, and sharpened my photography skills, as I had to think on the fly about my settings.

If I were to do this over again, I would have been more assertive about finding a place to park so I would not miss any moments unnecessarily.