striking my fancy
November 01, 2026
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12 Comments
As is frequently the case for me, I will see something out of the corner of my eye, and have an immediate urge to photograph it. That is precisely what happened last Tuesday at the Santa Fe Farmers' Market. I was initially on the hunt for greens and assorted salad ingredients that have become less available as the growing season wanes between 6,000...
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Autumn - Act III
October 24, 2026
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Autumn is working its way through the Southwestern United States in a very odd, not quite normal way. I present part of its Third Act in today's blog.
It is almost a given that there will a first snowfall either before or on Halloween. Frosts are generally common at 7,000 feet elevation starting in the middle of September. This year, there have...
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Autumn - Act II
October 19, 2026
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The second act of Autumn expressed itself this week in the color of tree and bush leaves at 7,000 feet. Berries and fruit are a big part of nature's play as well. After two frosts this week, leaves are turning more rapidly, as the gold and orange in the mountains quickly disappear. Soon, snow will replace the in-between, monochromatic palette. It i...
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Autumn - Act I
October 12, 2026
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Autumn is a bit like a slow moving stream in the high country of the American west. The gold, orange, and occasionally red colors that typify the aspen tree begin turning at the top of the mountains, making their way down the slopes in different stages. Elements including the direction of the slopes, whether trees are hidden by conifers such as Dou...
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change is in the air - a week of firsts
October 04, 2026
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It seemed in the realm of forever since rain had fallen on our parched land. We have been keeping weather records since 1998, and they served us well over the years. I cannot tell you how many times I have said "This has never happened before", but according to our data, had occurred.
As of the 13th of September, our total moisture for the year of...
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weaving to begin autumn
September 27, 2026
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From the right perspective in the city of Santa Fe, one can look east to the Sangre de Cristo mountains and see the leaves on aspen trees beginning to turn gold. The process will continue for several weeks as the angle of the sun changes and a chill accompanies the morning air. I am quite certain that with the last two weeks of nourishing rain, the...
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a gift of water
September 20, 2026
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After a summer of extremes with skin-cracking dryness, and copious sweat-producing heat the likes of which we rarely see at 7,000 feet in elevation, it appears the monsoon season has finally arrived. Two months late, albeit, but we are grateful nonetheless. I can only imagine the cheers exploding from every building in the city when the rain began...
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in praise of books
September 13, 2026
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After meeting with fellow photographer Steve Immel nearly a month ago, it was easy to realize that the get together not only kicked our respective creative juices into high gear, but provided enough subject matter to keep me busy through the remainder of the year and beyond.
Many of you know that photography, writing, assorted media, and libraries...
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I had a plan
September 07, 2026
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After having met with fellow photographer Steve Immel, reading a number of Blurb postings featuring the photographic knowledge of Dan Milnor, and pondering methods for putting my photography out into the greater world during the past month, I had a blog formulated in my head for today. However, when I turned the calendar to September, it hit me tha...
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natural mysteries revealed
August 30, 2026
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One of the good and educational things about watering any garden by hand is the discoveries you make in the process. I was headed out to our small garden on the north side of our house this week and saw the largest caterpillar I have ever seen. It had the girth of a tomato worm (without the horn), but was probably double the length. Being a rich br...
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SWAIA Indian Market, part two
August 23, 2026
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After some stellar photo opportunities at this year's SWAIA (Southwestern Association for Indian Arts) Indian Market, and a lively meeting with fellow photographer Steve Immel this week, I was on a photographic roll. Steve and I discussed a great many things, including the development and marketing of books, and recent photo shoots, not to mention...
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a touch of Indian Market magic
August 16, 2026
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This weekend was the 104th SWAIA (Southwestern Association of Indian Arts) Indian Market on and around the Plaza in Santa Fe. According to the SWAIA website, it is the world's largest Native American Art market. To say it is very nearly overwhelming is an understatement. The depth and quality of work displayed and sold is quite incredible indeed. T...
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fine dining for insects
August 09, 2026
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Despite the heat, (which granted is not nearly as severe as it is in places such as Phoenix and Dubai), there is plenty of sweat as we work our way through one of the warmest summers on record. It makes me wonder how nature's creatures other than humans are coping with the heat and relative lack of moisture in their environments. There is plenty of...
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green chile cheeseburger joy
August 02, 2026
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It is typical for me to shoot a number of different subjects, day to day and week to week. During the spring through summer months, flowers loom large on the horizon, along with assorted other things in nature. Because of that, there are photographs that "wait in the wings" for their role in my blogs. There are some that you may never see, except p...
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quality time with...carrots?
July 26, 2026
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Several weeks ago, a good friend asked me how I came up with ideas for my blogs. No one had asked me that before. I proceeded to babble, and in the end rendered a fairly uninformative answer. However, it did make me think about my process in photography again. Unless I have assigned myself a project, for instance a landscape or nature shoot, or I h...
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© Daryl A. Black