splash of color
April 13, 2015
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Although Española, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and points south have already seen fruit and nut trees blossom, and other bulbs and flowers are blooming in profusion, the high mesa and high country flowers are still yawning and stretching, taking their time in presenting themselves for their closeup. They know better. Late frosts are the norm. There are...
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of sheep and humans made
April 06, 2015
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Since images of sheep and people have been in the forefront of my brain and digital development this week, I will continue the theme of last week's blog. The images included today represent what might be considered environmental portraiture, although they were more spontaneous than staged shots. To my untrained eye, the fleeces on these two ewes lo...
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In the thick of it
March 30, 2015
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Signs of spring are many and varied. Seasonal changes bring different birds. Fruit and other types of flowering trees and shrubs begin to bloom, and with the longer days, the earth becomes warmer. Hearts soar. For those who make their living from farming and ranching, the seemingly brief winter period when machines are repaired, fields are plowed a...
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O'Keefe country
March 22, 2015
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A year in New Mexico is not complete without a drive to or hike in the area I and many call O'Keefe Country. There was a reason artist Georgia O'Keefe planted herself on the land around Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch, and photographer Ansel Adams found it compelling. Layers within geological monuments hold their own color palettes and shapes, constantly b...
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signs of spring
March 15, 2015
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At 22:45 UTC (coordinated universal time) this Friday 20 March, the Vernal Equinox is upon us. According to Wikipedia, "On the day of the equinox, the center of the Sun spends a roughly equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on the Earth, so night and day are about the same length." There are a good many signs of spring...
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traps of reflection
March 09, 2015
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I love the substance and power of the polished surface and its ability to reflect any number of subjects. As a photographer, windows provide endless material for serious work and play. A leader of a photography workshop I once took opened the first session by saying "light is everything", and that is true in every element of photography. The camera...
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snippets from a winter weekend
March 02, 2015
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When an event like the Taos Wedding Expo has been planned for months, organizations and vendors are not likely to cancel because of weather. That was precisely the case on Saturday when northern New Mexico was in the midst of the most inclement weather sequence in years. The highways and roads were snow-packed, and a combination of snow, fog, and w...
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Winter companions
February 23, 2015
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The temperature is 15 degrees fahrenheit right now, and a north breeze is blowing the snow into drifts around the house. After the delicious spring tease, we are having a serious week of winter. Wolf Creek Ski Area has received 30 inches of snow and at Taos Ski Valley, the snow keeps coming - 17 inches in the past two days, bringing their base to 5...
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dreams in stucco
February 16, 2015
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Fans of every conceivable thing on this earth and in our society exist in odd and wonderful forms. I am a fan of many, but as a photographer, I am very fond of stucco or plaster. This ancient finishing coat has been used around the world in both artistic and architectural applications, and has the added bonus of being less susceptible to fire. It u...
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Why not love?
February 08, 2015
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This coming Saturday is Valentine's Day. It can be a day overflowing with joy and fun, but also a day that strikes fear, guilt, and/or sadness in the hearts of many who don't enjoy or are insecure about gift giving and receiving. 14 February also conjures childhood memories of creating, buying, and receiving cards. It has become quite the commercia...
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Hello, Winter!
February 04, 2015
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After what was a relatively warm January, Winter said "hello" this week, leaving a foot of snow on the high mesa to nourish the earth. As I write, snow is sliding off the metal roof. But because it had been so warm, very interesting things have been happening. Our friend and Navajo Churro Sheep registrar Connie Taylor said the snow was like concret...
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Teasing us
January 26, 2015
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While the United States eastern seaboard is preparing for a winter storm of epic proportions, we are experiencing a January thaw - the second in as many weeks. Nature teases us. Four days ago, our low temperature was -7, and the high yesterday was 47. The predicted high temperature today is 52, so we seem to be in a storm, snow, cold, thaw cycle fo...
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It was, after all, a river cruise
January 18, 2015
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During the last four months and a bit, photographs from the river cruise my sister and took on the Danube, Main, and Rhine Rivers have graced this blog. Most of the photographs, however, have shown cathedrals, monuments, architecture, people, and food. Since it was a river cruise, I thought it might be good to do a final trip blog featuring some ri...
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Windmill dreams
January 12, 2015
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Windmills are a symbol of the wide open spaces of the American west. In May 1977, on the day the Aeromotor windmill was installed at our first off-grid home in western New Mexico, I was smitten. Here was a mammoth metal giant with gears at its head, growling as it picked up speed, pumping clear, clean water into a stock tank below. Mind you, my dis...
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Reflections - Kinderdijk and a bridge too far
January 05, 2015
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Before the cruise, my sister had told me about Kinderdijk and the windmills that make this enchanting part of Holland famous, but I was unprepared for my reaction. By now, you know I am partial to reflections, and in Kinderdijk, it was of epic "kid in a candy shop" proportions. I will get to the photographic reflections in a moment but first, a ref...
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© Daryl A. Black