virtual rain
August 24, 2020
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8 Comments
A virtual Democratic National Convention, virtual meetings, virtual classes. They have all become part of life during the pandemic. With near-drought conditions in many parts of the western United States, and smoky skies having replaced the cloudless blue skies and thunderstorms, I find myself thinking about rain. A lot. Our "monsoon" season has ye...
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grateful
August 17, 2020
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4 Comments
As the world works its way through a pandemic, elections, economic distress, hunger and wars, along with forces of nature, I find myself extremely grateful for many things. Family, friends, food on the table, a roof over our heads, good health, the ability to continue to work. Right now, many around the world and in the United States are food insec...
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surprising "park"
August 10, 2020
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4 Comments
Growing up in Albuquerque during the days when a Sunday outing involved going to the foothills and driving on the dirt roller coaster that was Juan Tabo Boulevard, there were very few parks and no graveyards in that part of town. So I was always curious why my mother went on and on about spending wonderful days while growing up in the Midwest in gr...
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learning curve
August 03, 2020
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5 Comments
While watching the SpaceX Dragon capsule splash down in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday, I was struck by the complicated technology dance of the crews - from those on the small boats who retrieved the parachutes, to the men and women aboard the vessel who pulled the capsule onto the deck. One lone still photographer was recording the event on the ship...
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old and new
July 27, 2020
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4 Comments
Before Fred and I ventured into the high piñon, juniper and sagebrush mesa of Taos County, we lived for twenty years in Santa Fe. Now, after twenty years in the Taos area, we have returned to New Mexico's capital city. Many things have changed; some remain the same, and new explorations await. It is still compelling and has much to offer.
As I wal...
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visiting an old friend
July 19, 2020
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6 Comments
So many of us are trying to do our best to wear masks and social distance, that friends of the human type are clear in our minds and in photographs, but perhaps not in person. It is part of, in my mind, what we should be doing as good citizens of the world. When we drove up the Santa Fe Ski Basin road this week and found the parking lot for the Asp...
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the grab bag around me
July 13, 2020
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5 Comments
As occasionally happens, I venture into several different photographic subject areas during a week, and bits and pieces are included in my blog. Such is the case today.
Curve-billed thrashers are common in southern Arizona and New Mexico, but they do live as far north as Santa Fe. Neighbors told me about a nest in a cholla, so I thought I would ta...
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driving along the Gorge
July 06, 2020
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2 Comments
The highway to Taos from Santa Fe through Española runs along the Rio Grande and offers several amazing views of the Rio Grande Gorge. Highway 68 can be a bit of a raceway, with few pullouts. The landscape simply doesn't permit that on a two-lane highway. Short of two overlooks that offer absolutely stunning views of the Gorge, drive by shooting al...
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different strokes
June 29, 2020
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6 Comments
Walking around with camera in hand, I found myself seeing the play of light and shadows on stucco walls. Just as adobleros/adobleras use their skills to mix adobe and apply finishes, the same happens with those applying modern stucco finishes with their own individual strokes. Each wall is a palette for light and shadow. In today's blog, I apply di...
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sweet, lovely, and short
June 22, 2020
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7 Comments
Father's Day and the summer solstice punctuated the weekend, amidst the pandemic and political crises. The world turns, and we and nature along with it, complete with all the beauty and strangeness therein.
These roses were the "first clip" from a neighbor's rose bush. Neither she nor I know the variety, but its delicate ivory color and fragrance...
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this, that, and the other
June 15, 2020
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8 Comments
Especially during a year when many people around the world have had their work schedules and home lives altered by COVID-19, keeping track of the day of the week and holidays becomes weird. This coming Saturday is the summer solstice with the longest daylight hours of the year in the northern hemisphere, followed by Father's Day on Sunday. In celeb...
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counterpoint
June 08, 2020
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3 Comments
As part of nature, human beings frequently have their own ways of being heard. We all saw peaceful protests with incredible moments and acts of kindness by civilians and law enforcement around the world this week. We also saw far too much violence by protestors and law enforcement. As in nature, when a volcano erupts, the earth is reforming itself.
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spring cleaning
June 01, 2020
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3 Comments
Spring comes late to the southern Rocky Mountains, and thus I have an excuse to extend the time of seasonal cleaning until June. Hey, it sounds good anyway.
When photographers look through images and paperwork for projects (the archives, as it were) it is always an interesting process. The opportunity to look at your body of work and see exactly h...
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Memorial Day 2020
May 25, 2020
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8 Comments
It is Memorial Day in these United States of America, which some days don't seem quite so united. The day was first celebrated on 5 May, 1866 in Waterloo, New York, as Decoration Day, to honor those who fought in the Civil War. It was officially named Memorial Day in 1966, as a solemn day to remember those who have perished in battle in all wars. N...
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flax not phlox
May 18, 2020
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7 Comments
As I continue to follow the seasons on the mesa, it would be remiss of me not to photograph and highlight the wild blue flax that pop up at will. Linum lewisii is a wildflower native to California but is found throughout the western United States. It is considered a grass, which I did not know and had not considered. I have photographed these beaut...
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© Daryl A. Black