also rans
July 27, 2015
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The week was full of photography, from another mini-workshop on lighting with documentary friend Cristina McCandless, a family reunion shoot with lovely people from various parts of the country gathering in Taos, and readying photographs for the Taos Fall Arts Festival.
The festival, which runs from Friday, September 25 through Sunday, October 4 a...
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a broader view
July 19, 2015
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You have read several times in this blog that Highway 64 between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla bisects some of the most beautiful country in northern New Mexico. Driving this road is never disappointing. Several weeks ago, Fred needed to deliver a rug commission to Tierra Wools in Los Ojos, and Highway 64 is the fastest route. Naturally, the cam...
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variations on a theme of gaillardia
July 13, 2015
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It is high summer. Paintbrush and cacti are giving way to light purple penstemon, along with numerous yellow and white composite or daisy-like flowers. One flower that has always fascinated me is gaillardia. These red and yellow flowers can be found along the roadways in New Mexico, in a seemingly endless variation of designs, and shades of the col...
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Lighting 102
July 06, 2015
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Documentary filmmaker, Cristina McCandless, brought her moveable film setup to the house last Monday. I was deeply humbled by what she has learned and how she has developed her skills in the past decade. Bag upon bag of equipment - tripods, cords, camera, and litepanel - seemed to spring forth and consume the small space in which we proceeded to ph...
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beginning
June 28, 2015
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Much of this photographic week has been spent working with my new Westcott uLite kit, familiarizing myself with its capabilities and technical aspects, and with my cameras and results rendered using the lights. My husband, Fred, was kind enough to act as model while I moved the tripods, raised and lowered them, and changed the angles of the softbox...
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the time of light
June 22, 2015
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As I begin to write this blog, it is summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and the first "official" day of summer. In some northern hemisphere locations, there will be no darkness at all today and for the next few weeks. Those of us who have clear skies are also being treated to the near convergence of the planets Jupiter and Venus, along w...
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the winner is...
June 15, 2015
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When rain falls on the mesa, magic happens. Even the sagebrush comes alive, showing a brightness and depth of color that normally is hidden under the surface. This year, because of unusually abundant spring rains, the wild phlox, goatsbeard, mat daisies, bladderpods, claret cup and prickly pear cacti, and blue flax have had a season of abundance. B...
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flexibility
June 08, 2015
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It was slightly more than a fleeting thought, a lark as it were, that took us over the pass in search of that stunning force of nature I love to photograph - the wild iris. But as all of us who are paying attention have discerned, this has not been a "normal" year as far as weather is concerned. The iris have just begun to send shoots out of the gr...
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illumination
June 01, 2015
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The first of June it is, and summer is starting to make an appearance on the mesa after a record-setting, wet and cool May. With warmer and more predictable weather as well as drier roads, you will see more results of my environmental portraiture project on future blog pages.
I spent Saturday afternoon with Paule Marx at her home in Taos. Paule an...
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challenge the photographer in you
May 24, 2015
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I have the people who put the BBC News website together to thank for this week's blog. The website features a section titled "In Pictures" and within that, I discovered Photo Challenge: 12 x 12. The idea is to challenge and develop your photographic skills. Each month, a different challenge is presented. Here it is nearly the end of May, but becaus...
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inside out
May 18, 2015
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As humans, our eyes bring settings into stereo view, which enables us to see broad vistas and take in the "big picture" before we zoom in on details. Sometimes, we don't see smaller elements of that picture at all, which is one of the reasons I love the details of which the setting, person, animal, or flower are composed.
So I frequently look at f...
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the beauty of erosion
May 11, 2015
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The word erosion, from the Latin erodere (meaning to eat away), carries negative connotations, particularly in the western United States where overgrazing has created severe cases with frightening consequences. But erosion is also nature's way of shaping and forming the earth, eating away at the strata. You can witness the effects of water and wind...
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Rose is a rose is a rose
May 03, 2015
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Gertrude Stein had a way with words. When she said "a rose is a rose is a rose", she was speaking the truth, to a certain extent. Roses are roses but the variety of colors, shapes, and sizes is astonishing as you will see later in this blog.
But I need to begin at the beginning. On Friday afternoon, my husband, Fred, and I attended the grand re-op...
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fast forward
April 27, 2015
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The spring festival at Tierra Wools in Los Ojos was held on Saturday, and although it was snowing near the pass on Highway 64 between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla, the weather worked. Sun and shadow led the day. Many locals and out-of-towners showed for the event. Had it been on Sunday, however, the situation would have been much different. We...
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serenity
April 19, 2015
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Wind is one of those forces of nature that effects almost everything and everyone. It churns the water in lakes, refreshing them for a new season of growth. I have recently been told that certain wine regions in France such as the Rhone Valley and Provence gain their success because of the "mistral winds". But wind also drove people literally mad d...
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© Daryl A. Black