return to the aspen
October 01, 2017
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The weather was perfect this week for another aspen viewing drive, courtesy of U. S. Highway 64 in northern New Mexico. As is frequently the case, the aspen and scrub oak trees were in varying stages of yellow, red, and orange, displaying more color than the week before, given two morning low temperatures of 32 and 30. The mountain peaks east of Ta...
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autumn has arrived
September 24, 2017
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Driving on U. S. Highway 64 west from Tres Piedras to Tierra Amarilla is a pilgrimage for us, one we make at least twice during the autumn months. It is one of the great drives in the western United States. When the aspen are having a good year (whether that is determined by moisture, temperature, or infestation of bag worms, I do not know), they a...
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last and first of the season
September 18, 2017
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Friday, 22 September, is the autumnal equinox, a time when the light is changing faster than any time during the year, other than at the vernal equinox in March. Tomorrow, the daylight will be shorter by 2 minutes and 17 seconds at the Valverde recording station in Taos, according to the Weather Underground website. As the weekend approaches, low t...
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not precisely as prescribed
September 11, 2017
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Hurricane Irma dominated the 24/7 news cycle for much of the week and certainly this weekend, as the hurricane dragged its enormous form over many islands in the Atlantic and Caribbean before approaching the Florida Keys and settling over the entirety of Florida. Since the life of the storm is still not complete, the damage to people, property, and...
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head in the clouds
September 03, 2017
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During this week of devastation on the Gulf Coast of Texas from Hurricane Harvey, and fires in the western United States, the air in New Mexico was rendered into an odd haze that has obscured almost all the surrounding mountains. The atmosphere wasn't precisely smoke filled, nor did it contain massive amounts of moisture from Harvey or Lidia off of...
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odds and ends
August 28, 2017
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Today's blog takes a page from Fred's weaving. Every year before the Taos Wool Festival, which this year is 7 and 8 October in Kit Carson Park, he weaves a rug from the surplus small amounts of wool left from larger rugs, and uses them to weave a one-of-a-kind piece. Ever popular because of the myriad colors and the way Fred puts them together, Rug...
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capturing the unexpected
August 21, 2017
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One of the things a photographer in the field learns early on is that not everything will be as one expects, and frequently, it is not. You travel - by foot or mechanical means - to one place, with a specific plan. You have carefully thought about the weather and environmental conditions, the time of day and light, the equipment you need, and yet,...
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playing with your food, again?
August 14, 2017
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Talking with friends recently, the subject of harvest season in New Mexico arose. It almost always means one thing - the smell of roasting green chile. I did not grow any this year, and have yet to procure some, but you will soon see photographs, no dobut, in this blog. Since I have been in the garden, picking assorted lettuce from the raised bed e...
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a week in the life
August 06, 2017
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When I am not doing environmental portraiture or weddings, a typical photography week includes a number of different photo sessions and a wide variety of subject matter. This week was no exception.
My husband, Fred, is a weaver of fine, 100% Navajo-Churro wool rugs, runners, and rifle scabbards, made on a Rio Grande style walking loom. He uses woo...
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aerial antics, set 2
July 31, 2017
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The end of July into early August, the hummingbird population on the mesa is at its apex, with anywhere from 425 to 475 birds visiting our feeders daily. But this year, as was true last year, the numbers are fewer, which is worrisome. There are roughly 250 broad-tailed, black-chinned, rufous, and calliope hummingbirds here this year. Could the lowe...
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on the move
July 24, 2017
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One of my consistent photography challenges comes in the form of those aerial daredevils otherwise known as hummingbirds. They are true wonders of nature, and I never tire of trying to capture them in interesting ways, not so much at feeders, but in the air. Here is the latest collection from five different sessions (shoot, download into the comput...
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fine stemware
July 16, 2017
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Human beings create any number of both artful and utilitarian objects using nature as a guide. Frequently, what some might consider pedestrian, such as the humble goatsbeard seed head, lend themselves to both the artful and useful.
Goat's beard or yellow salsify (Tragopogon dubius) is part of the aster family, and is similar to the common dandelio...
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backdrops and depth of field
July 09, 2017
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I have been thinking about portraiture and commercial art lately, and how the backdrop for a portrait can either compliment it or create a distraction. I see things in nature that seem to provide the perfect backdrop for a clothing shoot, a jewelry shoot or an environmental portraiture or straight portrait session. So I gave myself an assignment th...
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patience
July 02, 2017
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At almost any time or for any reason - large or small - patience in a human being can vary wildly. For photographers, patience is required at almost all times, but especially when photographing nature. Photographing butterflies demands both patience and constant movement to keep up with their movement.
During the heat of the day, butterflies are e...
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looking upward
June 26, 2017
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With the Bonita fire still burning roughly 10 miles west of us, our habit for the last several weeks has been to look upward and outward at the sky on a fairly regular basis. There are, unfortunately, a number of fires burning throughout the western United States, Portugal, and other places around the world, and the smoke from those fires alters th...
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© Daryl A. Black