backdrop by nature
January 26, 2020
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10 Comments
This planet of ours is extraordinary, and the nature of it literally never ceases to amaze me. If I am paying attention on any given day or time, it always presents something to photograph, and this week was no exception. After a series of overcast and snowy days, sun started to emerge in between the clouds. Leftover moisture in the sky combined wi...
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January gifts
January 19, 2020
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Gifts come from nature and people, and in many sizes and shapes. In much of New Mexico and the southwestern United States, snow is a gift of nature, even if it has to be shoveled or removed. It nurtures the landscape and animals, leaving it more prepared for the growing season. And flowers in winter are always special gifts because they come from p...
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winter reading and experiments
January 13, 2020
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6 Comments
It is always good and comforting to have a nice stack of books in the house for that snowy or otherwise miserable winter day. Here is the group we are reading at this point. Obviously, not all are new editions, but a good book is a good book, whenever it is read. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede is the incredibly uplifting account of ho...
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new year botanicals
January 06, 2020
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6 Comments
It is hard to think of a better way to begin a photographic year than with "in-your-face" red of amaryllis blossoms. They are such a great subject in all stages that I had to spend some time shooting them. Using several different black backgrounds and rendering them to show the various depths and darkness of those blacks, it was an excellent exerci...
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outgoing and incoming
December 28, 2019
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11 Comments
We collectively turn our calendars to a new month and new year on Wednesday. While 2020 waits in the wings, and I await its coming with great anticipation, it seems appropriate to look back at photographs I shot that tickled my fancy in one way or another in 2019. I chose ten to display here and hope that you enjoy viewing them again as well.
Beca...
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greetings of the season
December 22, 2019
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3 Comments
Regardless of where you are this week, you will probably be involved in celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah. To highlight those events, I had some fun photographing things that are symbols of the season.
Father Christmas is a secular and almost universal symbol of the religious holiday. My sister gave us this handsome gent years ago and he continues...
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light lessons
December 16, 2019
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7 Comments
Given the fact that this Saturday, 21 December, is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, it seemed appropriate to give myself some lessons in lighting. These ongoing studies in the reaction of light and color help me in all the types of photography I do.
One of the first things I learned through studies like these is that the substance o...
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seeing a little red for the holidays
December 09, 2019
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7 Comments
Nothing like snow on the land to bring out the desire for bright, primary colors. Red brightens everything and so I ventured out with camera in hand, some props, and an extremely patient model to apply red to the scenes. This Portuguese rooster looks extremely proud in front of the backdrop of leftover storm clouds.
A silk dress can take many fo...
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new winter gifts
December 02, 2019
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3 Comments
The weather came almost as predicted by meteorologists this week, and, for the most part, the entire state of New Mexico had rain or snow or both, as did the western United States. The moisture was much needed and appreciated. Thus, new winter gifts were left to be discovered and pondered.
Ice and snow are simply fascinating to me, and I spend tim...
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fall fiber fiesta
November 25, 2019
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7 Comments
The car is still packed with wool and rug racks this morning as we enter the post-Fall Fiber Fiesta phase. The fiesta took place this weekend in Santa Fe, and despite Friday's snow, a great group of people were in and out of the Scottish Right Temple all weekend to admire the work of massively talented artists and craftspeople, and to do a little h...
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winter guests
November 16, 2019
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5 Comments
Every season on the mesa is different, and each season varies from year to year, depending on the weather and other environmental conditions. As it happens, a dry month has given us a number of early winter guests, all of them very thirsty. At night, we occasionally hear the elk rummaging around our water catchment stock tank (which is empty right...
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11th hour, 11th day, 11th month
November 11, 2019
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12 Comments
Two blog Mondays are predictable with me - Memorial Day and Veterans Day - because I feel that credit and respect should be given to women and men in uniform, at the very least, on these days. Many people say to veterans "Thank you for your service", "thanks to the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice" but in this day and age it can ri...
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Rug 335 in progress
November 03, 2019
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10 Comments
When I photograph people in their work environment, sometimes it seems more appropriate to photograph hands, arms, and feet involved in the process of doing their work or art. My husband, Fred, is a weaver, using Navajo-Churro wool dyed by Connie Taylor to make rugs of many colors and styles - contemporary, architectural, and traditional Southweste...
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just for creeps
October 26, 2019
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8 Comments
I really got an education reading about Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, and Dia de los Muertos, and who celebrates, who doesn't and why. Much more complicated that I expected. Photographically, today's blog is an assemblage of things many kids think of when they hear "Halloween", besides costumes and candy, of course. Creepy crawlies, spiders, webs, s...
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remnants after the wind
October 21, 2019
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4 Comments
Two different cold fronts dipped south into northern New Mexico this week, leaving a dusting of snow on mountain peaks, and leaves, small branches, and other detritus in abundance. Although many people find this time of year distressing, especially because of the wind, there is still much for photographers to discover.
The brilliance of aspen that...
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© Daryl A. Black