Canyon de Chelly

We recently went on a short weekend trip to Canyon de Chelly in Arizona (with a side trip that I'll have to write about another time).   Canyon de Chelly, located in the Four Corners area of the southwest, is considered to be the spiritual home of the Navajo Nation.  It is an area rich in history and populated by a people proud of their heritage.

The park itself consists of two scenic drives: the North Rim drive that skirts del Muerto Canyon and the South Rim drive that roughly follows the rim of Canyon de Chelly, with access to the floor of the canyon being limited to guided tours only.    

Both drives were scenic, with dramatic vistas to be seen at each pullout.  We began the North Rim drive early in the afternoon so the sun was still high in the sky and the light was harsh, but by the time we drove the South Rim route the sun was starting to fade to the west and the photographic opportunities improved.  This first shot, of a rock seemingly balanced, was taken at Junction Overlook.

While still walking around Junction Overlook I saw this tree.  Noticing the position of the sun, I thought that trying to place a starburst directly over the tree would make an interesting composition.  After taking a few shots I decided to go with a wider angle, and got down on one knee to get the tree's shadow in frame as well...

The last stop on the South Rim drive is the Spider Rock Overlook.  The sun was setting to our back, a late afternoon storm was brewing in front of us, and this old tree caught my eye, so I decided to incorporate it into the scene.

While at Spider Rock Overlook I tried numerous different compositions.  In this one I moved a little to the right, focused closer on the far rim of the canyon, and emphasized the drama in the sky.

The morning before we drove back to Santa Fe, we headed up the South Rim route again to catch the sunrise.  First we went back to the Spider Rock Overlook, and while it was a beautiful morning we mis-timed the sunrise, arriving a little late, and I wasn't able to get any photos I was satisfied with.  We then doubled back to Face Rock Overlook, and I was able to capture the glow of the morning sun on the canyon walls...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX

Prints and other merchandise can be purchased here

Santa Fe - Three Churches

There are numerous churches in Santa Fe, many of historical significance. With next Sunday being Easter, I thought I'd take a moment for a brief look at several of them.  Rather than write at length about each one - something that's been done numerous times and by people much more versed in the subject - I thought I'd touch on some photos I took.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi sits one block from The Plaza.  The cathedral was built between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church.  The major landmark of the downtown area, it draws scores of tourists and is an important part of the local Catholic community.  I took this shot early on an autumn morning.  Most photos of the Cathedral are taken from a straight on perspective, but as I was walking by, left to right, the sun hitting the leaves of tree caught my eye...

Loretto Chapel, famous for its "miraculous" helix-shaped spiral staircase, sits a few short blocks from the Cathedral.  The chapel mainly functions as a museum now, but weddings are still held there on a regular basis. I took this shot the second time I was there.  Between the low light in the chapel, which required slower shutter speeds, and numerous people coming in and out and walking up to the stairs, a good amount of patience is required to wait for the right moment to take a shot.

About two blocks down the Old Santa Fe Trail from Loretto Chapel sits San Miguel Mission (Chapel of San Miguel).  The mission is claimed to be the oldest church in the United States, with construction beginning approximately in 1610.  Though the church has been repaired and rebuilt numerous times over the years, it still stands strong.  Sunday mass is still held there.  This shot was taken the third or fourth time I visited the mission.  I wasn't satisfied with any shots I got there previously, but this time, between the dramatic sky and finally finding a vantage point that excluded the buildings that sit closely on either side, I got my shot...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX (top photo), Nikkor 35 DX (bottom 2 photos)

Prints and other merchandise can be purchased here

Why Blog?

Why do I blog?  Why do I sit down once a week and rack my brain, trying to find a topic that interests me and (hopefully) will interest others? I often joke about my blog to my wife, a play on words: "If you write a blog and no one reads it, is it still there?"

I blog to push myself.  I blog to think.  Yes, I blog to get my thoughts out into the world, but I blog for me.  I blog for the same reason I spend time taking photographs, for the same reason I spend time processing photographs on the computer, for the same reason I put photographs out into the world for other see...  To push myself.  To think.

Every time I go out shooting I hope get a little better, a little better at capturing both what's in front of me and what I'm feeling.  Every time I blog, I hope I get better at describing where I was and how I felt at that moment in time.  It's all a way of pushing myself forward, pushing myself harder, warts and all.  I won't lie, I'd love to have more sales.  I'd love to have more clicks and likes and +1s.  I'd love to have more engagement on my social media sites.  But, ultimately, it really is just about me.  About feeding the soul.  About Pushing.  Striving.  Thinking.  Trying.  A labor of love...

You check out my online portfolio
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Google+
I'm now on Pinterest
And was recently featured on In My Bag