Walking The Streets Of Madrid

About 26 miles southwest of Santa Fe lies Madrid, New Mexico, a small town located on Highway 14, otherwise known as the Turquoise Trail.  This small town, population 204 at the time of the 2010 Census, has transformed itself from a dying mining town to a haven for artists and small shops that cater to tourists and day trippers from Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

We've been to Madrid several times since moving to Santa Fe, and I always have the camera along with me, in case something catches my eye in this quirky little town, like this brightly painted bench that sits in front of a small shop.

This being New Mexico ristras hang on doors and in windows...

This shot was taken shortly after a thunderstorm had passed through town.  The drama in the sky, the color of this painted wall, and the cactus in the foreground all pulled me in.  

The Mine Shaft Tavern is one of the places in town to grab a bite to eat.  As you step out of the tavern there's a hallway that leads to the Coal Mine Museum.  I thought that the kitschy scene and light pouring in through the cracks might make for an interesting composition.

On the back side of the Mine Shaft Tavern are a couple of chile pepper arches.  I was taking a few photos, walking around, when I noticed the position of the sun, so I stopped down my lens and tried to position the star burst from the sun so it hit the stem of the chile pepper...

If you're ever in Santa Fe or passing through the area, I would recommend a side trip to Madrid.  This little town has a unique character and, in particular, is a great place to walk around with camera in tow.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX

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Backyard Explorations

When I bought my first DSLR, like a lot of beginning photographers I took photos of flowers.  A lot of photos of flowers.  It was easy, it was fun, and I got some nice shots.  But I noticed that while it's easy to get a nice shot, it's much more difficult to get a great shot. That goes for any type of photography.  Later on I bought a macro lens, shot with it extensively on a trip to Maui, then it's pretty much sat in my bag since then, as I've pursued other aspects of photography since moving to the Southwest last summer.

As spring came to the high desert this year I've noticed things that I didn't last year.  This has even been the case in - literally - my own back yard (and I must mention that whoever did the landscaping and selection of plants did an excellent job).  The other morning the air was calm, a contrast to the wind that kicks up almost every afternoon, so grabbed my camera and macro lens and started walking around the yard, taking shots.

This plant is next to one of the back patio doors.  I'm not sure what it is, a type of sage perhaps?  I got down on the ground, low, parallel to the ground, and started taking photos...

This photo is subtly different from the first, with more of the purple buds in focus, but after some debate I decided I liked the first one better...

And here's an iPhone snap of the plant...

Then I moved on to the walking path the runs behind the house.  I liked how the morning sun hit this plant...

I took about 50 photos that morning, but these are the only ones I'm really satisfied with.

Along one of the walls of the backyard fence are some climbing roses.  The next day when I was in the driveway I noticed that a couple of roses had bloomed, rising higher than the fence so I was actually looking up at them a bit.  I wanted to take a photo of them but the sky was clear and the light was bright and harsh.  So I waited.

Later that afternoon some clouds rolled in, the sun went behind the clouds, the light softened, and I knew the time was right so I grabbed my camera and macro lens.  First, the rose to the right of me...

And then the rose on the left...

I can definitely see some more back yard exploring in my future...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 85 DX VR Micro

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Signs Of The Times

Last December, while on a road trip to Carlsbad Caverns via Roswell, in the middle of nowhere ("the big empty" I called it), we drove through a small, seemingly dying town called Vaughn.  What was most notable about the town as we passed through were the abandoned buildings that lined the road, and the old signs for businesses that were either no longer in operation or appeared to be on their last legs.  I made a mental note to come back some day, to explore the town a bit and take some photos.

Last weekend we went for a drive, down a road not previously taken, and ended up not too far from Vaughn.  A quick run up the road and soon we were there, and I started taking photos of abandoned hotels, cafes, and other buildings.  What I really enjoyed were the signs...

Heading west to east on Highway 60, the main drag through town, there's the Yucca Motel...

Then, on the other side of the road not far from the Yucca, is by far the most interesting sign in Vaughn, the one that hovers over the (now defunct) Ranch House Cafe.

While walking under the sign I looked up and noticed the position of the sun in relation to the position of the star on the sign.  I thought that if I could get a starburst from the sun hitting the tip of the star on the sign that could be an interesting shot.  So, I stopped down my lens to f/16 and took a few shots...

Next was the Western Motel...

Followed by the Skyline Motel...

And then the last sign as you head east, on the edge of town, for the Ranch View Motel...

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All photos taken with a Nikon D7000, and a Nikkor 16-85 DX VR lens

Walking Portland

Last month I had a chance to visit Portland, Oregon for the second time.  May 2013 was the first time I went to Portland, and I immediately fell in love with the walkability of the town.  And the food trucks that were seemingly everywhere...

This time I went to Portland with my wife, as part of a "let's walk around Portland for a couple of days then rent a car and drive down the coast" trip, a week long getaway from reality and the everyday stressors of life.  We arrived in Portland on a Saturday evening, a little too late to actually see much...  

The next morning, Sunday, May 11, we hit the streets, the only real plan being to make a stop at the Portland Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden next door.  

A few blocks from our hotel was the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The hall's sign is a Portland landmark, often photographed, and I had to stop and take a few photos (8:49 AM)...

We then headed west, trudging up hills until we got to the International Rose Test Garden.  We walked the grounds for a few minutes, but unfortunately the majority of the rose bushes had yet to bloom, so we headed up to the Portland Japanese Garden.  The Portland Japanese Garden is considered to be the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan.  What I love about it is that it's an oasis of quiet and calm tucked away in a big city.  This statue is one of the first things you encounter as you make the counter clockwise walk through the grounds (10:05 AM)...

We then walked back down the hills, and turned north towards the Pearl District, which has undergone a recent "renewal" of sorts.  At one point I saw this street mural of Steve Prefontaine, a native Oregonian and track and field star in the 70's.  I think, besides the size of the mural itself, it was the orange in the painting and the orange in the bricks to the right and how it all tied together that caught my eye (12:56 PM)...  

We later ended up  at Old Town Pizza, in the Old Town section of Portland.  Old Town Pizza has awesome pizza (so good that we had one delivered to our hotel again the next night), good beer that they brew, is located in a funky old building that is supposedly haunted - and an great selection of music is always pumping through the speakers.  We hung out there for quite a while, taking a break from all the walking we had done, and since it was a sleepy Sunday afternoon I was able to take a few photos without disturbing anyone (2:54 PM)...

On the walk back to the hotel we ran across Voodoo Doughnut, another local landmark, with the obligatory line of tourists going out the door and around the corner.  We didn't stop in, but I had to grab a few shots of the sign (4:34 PM)...

All photos taken with a Nikon D7000 and Nikkor 16-85 DX VR lens
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Oregon Coast

A couple of weeks ago we went to Oregon, a week long getaway to explore new places and experience new things.  We spent the first couple of days in Portland, then rented a car and headed down the coast to Newport, where we spent a couple of days exploring the coast.  For a long time I've wanted to drive down the coast on Highway 101, and now was my chance...

The wreck of the Peter Iredale, grounded on Clatsop Spit, Fort Stevens State Park, was the first stop.  The tide was coming in and the midday light was harsh, so I tried a black and white take on the scene...

Further down the coast is Cape Meares Light, a lighthouse located on Cape Meares just south of Tillamook Bay...

Yaquina Head Light is a lighthouse just north of Newport. I went in the evening as clouds were rolling in, so hoping to capture some of the drama that was in the sky...

One morning we were driving down Highway 101 near Cape Pereptua, enjoying the scenery, when I glanced over and saw the light streaming through the trees.  A quick U-turn, and I spent several minutes looking for the right angle to capture what I saw...

And no photographer can go this area of Oregon without checking out Thor's Well, located on Cape Perpetua...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX (top photo), Nikkor 16-85 DX VR (rest)

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Monument Valley

Monument Valley...  The name evokes memories of the old West, of images made famous by the director John Ford, of films starring John Wayne like Stagecoach and The Searchers...  Or the place where Forrest Gump stopped running ("I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now.")...

I'd always found Monument Valley to be a beautiful place, a place of wide open, epic vistas.  I'd always thought that it would be an interesting place to visit, but I never really dwelled on the thought.  Someday...  

When we were making plans for our honeymoon drive from Las Vegas back to Santa Fe, a trek to be taken in late November, planning our route through some of the national parks in southern Utah, Monument Valley was chosen as a stopover.  As the trip drew closer, my desire to see Monument Valley grew greater...

We arrived in Monument Valley as a winter storm blew in.  A low, dense blanket of fog hung low to ground, wrapping itself around the Mittens.  I took this shot from the deck of our room.  It was the clearest the sky would be during our overnight stay...    

A couple of weeks ago we took an extra day off from work and went on a road trip to Canyon de Chelly (which I wrote about here).  While there we decided to take a quick side trip to Monument Valley.  Another chance at seeing what couldn't be seen last November.  The sky was clear, the weather was perfect for some sightseeing.  Clear skies and mid-day sun don't necessarily make good photographs, but they make great memories and that's what was important that day...

There's a 17 mile scenic drive that winds through Monument Valley, and as we slowly wound our way around it we made frequent stops so I could take a few photos...

From Artist's Point I was able to take this shot, which most closely evokes the memories I have of the numerous westerns that have been filmed there...

As the sun rose higher in the sky the light grew harsher, washing out the sky, and this shot. Taken near the end of our drive, it isn't particularly noteworthy but it's my shot of the Mittens that day...

We left shortly after, moving on to other adventures that day, but I was content, having finally seen Monument Valley.  And I can't wait to return one day...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX, Nikkor 10-24 DX

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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

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