El Santuario de Chimayo

The small town of Chimayo, New Mexico, is located about thirty miles by road north of Santa Fe, just off off the High Road to Taos.  In Chimayo is El Santuario de Chimayo, a Roman Catholic Church built in 1816.  Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970, the Santuario is widely considered to be "the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States" (Wikipedia).

When visiting the Santuario, the most convenient place to park is around the back.  As you enter (or leave) you walk through a courtyard.  Along the back side of the courtyard, along a small creek, you'll pass these crosses...

The church is small (60 feet by 24 feet, with 3 feet thick walls).  You can get to the church itself by entering through a walled courtyard on either side, or through the front gate...

As you exit the front gate you can walk up a small hill to a short street lined with a few shops and art galleries.  Here's another shot of the church, taken as I paused while walking up that hill...

Walking along the small road that runs behind the Santuario, I stopped several times to take pictures.  The first time was at a small store.  While my wife went inside to check things out, I looked around and took a few photos of the outside of the building...

A bit further down the same road I saw this doorway.  There was so much that caught my eye - the arched doorway with the wagon wheel embedded in it, the old swinging doors, the broken but not discarded ladder leaning against the entry, the Coca-Cola sign...  Later that evening, when looking through the day's photos, I thought this would be a good candidate for a black and white conversion... 

El Santuario de Chimayo, and the surrounding area, is rich with culture and history, and if you're visiting Santa Fe, Taos, or points in between, stopping by the Santuario is worth the small detour.

The first two photos were taken in July 2013, the last three several days ago (January 2014).  All photos were taken with a Nikon D7000 outfitted with a Nikkor 18-55 DX lens.

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Three Septembers at Eklutna Lake

When I lived in Alaska once of my favorite places to go for a relaxing walk or a hike, especially in the fall, was Eklutna Lake.   Located about forty miles driving distance from Anchorage, Eklutna Lake has a well developed trail system that can accommodate anything from easy walks along the shoreline to difficult hikes into the mountains.  I usually brought my camera along, and recently I was looking through photos that I had taken there, and decided to reprocess a few of them.  I'd like to share a couple of those reworked photos, with a few thoughts...

The first three photos were taken in September 2008, a few months after I'd bought my first DSLR (a Nikon D40).  I was still learning how to use that camera, mostly pointing and clicking and flailing away at the point...  I took these photos while walking on the multi-use road (four wheelers, bikes, walking) that winds along the left side of the lake.  This first one was taken heading out from the parking lot...

The next photo was taken somewhere along the road (I don't recall exactly where).  I do remember thinking that the "window" in the trees where I was standing, as I looked at the trees on the side of mountains in distance, made a good frame for a photo...

While walking back to the parking, I was able to zoom in on a distant mountain, and capture the first dusting of snow in the upper elevations.  Two seasons caught in one photograph, the coming of winter and the fading of autumn...

In September 2010 we had an unusually warm spell, so I took advantage of that on a Saturday and hiked the Twin Peaks trail.  This trail goes up and up and up, approximately 2.5 miles where, once you reach the top of the ridge, above the treeline, you're rewarded with panoramic views of Eklutna Lake and Knik Arm.  I took this photo of Eklutna Lake while sitting on the ridge, enjoying the warmth of the sun, a snack, and resting for a bit before heading back down...

This last photo was taken in September 2012, while walking along the shoreline on another sunny fall day.  I came across this pile of trees, obviously stacked for a bonfire that never occurred.  Later I decided that this would make a good a subject for a black and white photo...

Going back through these photos gave me a chance to once again think about enjoyable days at one of my favorite places, and to use the knowledge I have now to bring out the best in the photos I took while there...

First four photos were taken with: Nikon D40, Nikkor 55-200 DX VR

Last photo was taken with: Nikon D40, Nikkor 55-300 DX VR

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Pecos National Historical Park

In late October of last year I headed south of Santa Fe to the Pecos National Historical Park, my first visit to the area (although I had driven by the park entrance before).  There is a short (about 1.25 miles) walking trail that winds through the park, first through the pueblo ruins before ending at what's left of an old mission.  A rock wall lines part of the trail, and I stopped to grab a few photos before moving on.  

Although the signs along the trail were informative and interesting, and the ruins of the pueblo were evident, photographically there wasn't much to work with.  Soon though, I arrived at the ruins of the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels of Porciuncula (Mission Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Porciuncula de los Pecos), the first church at Pecos.  This mission was built beginning in 1621 by Spanish missionaries (what remains today are the remains of the second grand church built on this site in the late 1600s).  The sight of the earth toned ruins against the backdrop of the deep blue skies called out to be photographed.

I walked into the ruins, taking photos and dodging the occasional tourist.  To the left, near the back of the structure, was a doorway that lead to a small alcove.  Looking back I could see the glow of the morning sun against the interior walls...

After walking around for a bit I explored the grounds to the right of the ruins, grabbing a few more shots...

Before leaving the park I climbed down a ladder into a kiva.  It was cool, quiet, and the light was fantastic.  Once I started going through the photos later it quickly became apparent that using a sepia look captured the mood of that morning...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX

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Best Of 2013

As the year draws to a close I've created a gallery of not necessarily the best of, but more accurately my favorite shots that I've taken in the past year.  You can check them out on Google Plus or Facebook:

https://plus.google.com/+KevinSchaffer/posts

https://www.facebook.com/KevinSchafferPhotography

You can view my full gallery (and purchase prints and other merchandise) here

Books, Blogs, and Other Stuff

I thought I'd end the year with a look at the books, blogs, and other things that I turn to when I have a technical question, when I need inspiration, or to keep developing my skills both in the field and in the digital darkroom.  This list is by no means all inclusive, I'm just trying to cover what I've found to be the best (and/or most useful).  

Books - For the beginner (that I keep referring back to):

Scott Kelby's The Digital Photography Book Series - I consider these books an essential resource.  They cover a variety of topics and although they are written for the beginning photographer, I still find myself referring back to these books.  This series has been recently refreshed (volume one was first published in 2009) so make sure you get the  updated version.

Bryan Peterson's books, esp. Learning To See Creatively - Another series of books for the beginning photographer.  Although I don't refer to these as much as I used to, Learning To See Creatively is still a good resource.

Landscape Photography - From Snapshots to Great Shots - Rob Sheppard - A good introduction to the subject.  I've also found that as a whole the Snapshots to Great Shots series is a good introduction to a variety of photography related subjects.

Books - That focus on the technical, particularly composition: 

Within The Frame - David duChemin - duChemin is both one of my favorite photographers and an excellent teacher when it comes to (his) thoughts on composition.  This is probably my favorite book on photography.

Vision & Voice: Refining Your Vision in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - David duChemin - Another excellent book from duChemin about photography and composition.  duChemin states early on in the book: “My vision for this book is that readers learn to approach digital development as a craft in service of their vision."  What does that mean?  I won't even try to explain put that in my own words - you'll have to check it out yourself...  The one caveat is that he wrote this using examples with Adobe Lightroom 3 (which was the most recent version at the time) so when reading it now you have to "interpret" some of the examples into Lightroom 4 or 5 "speak." 

The Photographer's Eye - Michael Freeman - An excellent book on composition that focuses on the technical aspects of photographic composition - subjects like the rule of thirds, the golden ratio, the appearance of the Fibonacci sequence in nature and how these concepts lead the eye through a photograph. 

Books - That focus on a specific topic:

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers - Scott Kelby - A good overview of Adobe Lightroom 4, that covers a variety of topics.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Book for Digital Photographers - Scott Kelby - Basically the same book, revamped for Lightroom 5. 

EBooks

Pretty much anything from Craft&Vision, but in particular anything by David duChemin or Piet Van den Eynde - duChemin for thoughts on composition and den Eynde for technical information, specifically info relating to Adobe Lightroom.  Anything by Craft&Vision is well written, beautifully illustrated, and available as an affordable, downloadable PDF.  

Blogs - By excellent photographers that cover a variety of topics: 

Moose Peterson - Wildlife photographer extraordinaire, also a master of landscape and aviation photography.  For years I have read his blog religiously, and I'm still learning something new or viewing awesome photos often enough to keep coming back. 

Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider - Although called the Photoshop Insider, that's only one of the topics covered.  What I like about this blog is that in addition to being an excellent (and very versatile) photographer, Scott Kelby is a great teacher, and he always shares the technical details of his photos shoots, be it landscapes, a wedding, football game, and it's always done with a bit of a sense of humor, and he shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of what happened.

David duChemin - As noted above, duChemin is one of my favorite photographers.  He blogs on an occasionally infrequent basis, but I'm always checking for his latest post because when he does share his thoughts, he rarely disappoints.

Photofocus - Started by Scott Bourne (who has recently turned over the reigns to a capable team) this blog covers a variety of topics daily.

Blogs - That mainly focus on technical issues:

Focus on Singh-Ray Filters - Singh-Ray produces top quality camera lens filters.  This blog features a variety of photographers who write about how and why they use these filters.  Usually a good read and always great photographs. 

Matt Kloskowski - A good source for the latest tips on using Adobe Lightroom (and other software).  

Lightroom Killer Tips - Another blog from Matt Kloskowski that focuses specifically on Lightroom.  There's enough difference between this and Matt's other blog that I check both on a regular basis.

Equipment 

B&H Photo Video - The choice of professional photographers.  Anything and everything a photographer could ever want - or need.

This list also serves as a point in time of sorts, in that it covers everything I've discovered from the first day I picked up a DSLR until now.  This will allow me to, from this point forward, share my thoughts on books, blogs, and other stuff as they arise, or to do a yearly wrap up of the best of the best.  

Capitol Reef National Park

Last month we went on a tour of some of the National Parks in southern and south-central Utah (which was also our honeymoon).  One of the parks we visited was Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah. 

As plans for the trip were being made, the idea was to do a "loop" through southern Utah, going from Zion National Park to Bryce National Park, then over to the Moab/Canyonlands National Park/Arches National Park area, finally turning south towards Monument Valley.  These were the parks I was familiar with, but as I mapped out the route I saw Capitol Reef and thought to myself "cool, another park we can drive through on the way."  Then I didn't give it much thought after that, other than it being another spot on the map.

The drive over from Bryce (going through a corner of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on the way) was spectacular.  We pulled into the Torrey, Utah, where we were spending the night, late in the afternoon, and decided to continue on and explore the area a bit before settling in for the night.  

We drove into the park and were immediately struck by the beauty of the area.  Spectacular cliffs and domes lined the road.  When we turned down a short side road I saw this lone tree and had to take a few shots of it silhouetted against the moody evening sky... 

We got up early the next morning, both anxious to continue our journey and wanting to catch the sunrise.  We weren't disappointed as we caught our first glimpse of the rising sun....

Turning and facing west, I liked the blue sky peeking out through the clouds with the moon present as well....

Then turning back towards the east I was drawn towards the spectacular clouds...

That morning we took the scenic drive that included a trip through the Capitol Gorge area of the park before heading down the road towards Moab.  I can say without reservation that Capitol Reef was one of the highlights of the trip, and I would not hesitate to go back there again and explore the area further.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX

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San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church

I recently visited San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church, located in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. Ansel Adams photographed this church, Georgia O'Keefe painted it, and I feel lucky to have been able to stand where they stood and create my own image of this iconic structure.

First I worked the back side, the view that is most closely associated with this church.  When I processed the photos of this view later, sepia just seemed to capture the mood...  

Then I walked around to the front.  Although this isn't the iconic view associated with the church, I still thought it was beautiful, especially the look of the adobe walls against the clear blue sky....

Then I concentrated on getting a "different" shot altogether.  I went as wide as possible with the lens I had, then pushed in close to the entrance, using it as a frame.  A lot of times photos seem to happen through a sense of serendipity, but this time I was very conscious of trying to find perfect balance, a sense of symmetry, with this shot, with the way the white trim of the door way framed the inner courtyard, how the blue cross on the ground aligned the white cross on the roof, how all the elements were placed in the frame...

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Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX