Llano De San Juan, New Mexico

Geraint June 30, 2017 2 Comments

Llano de San Juan. Over the last few weeks I’ve conducted numerous photo tours on the High Road to Taos. There have been some stunning afternoons with great photographer clients and image making. This building has always intrigued me, and I almost always make a stop here in this high road llano (Spanish for plain) to make an image of this old building and the nearby church. The tin roof, typical in New Mexico architecture, the undulating tin portal roof and a dormer window, forever pointing to the sky, always feels welcoming despite it’s abandoned posture. I’ll be back on the High Road to Taos again tomorrow and no doubt we will visit this place. Thanks for continuing to visit my photo of the day page … and keep on looking. G

Urban Green Space In My World

Geraint June 29, 2017 5 Comments

Urban green space. Many years ago, shortly after I arrived in Taos, a great friend and photographer, no longer with us, made a suggestion to me. “Make pictures of your world around you.” He said. Then, as if a dismissal, he added. “Do with it as you wish”. I didn’t take to it right away … until I did. Since then, I’ve managed to do just that, creating an expansive body of work. Within that large body of work, there are many projects, studies, and subjects that encompass my everyday observations, musings, fascinations, and documentation, of my travels around ‘my’ world. I haven’t travelled vast distances around the globe, but I have seen so much of the “world in a grain of sand”, a blade of grass, the tiniest bird and largest bird. And… in the eyes of my children I have seen new worlds emerge. I keep on looking, sometimes I see what I’m looking for and other times it presents itself to me.

In Tucumcari, NM this scene caught my eye during an early morning photo stroll. It is a simple scene, lacking all grandeur of a vast landscape or sunset. When I happened upon it, this was a perfect moment in my world. Remembering my friend who inspired and encouraged me to look more and see. Thanks for looking. G

Monument Valley View

Geraint June 28, 2017 No Comments

Monument Valley ramada with a view. Formerly used for shade by a roadside vendor, this ramada fell in to a state of disrepair over the years, but it still made for a nice framing element with the buttes of Monument Valley in the distance. Thanks for looking. G

Crescent Moon Set Over Cerro Pedernal

Geraint June 27, 2017 7 Comments

Crescent moon set over Cerro Pedernal near Abiquiu, New Mexico. I made this image from the foothills south of Taos. It’s a view I’ve enjoyed many times, though the crescent moon isn’t always present. Without the moon it is still a stunning vista. Cerro Pedernal, is also Spanish for “Flint Hill”, and, as it is known locally … “Georgia O’Keeffe’s Mountain.” Apparently god told Georgia that if she painted the mountain often enough it would become her mountain, or something to that effect. For me it is a peak where native people harvested flint for their tips and points, and a sight that can be seen prominently from many locations around northern New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G

A Glass Abstract Caught My Eye

Geraint June 26, 2017 6 Comments

Glass Abstract. The dark negative shape caught my eye. On closer inspection, I could see the inside glow cast from the window in the door. I liked the way the pieces of glass in the frame were reflecting different aspects of the scene around me. The upper section of sherds give a good idea of the scene behind me, that is, the top part of the street. The beige sherd on the lower left portion of the frame, leaning forward, reflects the road surface where I am standing. The section of glass with the sky reflecting, was leaning away from me into the room. The right corner gives away the location of a scene long gone, that I spotted from a stop at the nearby intersection. Thanks for looking. G

Chevrolet Pickup And Grain Elevator

Geraint June 25, 2017 2 Comments

Chevrolet pickup farm truck (any guesses as to the year) and grain elevator, on the road in southern Colorado.

Taos Tipis Sunset

Geraint June 24, 2017 1 Comment

Taos Tipis Sunset, south of Taos, and again this picture is “enhanced” by the continuing forest fire smoke to the west of Taos. I like the atmosphere and the glow it creates in this scene. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so the natural smoke filter may not be available for much longer. That will be a good thing! Thanks for looking. G

Wild Iris, Big Dog, Photo Bomb

Geraint June 23, 2017 6 Comments

Wild iris, big dog in a Taos Valley meadow. I had just set up amongst these wild iris, with a view of Taos mountain as a backdrop, when this hound moseyed in to the viewfinder. The pooch decided my camera was worthy enough for further inquiry. It was now for me to protect my lens from a big wet nose and a sloppy kiss. Yes, he had a penchant for the lens, methinks this be his modus operandi. I never did get the “shot” I had in mind at this location. This image, and only this image is what I got that day. Thanks for looking. G

Cherubs, Ojo Caliente

Geraint June 22, 2017 3 Comments

Cherubs, Ojo Caliente, and a recliner, and on the stoop was a six pack of empty bottles. I was surprised to see things a little changed when I visited on this particular occasion. Changed? Yes! It was exactly what I would expect to find in rural New Mexico, indoor, outdoor furnishings. When I’ve visited this location on previous trips it always seemed so unimportant … a building with a mural next to a gas station. However, on this day, a certain charm had come over the place. It had been customized from the owners personal vision. While this may not fly in some more ‘sterile’ neighborhoods, with strict zoning codes, it is perfectly acceptable in this neighborhood, or so it seems. I want to call this image “waiting for god.” Thanks for looking. G

San José de Gracia de Las Trampas, NM

Geraint June 21, 2017 2 Comments

San José de Gracia de Las Trampas, NM. Yesterday on a photo tour on the High Road to Taos the light was stunning in the mountains, Spanish villages, hamlets and in particular, on this old adobe church. High above the Taos valley in the slightly cooler temperatures, the air was free and clear of the waffling fire smoke we’ve seen in Taos for the last few weeks. A popular spot and photo op on the High Road, the church of San José de Gracia, built between 1760 and 1776, is one of the least-altered examples of a Spanish Colonial Pueblo mission church. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970. Thanks for looking. G

[wp_cart:San José de Gracia 3278:price:[Available Sizes|8.5×11 inches $95,95|13×19 inches $155,155|17×22 inches $235,235]:end]

Geraint Smith Photography

Month: June 2017