Geraint Smith Photography

Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

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Month: June 2023

Planets, Crescent Moon, Sunset Clouds. 06-28-2023

Geraint June 28, 2023 8 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal. On the evening of June 21, the summer solstice, the planets Venus and Mars showed up with the crescent Moon anchored by the sunset clouds. The beauty of this world is just outside the door and perfectly poised for our viewing pleasure. Franz Kafka put it more eloquently than I did.

“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” Franz Kafka

Planets, Venus, Crescent moon
Crescent Moon and Venus.

Zoom in on this second shot to see planet Mars on the upper left edge of the picture. I didn’t see it with my eyes or through the lens at first. It was a pleasant surprise when it magically appeared (pardon me) out of the blue.

Planets, Venus, Mars, Crescent moon
Planets, Venus, Mars, and Crescent Moon.

Sometimes I poke my camera through a window, a window in a building that I’ve passed many times, and find a surprise before me. A broken window helped me access this scene in a gas station on US 285 in Colorado. It reminds me of the upright piano in my grandparent’s house where I lived growing up in Wales. Our upright piano was more ornate, with two candle holders on either side. I was always encouraged to tap on the keys. My grandparents were very tolerant. I never did learn to play the piano.

Piano room,
Piano room.

This week, just outside the back door, the daylilies are blooming. On the other side of the house, outside the front door, the Apache plume has filled out and glistens in the morning sun. Here’s a shot of the Apache Plume in the afternoon rain.

day lily SC
Daylily shot and edited on an iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Looking outwards or looking inward, there’s plenty to discover. I find sitting still offers me a perspective that suits me well, plus I’m good at spending time doing absolutely nothing. Ask my wife!

As always, thanks for looking. G

Happy Summer Solstice, 06-21-2023

Geraint June 20, 2023 20 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. Happy Summer Solstice from here to where you are. I post the image below every summer solstice since I shot it, on June 20, 2018. I like it! This year it is scheduled to appear in the New Mexico Treasures Calendar, 2024.

The first day of summer arrives with the solstice this year on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 8:58 a.m. MDT.

The solstice isn’t a whole day, it’s a moment.

Here’s a summer solstice “moment” in black and white, shot in Plaza Blanca, Abiquiu, NM

Plaza Blanca Summer Solstice Moment
Plaza Blanca Summer Solstice Moment, Abiquiu, NM.

If you want to see what Plaza Blaca looks like on the outside, here’s a shot of rock and cloud formations.

Plaza Blanca rocks and sky, Abiquiu, NM
Plaza Blanca rocks and sky.

Here’s another moment I shot in Plaza Blanca on June 22, 2022.

Summer solstice Plaza Blanca
Plaza Blanca, June 22, 2022.

There’s no place like Chaco Canyon to experience the passing moments of the seasons. Here I am sitting under a picnic ramada with a view of the sacred rock formation, Fajada Butte.

Under the ramada, Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Fajada Butte, Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

The solar eclipse is coming up later in the year. I’m planning on a trip to Chaco Canyon with the rest of the state. We’ll see what happens with those plans.

As always, thank you for looking. It’s a privilege to share my photography with you. G

Crescent Moon, Jupiter. 06-14-2023

Geraint June 14, 2023 19 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM, and beyond. To the moon and Jupiter.

It was 3 am this morning when I awoke. I went straight back to sleep! 4:20 am came and I was dressed in the dining room opening the window to view the crescent moon and Jupiter. I planned on getting up early to observe this celestial event but I’d gotten a tetanus shot yesterday and felt groggy most of the afternoon. I was going to set the alarm, but I fell asleep around 9:30 pm. Fortunately for my plans, all was well when I awoke. I was alert and ready to watch as the moon and Jupiter rose over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, visible from our home.
The tripod was absent without leave! Buried in the back of the car, I think.
It was getting brighter by the minute so I took a pass on finding the tripod deciding to handhold the camera, bracing myself against the window frame. Fortunately, I’ve had experience with a missing tripod before, so I proceeded as I’ve done in the past and the image below came out just as I expected.

Crescent Moon, Jupiter, Early Morning,
Crescent Moon, Jupiter, 4:30 am today.

Looking through the viewfinder and the telephoto lens I was able to make out two faint moons of Jupiter. There are 95 known moons of the massive planet. I braced myself against the window frame again and shot a long exposure for the image below.

Crescent Moon with earthshine and Jupiter
Crescent Moon with Earthshine and Jupiter with two of its moons.

The silence before dawn is palpable. There’s a quiet hush that permeates everything. No dogs, sheep, roosters, or birds. At the stroke of some silent alarm, that only critters can hear, the whole valley woke up twenty minutes later. I now know who owns the barking mad dog!

A tree is still a tree, dead or alive. This tree has now gone. It vanished in a housing development. Goodbye tree.

Bare tree
Bare Tree, Taos, NM

As always. Thanks for looking. G

In The Garden This Week. 06-07-2023

Geraint June 7, 2023 18 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal. This week the garden.

The internet and phones have been down for the last three days after a contractor severed a fiber optic line in Taos. They still remain a bit dodgy. I could go into it further but I’d rather move quickly to get this week’s post online while I have a connection.

Instead of spending time on my phone, online, and on social media over the last few “down” days, I spent time amongst the flowers in our garden.

Here are some of the blooms and one orchid not in the garden. All shot on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Prints available.

Enjoy.

Iris in the garden
Iris with raindrops.
Cosmos
Cosmos.
Marigold in the garden
Marigold.
Dahlia
Dahlia.
Columbine
Columbine.
Day Lillies
Day Lillies.
Orchid
Orchid.

As always, thank you for looking. G