Fine Art Images from the American Southwest
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Geraint 
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. May our days be filled with happiness, love, and laughter as we celebrate with family and friends. Happy Holidays!
Thank you for a great year. Thanks for joining me here, for your support and friendship, and for joining me on one of my photo tour workshops. I hope everyone has a wonderful time. See you next week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, cormorants roosting along the Rio Chama near Abiquiu, Taos Mountain, a favorite wild horse photo, and the Bisti Badlands near Chaco Canyon.
Twelve years ago, I created the piece below titled “Leaving the Roost.” Unfortunately, the original piece disappeared, so I spent an hour locating the original individual shots to recreate it. The piece measures 80″x80″ and is now ready to be sent to the printer. I particularly enjoy the ‘wild’ panorama stitching that follows the shape of the old cottonwood and how many cormorants utilize this tree. This one is for you, Larry H.
Clearing storm, on the mountain.
Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness near Chaco Canyon. Over the years, I’ve spent many months camping in this area. I think my first camping trip here was in 1989, when it was a wilderness study area. Here’s a petrified tree stump. Click on the photo to enlarge.
As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G
Let me know if you want to go to the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness.
Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness is a designated wilderness area located in northwestern New Mexico, known for its unique and otherworldly landscape. This area is part of the larger San Juan Basin and is characterized by its striking badlands, which feature a variety of unusual geological formations.
Here are some key features of the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness:
Visitors to Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness should be prepared for a remote and challenging environment. It’s important to bring sufficient water, navigation tools, and be mindful of Leave No Trace principles to preserve the area’s natural beauty.
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, lenticular clouds, and this seems to be the season. Although these clouds can appear throughout the year, they are particularly abundant right now. Their stunning, lens-like shapes add a touch of magic to the already breathtaking landscape, making this time of year truly special.
Enjoy! And click on the image to enlarge.
Click on the image below for a full panorama of the total event. I was driving home from Santa Fe when this happened. I believe it was visible across the entire state.
Lenticular clouds with Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds that look like ocean waves are forming.
Lenticular clouds are lens-shaped clouds that typically form at high altitudes, often in perpendicular alignment to the wind direction. They are scientifically known as “altocumulus lenticularis” and are most commonly found in mountainous regions. These clouds form when stable, moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, creating a series of oscillating waves. If the temperature at the crest of these waves drops to the dew point, moisture in the air condenses to form clouds.
Lenticular clouds are known for their distinctive, smooth, and often saucer-like appearance, which can sometimes be mistaken for UFOs. They are stationary, meaning they don’t move with the wind like other clouds, but instead remain fixed in position while the air flows through them.
These clouds can indicate turbulence for aircraft, as the wave patterns that create them can also produce strong updrafts and downdrafts. Despite this, they are often admired for their striking and unusual appearance, making them a popular subject for photographers and cloud enthusiasts.
Click here for more on these clouds from Earthsky.
Looking north from the New Mexico/Colorado state line.
As always, thanks for looking and all the comments, compliments, and emails. Have a great week. G
Greetings from New Mexico! This week, early morning mountain clouds and snow on the peaks, accompanied by a moonrise. I’m eagerly anticipating an almost full moonrise tonight, followed by a full moonrise tomorrow. It should be spectacular against the backdrop of snow-covered peaks. However, more snow is forecast, and the skies might be overcast. We’ll see how it turns out!
Watching the weather morph over the peaks.
Vallecito Peak is always a favorite backdrop for a moonrise. Here’s a different day and a close-up from that same day.
Below is from five years ago, when we had a great amount of snow.
Here’s my new postcard promo piece for Photo Tour/Workshops. Gift certificates are available.
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, mountain light and snow on the peaks.
It didn’t take much to draw me outside this last weekend. Below are a few images from our neighborhood, taken just a few miles from our home. The peaks of the Columbine Hondo Wilderness glowed beautifully in the waning light. Click on an image to view the full panoramic version.
I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and a great week.
Happy Thanksgiving. My annual greeting picture, taken one Thanksgiving week a few years ago in the Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico.
As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G
Greetings from New Mexico, the land of enchantment.. This week, scenes in the land of enchantment. Some say the land of entrapment. Once here, it’s hard to leave. I can attest to that statement. I first arrived here in 1984, moving here permanently in 1988. My friend, Harry you met last week, and his wife, Noreen, were two of the first people I met. It’s been 41 years this coming Thanksgiving.
Below is a piece I wrote about my first time on the High Road to Taos.
“In Thanksgiving week 1984, I made my first of many trips to New Mexico. On this occasion, five of us friends set out on a foggy morning from Santa Fe and made our way north on the high road to Taos. The sites and sounds on the streets of Santa Fe soon opened up to the immense vistas of mesas, and beyond to the Taos Volcanic Plateau.
We passed through the village of Chimayo, climbing the hill to Truchas (Spanish for Trout). Rapidly gaining elevation, the landscape changed to pristine hills of ponderosa pines and rust-colored tones of scrub oak in the undergrowth. Bare white highlights of lanky aspen punctuated the vast square miles of pine trees in the Carson National Forrest. Through the misty veil of condensation on the window, we were afforded more than a subtle hint of what autumn in the high country of New Mexico might have looked like one month earlier.
Leaving Truchas for Penasco, the fog set in. The temperature dropped in the sparsely populated, mountain communities of Las Trampas and Picuris. The colder air outside the car became magically enhanced from the aroma of piñon and juniper burning in the fireplaces of scattered homes. At this very moment… sometimes you just know it, the mystery of things unknown and northern New Mexico took a very palpable hold on me.
Not more than four years later, in the spring of 1988, that hold tightened and I moved to a small adobe building with two fireplaces, in Talpa, NM and began stockpiling five cords of wood for what promised to be a cold winter that year…“
The land of Enchantment, and every day I go to Town, I pass this scene of Taos Pueblo Peak. A little dusting of snow today with more promising accumulations tonight.
Many places here in the Land of Enchantment never get old for me. You know this one!
Details in the land of enchantment, a tiny pine cone among this year’s fallen leaves.
Costilla, New Mexico, located in the San Luis Valley, on the New Mexico/Colorado state line, is about as far north as one can go in this land of enchantment. No less enchanting, this area and its abandoned farms and buildings inspired John Nichols’ book, Milagro Beanfield War. The movie was filmed in Truchas on the High Road to Taos.
New work in the making. “Three chairs and a tree.”
As always, thank you for looking and all the kind words of support and compliments. Have a great week. G
Greetings from New Mexico. This week, a few images of the northern lights as seen from our village of San Cristobal, in the mountains of northern New Mexico.
When I first saw the northern lights last night it was through the trees at our house, so I drove five minutes to this vantage point for a view of our valley and what looked like a sunrise/sunset. Shot on the iPhone.
I had a thought to photograph the little chapel in the village against the aurora sky, not one hundred percent sure that it would align.
A car came by and highlighted the church.
Tonight viewing should be even more spectacular, clear skies permiting.
The image below was shot in our neighborhood in October last year.
On another note: I want to take a moment to remember my friend Harry Vedoe, who had a profound impact on my life and on the many adventures I’ve had in the backcountry and wilderness over the years. Harry and I were friends for almost 40 years. Rest in glorious peace, Harry.
Harry passed away at age 96 peacefully in his sleep on October 28, 2025.
RIP Harry, or then again, bike, hike, ski, and climb on, or take another road, my dear friend.
As always, thanks for looking. Check out the sky tonight, it should be good viewing for the Aurora Borealis. G
Greetings from New Mexico. This week, the full Hunter’s supermoon, taken in the neighbourhood, and a few shots of our neighborhood hunters.
Last night when the almost full Hunter’s Moon rose over the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Tonight is the full moon.
And this shot from our driveway.
Read more about this full super, hunters moon, here.
Want to see more moons? Check out this page.
And… the hunters in the hood.
As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G
Hello from New Mexico. This week, a few images that make my day, taken here in the land of enchantment.
The Rio Chama Overlook can always make my day.
Just a few weeks later, the Rio Chama, in its full fall splendor, becomes a living masterpiece, capturing the essence of autumn in all its glory.
At a different bend on the Chama River.
As I wander through this enchanting grove, surrounded by the rustling leaves, earthy aromas of autumn fill the air, invigorating my senses. The scent of the forest floor, mingled with the cool breeze, evokes a sense of nostalgia and wonder, making each moment a feast for the soul.
Not so spectacular from my driveway due to a haze of brush fire smoke, as some previous comets, such as Comet Neowise a few years ago. But I had to give Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) a shot!
Photographing Malachi Tsoodlie at the Indian Market in Santa Fe made my day fifteen years ago and again recently when I printed the photo in black and white. Soon it will hang on my wall, and make my day for a third time.
As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G
Greetings from New Mexico. This week, wild horses. For the last three weeks, I’ve been in the landscape of a Georgia O’Keeffe painting, exploring the areas around Abiquiu, and Ghost Ranch, NM, five times, and again tomorrow. I never tire of it, but it’s time for a change and to head out in search of wild horses, sandhill cranes, hawks, and elk. A change of scenery and subject is always good for the soul and the portfolio.
The following two images were taken in spring.
These two were trucking along foraging in the fields near Monte Vista NWR.
Hawks are plentiful, and this time of year, in old snags and on power poles.
I doubt it will snow on the peaks before next week, but horses are always fun to spot. Here’s a band on the plateau with Blanca Peak in Colorado.
As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G
My photo essay on the San Luis Valley, in the form of a PDF to download.
If you’d like to read more, here’s a brief account of the area.
The Taos Volcanic Plateau and the San Luis Valley are remarkable landscapes in the southwestern United States, known for their unique geological features and diverse wildlife.
The Taos Volcanic Plateau, located in northern New Mexico, is a striking expanse formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. This plateau is characterized by its rugged terrain, with ancient lava flows, cinder cones, and volcanic peaks, such as Ute Mountain and San Antonio Mountain. The Rio Grande Gorge, a dramatic canyon carved by the Rio Grande, slices through the plateau, providing a stunning natural spectacle and a vital habitat for various species.
Adjacent to the plateau, the San Luis Valley stretches across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. This high-altitude valley is one of the largest in the world, flanked by the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges. Its vast, flat expanse is dotted with wetlands, grasslands, and desert shrublands, creating a mosaic of habitats that support a rich array of wildlife.
The wildlife in these regions is as diverse as the landscapes themselves. The Taos Volcanic Plateau and the San Luis Valley are home to numerous bird species, making them popular destinations for birdwatchers. The wetlands and riparian areas attract migratory birds such as sandhill cranes, which stop over in the valley during their long journeys. Raptors, including golden eagles and red-tailed hawks, soar above the open spaces, while songbirds flit among the shrubs and trees.
Mammals also thrive in these areas. Mule deer and elk roam the grasslands and forests, while smaller creatures like coyotes, foxes, and rabbits are common sights. The plateau and valley provide critical habitat for more elusive species as well, such as bobcats and mountain lions, which find refuge in the rugged terrain.
The Taos Volcanic Plateau and the San Luis Valley are not only geological and ecological treasures but also cultural and historical ones. Indigenous peoples have lived in these regions for thousands of years, and their deep connection to the land is evident in the rich cultural heritage that persists today.
Together, these landscapes offer a glimpse into the dynamic interplay of natural forces and the resilience of life in a challenging environment. They remind us of the importance of preserving such unique ecosystems for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
