Geraint Smith Photography

Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

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Geraint

Old Wooden Cross, Cemetery, In Questa, NM

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Old wooden cross in a cemetery, Questa, New Mexico. I can’t pass up a cemetery. I like to stop in at every opportunity. The peace and solitude among the headstones, where even the highway traffic noise fades, I find myself reading the family names. I’m able to glean some insight into the local community. The inscriptions tell me who served in the military; how many grandmothers will be sorely missed by so many. I see the names of mothers, sons, daughters, babies who have left too soon.
I grew up in the “old country across the pond”. We lived a hundred yards from an ancient cemetery at a church mentioned in the Doomsday Book. For all the mossy, lichen, creepy vine adorned headstones, I never felt akin to any of the long dead. In those graveyards, the headstones were a novelty. The oldest, being from umpteen centuries ago, became hide and seek locations in a place where even the ghosts died and stayed hidden!
It could be the proximity to a recent past, standing there feeling the fresh air, surrounded by the names of those still loved in living memory, that makes me feel I belong here. Thanks for looking. G

Wooden Cross, Cemetery, Questa, NM

Red-Winged Blackbird On The Cattails

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Red-winged Blackbird on the cattails in Arroyo Hondo, NM. A pair of Red-winged Blackbirds can raise 2-3 broods per season. They build a new nest each time. This ensures that the nest remains free from parasites that could ultimately kill the baby birds. And… they build them in the cattails here along the Rio Hondo in northern New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G

Red-Winged Blackbird On The Cattails

Spotlight On The Sangre De Cristo Mountains

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Spotlight on the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, in particular, Vallecito Peak. It’s easy to drive by this scene, though not these last couple of weeks. The mountain calls! It not only calls, but when I do drive by and forget to stop, it often seems to tap me on the shoulder as if to say, “here look!”. In this case we were heading home when one thing and another conspired to get our attention. A cloud to the west created a perfect funnel causing the light to traverse the ridge until it finally settled on the snowy peak where it spotlighted the stage, lingering there for the final bow. The light slowly faded, the curtain came down and the play was over. We waited for a little while longer and then went home. It was a show to remember.  Thanks for looking at another photo of this particular mountain that desired my attention. G

Spotlight The Sangre De Cristo Mountains

Mallard Duck On Ice

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Mallard duck on ice. I love the way these little creatures behave deliberately. Paddle to the edge of the ice, waddle out onto the ice, stand there and do nothing. Time passes. I made some images and moved on. A little while later, when I return, the Mallard is standing stock still, in the same position. I can only assume, enjoying a moment, warming up in the morning sun is a cross species trait. Thanks for looking. G

Mallard Duck On Ice

 

Grand View, Moonrise Over Vallecito Peak

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Grand view of thanksgiving eve moon rising over Vallecito Peak, in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains. I wanted to share this grand view that we saw from the highway that runs north – south  from where we live, across the mesa, toTaos. Here’s the image I posted from that day. This expansive scene captivated me upon a second review of the shots I made after I stitched these three images together. It’s a big, beautifully panorama of the mountains of northern New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G

Grand Vista, Moonrise Over Vallecito Peak

Golden Sunlight, El Prado Trees

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Golden sunlight, El Prado trees. Through the trees in El Prado (the meadows), we caught a glimpse of Taos Mountain, back there, emerging from the clouds. As we pulled out of the gas station, just across the street, we had enough time to grab a few shots of this scene before it was gone. I hope it was a good day in your world today. It was brilliant right here in the golden sunlight. Thanks for looking. G

Golden Sunlight, El Prado Trees

Gorgeous Moonrise, Vallecito Peak

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Gorgeous moonrise over Vallecito Peak in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains. The moon rose over the subdued rosy hues of the snowy peak. It climbed slowly and deliberately, creeping inch by inch until it cleared the snow-capped peak. Finally it appeared to linger for a moment, and glimmered like a giant pearl, as it kissed the crest adieu. A beautiful end to a gorgeous day in New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G

Gorgeous Moonrise Over Vallecito Peak