Fine Art Images from the American Southwest
505-501-4880
San Francisco de Asis. Good morning from the Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos. Arguably the most photographed church in the US.
“It was four in the morning on May 6th, 1988. Exhausted and sorely needing rest after 16 solid hours of driving east, away from the hectic business and car culture of the LA basin, my friend Frank pulled off the road. At a turnout on the east side of NM 68 a few miles south of Taos, he parked the pickup with a 5×8 trailer in tow. Facing north, 10 feet off the roadway, we slept sitting up.
A few winks later, at six o’clock sharp, a semi tractor-trailer roared by, engine brake blaring on the downgrade. We awoke in sync. The sun shot through the windshield like a bullet, an arousing reminder that we were, finally and after all, in New Mexico.
Before me I could see the whole Taos valley, with streams and fields fanning out toward me like a deck of cards. “Pick a card” the scene seemed to say. “Don’t show me … keep it to yourself.” The metaphorical card I chose at that juncture in time continues to confirm that my sudden wake-up call was the beginning of my new life..”
Excerpted from my book, Rio Grande del Norte: An Intimate Portrait.
San Luis Valley, northern New Mexico, and southern Colorado
Time will be spent on location in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, photographing abandoned homesteads, towns, and thriving farming communities. These are enhanced by views of the Rio Grande and the impressive Sangre de Cristo mountain range of the southern Rocky Mountains. We will seek out bald and golden eagles, a wide variety of hawks, great-horned owls, coyotes, wild horses, and elk. In spring and fall, we will have the opportunity to photograph sandhill cranes and geese on their migratory flyway through the San Luis Valley.
High Road to Taos
Locations include Native and Hispanic villages on the High Road to Taos, Penasco, Las Trampas, and Truchas. Drive home along the High Road to photograph the light in “Milagro Beanfield” country and the valley of Llano de San Juan. Read More
Abiquiu and the Rio Chama Valley
We will spend a day in the haunting yet enchanting landscape of Georgia O’Keefe country in Abiquiu, exploring rock and earth formations in and around the Rio Chama Valley. Read More
Sites of Taos
Spend part of the day photographing the sites of Taos. Old trucks, abandoned long ago, in fields with Taos Mountain as a backdrop. Picturesque villages, tipis, and the occasional rainbow. Acequias, ancient water courses bringing life to the fields and farms in the Taos valley for centuries. At the end of the day capturing the early evening light at the world-famous St Francis Church in Ranchos de Taos, immortalized in paintings by Georgia O’Keefe and the photography of Ansel Adams. Read More
Rio Grande Gorge and beyond
A short drive from Taos, the Rio Grande winds its way through Orilla Verde National Recreation Area, home to beaver, otter, blue heron, and bighorn sheep. Surrounded by majestic volcanic cliffs and overlooks, on a short hike off the beaten track, we will photograph petroglyphs, riparian habitat, and views of the Rio Grande Canyon. This photo tour is also spectacular in wintertime when the Rio Grande Gorge is at its most peaceful and wildlife more abundant. Read More
Day 1: High Road to Taos
Locations include Native and Hispanic villages on the High Road to Taos, Penasco, Las Trampas, and Truchas. Drive home along the High Road to photograph the light in “Milagro Beanfield” country and the valley of Llano de San Juan.
Day 2: Abiquiu, and the Chama River Valley
We will spend a day in the haunting yet enchanting landscape of Georgia O’Keefe country in Abiquiu, exploring rock and earth formations in and around the Rio Chama Valley.
Day 3: Sites of Taos
Spend part of the day photographing the sites of Taos. Old trucks, abandoned long ago, in fields with Taos Mountain as a backdrop. Picturesque villages, tipis, and the occasional rainbow. Acequias, ancient water courses bringing life to the fields and farms in the Taos valley for centuries. At the end of the day capturing the early evening light at the world-famous St Francis Church in Ranchos de Taos, immortalized in paintings by Georgia O’Keefe and the photography of Ansel Adams.
The Rio Grande Gorge and beyond
A short drive from Taos, the Rio Grande winds its way through Orilla Verde National Recreation Area, home to beaver, otter, blue heron, and big horn sheep. Surrounded by majestic volcanic cliffs and overlooks, on a short hike off the beaten track, we will photograph petroglyphs, riparian habitat, and views of the Rio Grande Canyon. This photo tour is also spectacular in wintertime when the Rio Grande Gorge is at its most peaceful and wildlife more abundant.
Cost: $1450 per person
Call 505-501-4880 to reserve a date that suits you for your own personal photo tour.
“We had the opportunity to do three days of photo touring with Geraint. What a treat! We were able to do three different tours, all of which were outstanding. The High Road to Taos, Georgia O’Keeffe Country, and the Rio Grande Gorge area were all a visual delight. The added plus was that the Cottonwoods had changed to their fall colors, a golden yellow. Magnificent!! Geraint’s intimate knowledge of knowing the time of day for the best natural light on the preferred shot was a real added plus. He was able to incorporate historic architecture, western weathered buildings and churches, old country stores, and a whole lot more into our day. It was a photographer’s delight! If you are an avid photographer you will really enjoy Geraint’s tips and instructions. When we began our time with him he was our guide, at the conclusion of our time we parted friends.”
–Bill and Gretchen Northrup – Columbus, Ohio
Truchas, Trampas, Ranchos De Taos, NM. High Road photography convoy tour continued form my post a few days ago. It was a little too much editing to do all in one go. There is no order of importance or favorite, I posted these and the previous images in the order we discovered then. Enjoy! And thank you for joining me virtually here on my website. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week features the day of April 17th from ten years of my archives.
I hope everyone had a good week. April has been beautiful in northern New Mexico,,, so far. I know I said I wouldn’t say anymore regarding my feet but I’m averaging 2-3 miles a day and getting 4-6 mile hikes in. I’m so happy with my two new feet.
Over the last month, my friend, David, and I have been hiking stretches of the road through the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument that traverses the gorge rim and skirts around the base of Ute Mountain. We have hiked a different section each week with the mountain always present, beckoning. All being well, this summer will culminate in an accent of Ute Mountain.
Back to the present that began in the past, here are pictures from April 17th taken from my photo of the day archive from 2006 to 2016.
Beginning in 2016 and working back to 2006. This day we had snow and I made this image. It makes a beautiful print. A couple of hours after taking this photo, the snow was all gone.
A roadside Descanso, San Ildefonso, 2015. The internet says “Descansos are deeply rooted in Southwestern Hispanic culture. The word means “resting place” and is believed to refer to the days when coffins were transported by horse and cart or carried by hand over many miles for burial in a camposanto.”
Some vistas around Taos have since been transformed… developed. 2014
Here’s a shot of mine and Pami’s shadow in Arroyo Hondo on the drive home from Taos back in 2013.
Here’s a former living plant that grew out of a crack in a rock in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area of the now Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, 2012.
A ubiquitous Taos Raven. They are known to perch in ones or twos. This raven was probably calling for or waiting on its better half. 2011
I’m still searching for the original high resolution file of this picture of Garetto Rivas, so I’ve added a higher resolution second image from the same day below this one. I’ve forgotten the name of his gorgeous blond horse. The second horse in tow and in training is named “Beauty”.
The image below was scanned from a Kodachrome 64, transparency shot in the mid 1990’s and published on my website’s photo of the day archive on April 17, 2009.
Just around the corner from my former gallery in Arroyo Seco was a yoga studio festooned in Tibetan prayer flags. I recall shooting this one out of my car window in 2008.
I shot the image below in 1990 and published it on my website in 2007. It has since been published in a couple of local magazines.
On April 17, 2006 I paid a visit to the National Cemetery in Santa Fe NM. It’s the only time I’ve been there. Since then I usually post this image on social media on Memorial Day.
As always, thank you for looking. I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. You can see more from my photo of the day archive here.
Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, a Taos Mountain House in a spectacular location. It’s on Taos Pueblo land. Known as Taos Mountain, its true name in English is Pueblo Peak. A bald eagle has visited the area for the last couple of weeks. The ranch hands still guard the ranch gate on Highway 64 and the eternal fight between light and darkness continues in the shadows at the Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos. My neighbor’s tree lights up at sunset during a mountain snowstorm. Click to enlarge pictures.
There must be a fabulous view from the back porch! Taos Mountain House is my name for this place. I made it up. Apologies in advance.
A visitor showed up in the Arroyo Hondo Valley a couple of weeks ago. A Bald Eagle usurped the Red-tailed Hawks roost. I watched it indulge in its morning ablutions after which it was ready for the hunt.
Eyes on the valley’s rodent population… please.
The Ranch Hands (my name for it) sculpture at a ranch gate on Highway 64. You might recognize it from a previous post.
Down at the church in Ranchos de Taos after last weekend’s snow.
My neighbor’s tree yesterday evening when the sun broke through the clouds just before setting. A fitting start to the beginning of Spring.
As always, thanks for looking and for all the kind words, comments, and compliments. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week blue and white, another sky over Taos Mountain and one man’s fence.
We’ve had a lot of days recently with blue skies like this. The old adobe buildings especially, and this church, lend themselves to photography on blue-sky days.
Perhaps you prefer the black and white below.
Driving to Taos a few days ago I saw this sight. I think that these were dispersed contrails from a couple of passing jets. It took three wide-angle shots stitched together to get this much of the scene. I didn’t get it all in as it continued and terminated on the horizon to the west over my shoulder. See below.
Here’s a cellphone shot out the car window looking west to the horizon. Highways in the sky.
Robert Frost wrote, “Good fences make good neighbors” in his poem Mending Wall. Below are abstract shots of one man’s fence in Arroyo Hondo, NM. In order of appearance along the roadside, from west to east.
I’ve driven by this window many times but never noticed the thoughtful pattern of the blue and green window panes. There’s always a first time for everything.
As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G
