Fine Art Images from the American Southwest

Tag: Moon Rise

Wolf Moon Rising, 01-07-2026

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. Happy New Year! The first pictures of the new year, the first full moon of the year, the Wolf Moon, which is also known as “Canada Goose Moon”, “Greetings Moon”, and a favorite of mine, “Frost Exploding Moon”.

This year, I shot the moon rising from our driveway in order to avoid the big juniper trees on the property. It was a magnificent sight to behold.

When it first appeared behind the Sangre de Cristo foothills.

Wolf moon rising over the foothills
Rising over the foothills

The sunlight on the clouds disappeared fast.

Moon rise SC
Moonrise over the foothills, San Cristobal.
Moon rising
Full moon.

Here’s a post of the wolf moon rising and setting in January 2021 on a photo shoot with my friend John W.

The Super-Wolf Moon eclipse, in the crystal clear skies, San Cristobal, New Mexico, in 2019.

And a favorite photo of mine from 2022.

sangre de cristos
Over the Rocky Mountains.

Here’s more on the moons and their names throughout the year.

I hope you saw it from where you are.

If you’re interested in joining me on a photo adventure this year, I’m booking dates now through the end of the year and beyond.

As always, thanks for looking. It’s a great pleasure for me to share my work with you, and I’m honored to have you join me.

Hunter’s Moon and Hunters. 11-05-2025

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.

Hunter's moon, NM
Hunter’s moon, northern NM

And this shot from our driveway.

Moon rise San Cristobal
Moonrise San Cristobal.
Moon San Cristobal
Moon and lenticular clouds, San Cristobal.
Eye in the clouds
Eye in the clouds.

Read more about this full super, hunters moon, here.

Want to see more moons? Check out this page.

And… the hunters in the hood.

Red-tailed-Hawk
Red-tailed-Hawk.
Coopers Hawk
Coopers Hawk.
Red-tailed-Hawk
Red-tailed-Hawk and a flock of Starlings.
Red-tailed-Hawk
Red-tailed-Hawk.
Lift off
Lift off.
Red-tailed-Hawk
Red-tailed-Hawk in flight.
Male northern Harrier
Male northern Harrier.
Red-tailed-Hawk
Red-tailed-Hawk.
Red-tailed-Hawk
Red-tailed-Hawks over Taos.
Red-tailed-Hawk
Red-tailed-Hawk.
San Luis Valley
San Luis Valley.

As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G

Sunset Moonrise, Taos Mountain.08-07-2024.

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week an almost forgotten sunset moonrise over Taos Mountain from the garden wall. We have many viewpoints around the property depending on the moon’s trajectory. You may recall the many pictures I’ve posted from the deck or driveway. The sky was a firey color in mid-July. The moon crept out from behind the layer of clouds like a timid soul moving through the blushing universe.

Sunset Moonrise from San Cristobal, NM
Sunset Moonrise with Taos Mountain from San Cristobal, NM.

A little later the crows gather in the old cottonwood tree with their backs toward the prevailing night wind. Sometimes there’s one and usually more, sometimes two ravens, rarely more.

Crow in the cottonwood tree, San Cristobal, NM
Crow in the cottonwood tree.

Here’s a shot from a few years ago.

As always, thank you for looking and for all the comments and compliments. I hope you have a good week. G

Super, Blue Moon Rise, San Cristobal, NM 09-06-2023

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week the Super, Blue Moon Rise from the deck at home in San Cristobal. I said I would share the moon rise if the skies were clear. They cooperated fully, with the thin veil of clouds adding an air of mystery.

I’ll begin with the first glow I saw about five minutes before the moon appeared. It gave me time to adjust my settings and anticipate the next few shots.

Super Blue moon rise San Cristobal
Super Blue Moon Rise San Cristobal, NM

Full moon rising over the ridge San Cristobal
The full moon’s appearance over the foothills.

Super Blue moon rising San Cristobal
Moon and trees on the ridge.

Full moon over the ridge San Cristobal
Super, Blue moon rise, in all its glory.

Of course, every moon rise is a sight to see. I am always excited as the moon clears the mountains where we live. Also, there is nothing like having a bright moon that you can drive with your headlights off and see the driveway ahead and the whole valley beyond lit up. The upside is that it’s like daylight in the house, so no nightlights are needed. The downside, sleep may be elusive on such a night.

Moon
Full Moon.

The next full moon will be the Harvest Moon on September 29. Here’s a Harvest Moon nearly full with a rainbow for added glory. Read more here about the Super Blue Moon.

As always, thanks for looking and for all the comments and compliments. Have a great week. G

Foggy Morning, Moonrise, Rio Grande Cloud, Abiquiu Photo Tour.

From fog in the Arroyo Hondo Valley to a full moon rise over Taos Mountain. From a photo tour/workshop in Abiquiu and the Rio Chama Valley to a large cloud over the Taos Valley, Taos Mountain, and the Rio Grande Gorge.

It’s been all go for the last month with tours. I have a few more tours coming up and then a short break for a couple of days following up on some personal work. I’m grateful for the photography tours and workshops and the wonderful photography clients I get to work with.

In the first two photos, I got up and out early to shoot the moon setting. Well, it set, right into a big bank of fog. So I shot the fog lifting in the Arroyo Hondo Valley just south of where I intended to catch the moon. Fog is a rare occurrence in this area, but we’ve had so much rain recently that it was only a matter of time until it filled the valleys.

Fog in Arroyo Hondo, NM
A foggy morning in Arroyo Hondo, northern NM

Fog in Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico
A tree in the fog in Arroyo Hondo, northern NM

In the following shot, I sat out on the deck waiting for the nearly full moon to appear from behind Taos Mountain. When it did, it had a pinkish hue to it from the fire smoke in the atmosphere. It was still beautiful nonetheless.

Full Moon rise Taos Mountain
Nearly full moonrise over Taos Mountain from the deck in San Cristobal, NM

The cloud below formed very quickly and filled the sky from Taos to the west of the Rio Grande Gorge. I had to shoot three frames and stitch them together to capture the immense size. I liked the corkscrew-looking form. I’d not seen one like it before.

Rio Grande Gorge
Rio Grande Gorge, with Taos Mountain and the cloud that developed into more rain.

Lastly, a fun panorama shot at the Rio Chama overlook in Abiquiu with William, a client on a cross-country road trip who stopped in Taos and joined me for a three-day photo tour.

Abiquiu, Rio Chama
Fun on a photo tour/workshop in Abiquiu, Rio Chama, NM

As always, thank you for looking. G

Sangre De Cristo Mountains, Moon Rise, Colorado

This evening we went north, in a more timely manner to catch the moon’s majestic rise over the Sangres. It was low light and I forgot my tripod so I held on tight resting on the car window. I need to make a checklist and check it twice, no, three times. Thanks for looking. G

full moonrise sangre cristo 5708 5710

Mountain Moon Rise, Vallecito Peak

Mountain moon rise, Vallecito Peak, and another view from last nights moon when it rose over the snow covered Sangre de Cristos. I’m familiar with this view and if you’ve followed my work you will probably recognize it too. Last night was more subtle than it sometimes is, but while we’re in this lock down situation I’ll take it. I don’t have to go very far for inspiration either, just a couple of miles down the road. Thanks for looking. G

Mountain moon rise, Vallecito Peak

Sunflower Pods, Moon Rise

Sunflower pods, Moon rise, from the meadow. I just got back in and decided this image from earlier this evening, when the moon first rose over the mountains, would make a good post. The colors were pretty cool and the moon was bright when it cleared the hazy clouds. It’s a composite exposure. I shot last years sunflowers in focus in the first image and racked focus to the moon in the second. Same exposure in both images. Combined them in Photoshop®. Thanks for looking and happy moon watching. G

Sunflower pods, Moon rise, from the meadow.

Wolf Moon Rising, Lama, New Mexico

Wolf Moon rising, as the clouds cleared, Lama, New Mexico. I drove north to get away from the mountain clouds. I could see a break in the sky ahead, then there it was. My heart skipped a beat. I pulled over and made a number of images and when the clouds built up again I left. Thanks for looking and for all the compliments and comments. G

Wolf Moon Rising, Lama, New Mexico

Dennis’s Tree, Moon Rise, San Cristobal, NM

Dennis’s Tree, moon rise, over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, San Cristobal, NM. My few favorite evenings of the months are around the full moon and the waxing and waning crescent moons. I hope you get out there and check out a moon somewhere near you! Thanks for looking. G

Dennis's Tree, Moon Rise, San Cristobal, NM