Down, at the Saint Francis Church. Up, with Red-tailed Hawks

Geraint July 13, 2021 11 Comments

I was on a photo tour last week demonstrating with a photography client the benefits of looking down and how it can often pay off with a rewarding image. In this case, looking down in a puddle on the flagstones, we captured a really nice reflection of the iconic San Francisco de Asis Church in Ranchos de Taos. Of course, it helped that one of the parishioners was hosing down the walkway, and I’ve shot this type of scene, many times.

Yesterday, I went up north for a short drive scouting some locations for an upcoming workshop happening for the next three days. I drove on a back road I’m very familiar with and found a male and female Red-tailed Hawk with their juvenile fledgling. The male was off on a power line pole to the east, the female and the chick were on a pole further west with a half-eaten rabbit. In the second image, you can see the nictitating membrane in the eyes of the mama and the young one as they both blinked simultaneously. This membrane allows birds to blink and clean the eyeball while still being able to see what is afoot. Here is a link to the nictitating membrane or “third eyelid”.

Red-tailed hawks, San Luis Valley — Red-tailed hawks, adult and juvenile in the San Luis Valley, Colorado

As always, thank you for looking. G

Saint Francis Church, Saturn, Jupiter, Conjunction

Geraint December 21, 2020 10 Comments

Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos, with Saturn, Jupiter, Conjunction. Jupiter, four moons, and Saturn, a composite image, one focused on the church belfries and the second focused on the planets. Zoom in to see the planets. I hope you got to see it out there. Thanks for looking. G

Saint Francis Church, Ranchos De Taos, NM

Geraint August 26, 2020 4 Comments

Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos, NM. The San Francisco de Asis Church under a lavender, twilight sky. Soft shadows give this building a gentle look. From across the street you can also see one of the two belfry crosses. The two towers aren’t equal in height therefore only one cross is visible. Well they maybe equal, but the foundation slopes to the south making them uneven. Stay soft and gentle and be safe out there. Thanks for looking. G

Saint Francis Church, Ranchos De Taos

Geraint June 11, 2020 2 Comments

Saint Francis Church, Ranchos De Taos. Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting of this church and Ansel Adams photograph, along with many other pieces of art created, depicting this building, have made it one of the most famous adobe mission churches in New Mexico. I made this particular shot with three images stitched together. It came out rather interesting and somewhat distorted, accentuating the building’s organic material and shapes. I can’t recall how many images I’ve made of this building over the years. Here’s one of my favorites from the late 1980s. If you click on one of the tags below you will get to see many more. Thanks for looking. G

Saint Francis Church Plaza, Reflections

Geraint February 7, 2020 4 Comments

Saint Francis Church Plaza, reflections, Ranchos de Taos. The 50º F temps today melted a lot of snow. That’s great but now comes the mud and a lot of water which allows for fabulous reflections. I put the camera on the ground and made a three image panorama needed to capture the swimmingly wet parking lot. Thanks for looking. G

San Francisco De Asis, Church Flock, Ranchos De Taos

Geraint December 25, 2019 6 Comments

San Francisco de Asis, church flock, Ranchos de Taos. The morning flock gather on the parapet wall. Shortly, a neighbor will toss out bird seed and the pigeons come to church each day. Thanks for looking. G

Winter’s Past, Saint Francis Church, Ranchos De Taos

Geraint December 6, 2019 2 Comments

Winter’s past, Saint Francis Church, Ranchos De Taos, NM. Not the dead of winter but the beginning winter, the way it looks when the moods of autumn shift into winter and back again. The adobe monolith, on the south end of the Ranchos valley stands steadfast in all seasons. Thanks for looking. G

Weeping Adobe Wall, Ranchos De Taos

Geraint November 4, 2019 2 Comments

Weeping adobe wall, San Francisco de Asis church, Ranchos de Taos, NM. The walls were freshly mudded by parishioners in June. The rains came and nature took it’s course. Next year the work will begin again in the continuous cycle at this iconic building. Thanks for looking. G

Saint Francis Church, Street Light

Geraint September 23, 2019 2 Comments

Saint Francis Church. Basking in the glow of the street light just over my shoulder and a little ambient light from the pale eastern sky. If I never went anywhere ever again I wouldn’t be short of subject matter around here in northern New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G

San Francisco De Asis

Geraint January 5, 2019 4 Comments

San Francisco De Asis sculpture at the Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos, NM. I’m always on the lookout for another angle at this very familiar location. I was showing a photo tour client how to explore something more than the standard shots at this adobe building. This is what I came up with on this trip. Depending on the time of year these two features align. Invariably and because of my familiarity with the time of day and lighting, it is almost always possible to find something new, whether a new angle, or a new feeling that speaks to me in a scene. Revisiting the San Francisco de Asis Church hundreds of times over the thirty five years since I first set eyes on it, has given me a greater understanding and affinity for the place and every aspect it embodies. Thanks for looking. G

Geraint Smith Photography

Tag: Saint Francis Church