Tag: Trees

San Cristobal Valley, Winter, Ranchos de Taos. 01-18-2023

Geraint January 18, 2023 18 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal Valley. Winter is beginning to settle in, with temperatures dropping to single digits and a decent amount of snow. Not at all the amount we are used to, but we’ll take it.

Last week, on my way home, I just had to pull over to watch the shadows move through our valley. Ten years ago, I shot this same scene. It became the centerpiece in our galley and home and has been a best seller since then. I don’t think I could ever top it though I keep trying. As you can see, the foreground is overgrown, with the meadow obscured.

San Cristobal valley cottonwoods — San Cristobal Valley.

Here is the same view, one of my iconic images from ten years ago. Here is the same location in fall 2020.

San Cristobal valley cottonwoods, and aspens — San Cristobal Valley cottonwoods, and aspens

That cottonwood and willows in Arroyo Hondo, I can’t seem to pass this spot without making an image.

Arroyo Hondo cottonwood, willows. — Arroyo Hondo cottonwood and willows.

Early one morning this week I went south to the adobe mission church of Saint Francis in Ranchos de Taos. This iconic building always looks good with accents of snow and a dramatic sky. One important feature of this image… I arrived in time to get a photo before the parking area filled with cars.

Saint Francis church, Ranchos de Taos, NM.

Below is an image from December 2010 on the road that connects the villages of Arroyo Hondo and Arroyo Seco. When I had my gallery in Arroyo Seco I drove this route most days. It’s a sweet country road with close-up views of the surrounding mountains. It is an especially beautiful, and magical drive when the hoar frost covers the trees and landscape.

Hondo, Seco Road, New Mexico — Arroyo Hondo, Arroyo Seco Road, New Mexico

If you plan to visit New Mexico this year and have a desire to improve your photographic skills, and see locations off the beaten track, look me up and consider a photography tour/workshop. I’ll look forward to meeting and working with you in some of my favorite places in the area.

As always, thank you for looking. G

Rio Chama, Abiquiu, Two Tipis, 11-02-22

Geraint November 2, 2022 10 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. The colors last week on the Rio Chama and Abiquiu were stunning. This is a short post this week with an image of the fall colors in Abiquiu and a flashback of two tipis this week in the San Cristobal Valley in 2012.

Thank you to all who came out to see my exhibit, it has been an exciting and successful show. A very big thank you to those who purchased a work of art! Thank you!

Stay tuned for more info on my next group show in Taos.

Fall colors along the Rio Chama, Abiquiu, NM

Have a wonderful rest of your fall.

As always, thank you for looking. G

Cottonwoods, Arroyo Hondo, Taos Valley 10-19-22

Geraint October 19, 2022 18 Comments

Greetings from the beautiful San Cristobal Valley, Arroyo Hondo and Taos. The valleys are currently adorned with the colors of cottonwoods, and multiple hues of reds and golds.

Last weekend, we had rain that made the colors pop against the dark rain-laden clouds over Pueblo Peak, (Taos Mountain).

Last weekend, we had lots of rain that made the colors pop against the dark, rain-laden clouds over Pueblo Peak (Taos Mountain). This first image is from El Prado (the meadows), one of my favorite views of Pueblo Peak with a dramatic sky overhead. The cottonwoods here are more silver of bare branches interspersed with swatches of yellow and gold.

After a trip to the grocery store, this was the scene that caused me to pull over. The sky and the shadows moving swiftly across the meadows brought the place to life following a day of grey, overcast skies.

Taos Mountain cottonwoods — Pueblo Peak, (Taos Mountain) with cottonwoods in the late afternoon light.

The second image is of my favorite cottonwood in Arroyo Hondo. I was on a photo tour with Bob and Anne. We captured this view as the sun broke from behind a cloud. Within a few minutes, it was shrouded in shadow again. It made a fitting end to a great day with my guests.

Arroyo Hondo Cottonwood — Arroyo Hondo cottonwood is spotlighted by evening sunlight.

It’s fall and temperatures are dropping as New Mexico takes a magic carpet ride into the throes of winter. The aspens and cottonwoods shroud the landscape in a cape of gold, glowing against the blue skies in the pristine light. At this time of year, the night skies are crystal clear. The moon, constellations, galaxies, and milky way light up the night sky like few other places on earth. Join me on a photo tour or private workshop of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

Continuing Exhibit.

“Those who came before” at Bareiss Gallery Taos – 40″x38″ Sold

My solo exhibition at Bareiss Gallery here in Taos continues through October 31, 2022. The gallery will be open 9 – 2 pm on weekdays. I’ll be there on Saturday, October 22, and Saturday, October 29, or by appointment. Come and visit. It will be great to meet you. G

Bareiss Gallery is located at:
15 State Rd 150 Taos, NM
575-776-2284

As always thank you for looking. G

Monsoon Rains, Fog, Rainbow, August 3, 2022

Geraint August 3, 2022 28 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal and northern New Mexico, where the monsoon rains are abundant this year.

The monsoon season started early this season, and the forecast is for it to last through August. With a touch of shameless self-promotion, I can honestly say, now is the time to sign up for a photo tour/workshop.

Monsoon rains, northern New Mexico — Monsoon rains, over the Sangre de Cristo mountains, northern New Mexico.

I made a drive on a local backroad yesterday, and a pleasant drive it was. I shot some pictures of the dead and standing trees on the hillsides. The trees are remnants of the Hondo Fire that burned the area in May 1996. It’s a place of great solitude for me and a different kind of stark beauty. Despite the fire, the hillsides look very lush and green

Tree in fog, Lama NM — Tree in shrouded in fog, Lama NM

And a rainbow this week from our field in San Cristobal, NM, is my favorite view of rainbows, second only to Taos Mountain. I only have to step outside the door and look. Things got a little wet after this moment.

Rainbow San Cristobal NM — Rainbow from our field, San Cristobal, NM

As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G

Swallowtail Butterfly, Tree, Wired West, June 8, 2022

Geraint June 8, 2022 12 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, the swallowtail butterfly capital, this week. They seem to like the San Cristobal Valley.

Many thanks for checking in and asking how we are doing with covid. One of us is doing better than the other. I’m getting there. The symptoms are mostly fatigue. I’m feeling a lot better today. Onwards.

Technically known as a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, it is the western variety of Swallowtail. They have been hanging around since the blossoms opened in May. It’s beautiful to watch their playfulness and when they land on plants, get a photograph!

This tree, highlighted against a dark, red wall, caught my eye in the morning light in Santa Fe. I’m sure it’s all leafed out by now. I must go on another walkabout in Santa Fe soon or another urban area.

Tree with red wall Santa Fe — Tree, with a red wall, Santa Fe, NM.

Years ago, I did a series of images that amounted to a small portfolio of pictures of how the west was wired up and divided. I called it “The Wired West.”
I found the image below recently. From a distance, I thought I’d seen a tumbleweed on the fence, not altogether unusual, but it turned out to be this jumble of wire stuffed down on top of the post. I surmised it was a leftover pile of baling wire from someone repairing the fence line. I added this image to the wired west folder.

Tumble wire on a fence — Tumble-wire, Taos, New Mexico.

As always, thank you for looking, and all the comments, and compliments on my work. G

Bearded Iris, Arroyo Hondo, Ramada, May 25, 2022.

Geraint May 25, 2022 14 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, a week when the rains came and the bearded iris opened in its striking glory.

Down in the Arroyo Hondo Valley, the rain clouds came and opened up not only here but on the fires bringing cooler temps and much-needed relief for the firefighters around the state. So I thought of a celebratory picture of one of our beautiful bearded iris with raindrops against a backdrop of rain and reflections on the windowpane.

Bearded Iris with raindrops San Cristobal — Bearded Iris in the rain in the garden, San Cristobal, NM

I’ve photographed this scene many times in all seasons. You may remember it. It is fast becoming my equivalent of Monet’s “haystack” series.

Arroyo Hondo Cottonwood Willows Acequia — Cottonwood and willows along the Acequia in Arroyo Hondo, NM

The ramada below was something I came across many years ago and found it again digging in my archives this week. I like the minimalist simplicity, which was what caught my eye. The clouds and sky helped set the scene off.

Ramada, Santa fe, NM — Ramada on the road in Galisteo, NM

I’m happy to post a couple of uplifting images this week after the doomsday-looking pictures of the fire over the past few weeks.

As always, thank you for looking. I look forward to seeing you here a gain next week. Have a great week. G

Lunar Eclipse, Fires, Photo Tour, May 18, 2022.

Geraint May 18, 2022 30 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal under a full moon eclipse and what continues to be another fire smoke-filled week.

Last week’s lunar eclipse didn’t appear for me as we were socked in with extreme fire smoke conditions on Sunday. I kept checking throughout the evening to see if the moon was visible. At about 10:15 pm, I saw the moon after totality had ended. Although I’ve witnessed the eclipse many times over the years, it’s always fun to see it each time it occurs.

Lunar Eclipse, May 15, 2022 — The full moon Lunar Eclipse as seen from San Cristobal, NM, May 15, 2022

The fires in the area continue to threaten our beautiful mountains and communities. The damage to our friends and neighbors, wildlife, and landscape is incalculable. Of course, the government will put a price on the whole fiasco, but nothing can return the place to its original beauty only time.

When the fire flared up in tremendous winds last weekend, I took a drive to take in the current situation. In the images below, I came across the cattle standing in this particular posture, as they have done for several days now. I knew they would add context to the scene with Taos Valley and the Calf Canyon, Hermits Peak Fire raging in the mountains south of Taos.

Cattle in the Taos Valley with the Calf Canyon, Hermits Peak Fire

Back home later in the day, I watched the fire rage on, destroying more of our beautiful landscape in its path, creating these pyrocumulus clouds.

Pyrocumulus clouds from the Calf Canyon, Hermits Peak Fire — Pyrocumulus clouds from the Calf Canyon, Hermits Peak fire, NM

Thick fire smoke at 6:30 am from the Calf Canyon, Hermits Peak fire, settled in and around our San Cristobal Valley and across the whole region. The mountains in the background, two miles away as the crow flies, appear and vanish throughout the days.

Thick fire smoke from the Calf Canyon, Hermits Peak fire, NM — Thick fire smoke in the San Cristobal Valley, NM

Ok… enough of that. I’ll move on to another subject next week.

Below is a shot of the Saint Francis Church I stopped to visit with a client on a photo tour/workshop last week. The morning was cold and crisp. The light was pristine with clear skies, at least until after lunch. A good thing we choose the half-day morning trip.

And before the wind came and disturbed my view of the lunar eclipse, it blew all the blossoms off the ornate crabapple tree in the garden. But not before this Swallowtail butterfly had its fill of the nectar. It was joined this day by thousands of honey bees.

Swallowtail Butterfly and blossoms — Swallowtail Butterfly with blossoms.

As always, thank you for looking, and for the wonderful comments and compliments. Please send good thoughts to those affected by the fire and those fighting it. G

Spring Blossoms, Crescent Moon, Abiquiu, May 4, 2022

Geraint May 4, 2022 12 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal in the presence of spring blossoms and under a crescent moon.

Sometimes everything is available in one’s backyard. These crab apple blossoms looked particularly beautiful after a drizzling rain. The ornate white blossoms were radiant in the morning light.

Crab apple Blossoms with raindrops — Crab apple blossoms, San Cristobal, NM

White Blossoms, San Cristobal — Ornate white blossoms in the garden, San Cristobal, NM

White ornate spring blossoms — Spring blossoms are spotlighted by the sun, San Cristobal, NM

I’ve seen the following view during this phase of the moon most months here in the garden. I’ve created a few images like this in the past. Here is one and here is another one. The blossoms were so dark and the moon so bright and far away that I had to shoot two images to get them both in focus. The scene was easy to compute for the human eye. It required two images to create what my eye saw.

Waxing Crescent moon with blossoms — Waxing Crescent Moon with silhouetted blossoms.

Farther afield but very much in my broader backyard are the Rio Chama and Abiquiu Lake. I was on a photo tour last Sunday with my friend, Larry. It was a good day and yielded a few good images despite the fire smoke from three raging wildfires in the vicinity.

Can you see the handprints? They’ve been there a long time, but they are more likely to be graffiti than authentic indigenous art. Cerro Pedernal is the mountain where native peoples went to collect obsidian for their tools. I have seen a lot of arrowheads and spearpoints in the area, particularly along the Chama River.

Abiquiu Lake rocks — Under the big rock at Abiquiu Lake with Cerro Pedernal, (flint peak), NM

As always thank you for visiting and looking. G

Three Trees, Taos Mountain, Mountain Storm, New Prints.

Geraint March 16, 2022 19 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM

The Wild Rivers Recreation Area of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is a gem of a place that I like to visit throughout the year. This time I visited some of my favorite lone trees. I do like a solitary tree. A lone tree for me is like finding a friendly soul where one least expects it. These three trees are all still standing and were strong enough to withstand the high winds last December that flattened hillsides of trees in other areas. The thin layer of clouds gave an illuminated glow to the landscape like a big softbox light.

Lone tree, Wild Rivers Recreation Area, NM

This old piñon pine is hanging in there and I anticipate a few more pictures until it succumbs to the elements. Its impending demise will also, no doubt, entice me to make images for years to come.

Lone tree, Wild Rivers Area — Lone tree, Wild Rivers Recreation Area, NM

Pretty much the same predicament for this tree as for the other two. The dead needles clinging to the limbs of this tree gave a nice warmth to the scene. The overcast lighting and water on the needles saturated the colors. I could see the reds from a distance and moved in closer to get this shot.

Old pine tree, Wild Rivers Area — Lone tree, Wild Rivers Recreation Area, NM

You guessed it… Taos Mountain from the deck in San Cristobal, and a last glimmer of light on the mountain before the sun disappeared for the night.

I found the image below in the archives while searching for the crane image to print. I’d previously published this storm cloud in black and white. It impressed me in color so here it is.

Mountain Storm, Taos NM — Mountain storm and pond, Taos NM

Three new fine art prints went out of the studio this week. If a print interessts you click on the picture to go the pertinent purchase page. This first image of the Sandhill Cranes against the Rocky Mountains, I titled “Pas de Deux”.

Sandhill Cranes, Pas de Deux — Sandhill Cranes, “Pas de Deux”, Monte Vista NWR, Colorado

Geology in the desert around Abiquiu.

And the Lone Tree, the “Welcome Tree” at the Taos overlook.

Lone Tree, Taos Overlook — Lone Tree, the “Welcome Tree” Taos Overlook.

Ok… one last image of a young Sandhill Crane at the Monte Vista NWR coming in for a landing.

As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G

Sandhill Cranes, Bald Eagle, Red Willow Winter, Crescent Moon.

Geraint March 9, 2022 26 Comments

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM

Well, we did make it to the Monte Vista NWR in southern Colorado last week, a couple of hours drive each way from home. There were plenty of Sandhill Cranes, not as many as there will be next week and the week after. My only complaint (not really a complaint) the cranes were quite far away from the accessible areas. I got this first image as they flew overhead from one marsh to another. I thank them for that! Hearing the primordial sounds the cranes make made the trip worthwhile.

Driving north from home we ran into these two creatures having a chat along the roadside. I should clarify, the raven was doing all the yacking. The eagle had nothing to say and was unperturbed by the raven or our presence. Incidentally, this is a very large raven.

Bald Eagle and a Raven on the wire in the San Luis Valley.

It’s difficult to pass by this location on the drive to the grocery store. I whipped past this time but decided to turn around and make yet another image, (I have a lot of pictures from this location). One thing, certainly not the only thing about photography, it gets me outdoors and into nature. As cold and windy as it was, any time I am out in the environment it is a good thing.

Red Willows and Cottonwood, Arroyo Hondo, NM

Below is another favorite location, the “welcome tree” greeting visitors as they crest the hill rising from the Rio Grande Gorge. The tree accompanies the massive vista of the Gorge extending as far as the eye can see, that would be Colorado. I first saw this tree when I arrived in New Mexico in 1984. The tree, sadly, is on its last legs. I keep making images when I pass and I reckon I’ll be making images until it’s gone, that’s my way of honoring its presence after all these years.

Taos "Welcome Tree" — The Taos “Welcome Tree” at the gorge overlook.

Last week this crescent moon made an appearance the day after the new moon, (no moon). It was 1-2% and difficult to spot. I found it by looking through the lens in the general direction suggested by my TPE app on the phone. The clouds gave way just enough at the right time.

As always, thank you for looking. I really appreciate all the wonderful comments and compliments. Have a great week. I’m planning on it. G