Working backward from today, starting with the landscape around Ghost Ranch, New Mexico.
The Landscape near Abiquiu, NM.
I made a couple of trips on the high road over the last week. The aspens are doing their utmost to please fall color seekers. The horses performed perfectly, positioning themselves just right.
Horse backs on the High Road to Taos in Truchas, NM.
The forest floors were already full of fallen leaves. There are plenty more to go!
Dewdrops on the fallen aspen leaves.
The skies over New Mexico have performed quite admirably, as they usually do. This place, with the old wooden barn storage shed, is always a pleasing stop on Highway 64.
Wood barn off Highway 64 in northern New Mexico.
My favorite aspen group on the Cumbres Pass, just over the state line in Colorado. This is my go-to barometer for how things are progressing as far as the turning colors go. I’ll be back there tomorrow.
Aspen Copse on a hillside, Cumbres Pass, Colorado.
The colors in this image seemed appropriate for the season, on this old tractor parked in a field in Jaroso, Colorado.
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.
A foggy morning in Arroyo Hondo, northern NM
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.
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, 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.
Fun on a photo tour/workshop in Abiquiu, Rio Chama, NM
The valleys are beginning to show signs of green. The desert has water running through it. The light illuminates the many forms and geology of the area.
Cloud formations with a complimentary tree.As they say, “a river runs through it” in Ghost Ranch, NMMany intriguing rock formations in Arroyo Blanco, Abiquiu, New Mexico
I’m never at a loss for places to explore in this area. Thanks for looking. Stay well. G
Saturn, Jupiter, through the veil of trees off the deck in San Cristobal, NM. The planets are moving closer together, at least from our perspective on this planet. In actuality, they are millions of miles apart. If you have clear skies take a look outside over the next couple of weeks as this great conjunction comes closest on December 22, 2020. Thanks for looking. G
Apricot tree, winter colors, Orilla Verde RA, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, NM. It’s beautiful and colorful along the Rio Grande, and a perfect time for a drive through the area. The red willows add warmth, contrasting with the snow on the branches. A splendid winter day in snowy northern New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G
La Luna with earthshine, framed by our old cottonwood tree in the field. This tree, half alive and half dead is a hang out for many species of birds who frequent the valley. They have an excellent view of the deck and hence the bird feeders. Last night when the moon came out they’d already left their perches or they would have seen this beautiful sight. Thanks for looking in too. G
Early winter greets fall on the picturesque Upper Ranchitos Road in Taos, New Mexico. This was how it looked a couple of weeks ago. The trees are now bare and settled into their winter nakedness. Our journey through the season continues. Thanks for looking. G
Quote: “You have to look deeper, way below the anger, the hurt, the hate, the jealousy, the self-pity, way down deeper where the dreams lie, son. Find your dream. It’s the pursuit of the dream that heals you”. Billy Mills – Oglala Lakota. This came up again today. Thanks for looking. G
Abstract impressionism #2 in the golden aspens, northern New Mexico. As I had so much fun, here’s another image in the woods this week. Thanks for looking. G
Abstract impressionism in the golden aspens, northern New Mexico. I did this to create a feeling of what I felt rather than the more literal take in yesterday’s image. I like them both equally well but I had more fun playing in this instance, which is always good. Thanks for looking. G
