New Mexico
Jun, 2016Views
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Workshopphotos
June 23, 2016
Ilove it. Would love to be sitting on that road side listening to favorite songs
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is a shot from 2010 on our way up to Acama Pueblo about 60 miles west of Albuquerque, NM, in the United States. Acama is a Mesa settlement that sits about 365 feet above the surrounding floor. It is reached today by road but traditionally had to be reached by climbing the steep walls of the Mesa, making it very protected. One of the oldest continuously occupied pueblos in America, settlement dates back to at least 1,200 and maybe earlier.Time
It was still early morning, so the light was still great for casting shadows. In fact, it was the contrasts that caused us to stop along the side of the highway and take a few shots of the late October landscape. The contrast of the tree foliage against the strong rock formations caught my eye quickly.Lighting
It suits both my amateur photographer status and my nature to use natural light as much as possible. Unless, you have the time and patience to wait for natural light to change and offer variety, you are stuck with what you get. My preference is for early morning and late afternoon lighting. They are the warmest and most interesting.Equipment
Using a Nikon D5000 with a kit lens. No tripodInspiration
I love nature, landscapes, cultural distinctions, and people in their element. I had an idea for recording as much as possible about Acama. So this was to be my Road to Acama shot. I took lots of photos in the pueblo itself, which are on my Viewbug site. But the tribes asks that you take photos of the Native Americans without their permission and to not post them regardless. The project idea floundered after that. But this Road to Acama remains and has become of the my most viewed and most awarded shots.Editing
For sometime now, I've used an app on my ipad for processing. It's called Snapseed. It is not available for my Mac, but I really like to work it with. It has lots of tools. I always do some fine adjustments and usually use an HDR tool, as well.In my camera bag
Right now, I only have the Nikon D5000, a kit lens and a Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 G. But I have dreams.Feedback
I believe the best tool a photographer (or a writer, for that matter) has is instinct...a sense that there is something to be seen. Sometimes, it is obvious. Other times, you have to trust your instinct. This is not at all the same as "let's take 50 shots and see what we have." I wasn't looking for anything more here than a good road shot, the highway. What I got put the highway into a context that said we were going somewhere interesting. But I remember having a sense that this was a right place. The gentle rise of the road, the dignity of the location, the beauty of the environment all gave a sense that we were approaching a special place.
