Best Landscapes of 2016

On the Road to Raton

I picked 366 photographs out of the thousands I took to feature on daily posts on Binford-Bell Studio Facebook page and in the 52 weeks of 2016 posts here. To then run through those 366 photographs and pick the seven best of any subject is being rather egotistic. 

Perhaps it is better to say these are my seven favorite landscapes of the year. And maybe they are only my favorite because they strike some inner cord in my photographic mind. Or they capture some here to fore allusive aspect as in the lead photograph. Or just a mood or memory.

I have driven the road to Raton a lot of times. Even written blogs about revealed truth on the road to Raton which appear in Side Tracked Charley. Truth seems easier to find than the vastness of these high plains which spread between the mountains and our county seat. The clouds and the shadows they created helped define the distance and emptiness I was always trying to capture.

Light through the Aspens

And what western photographer is not trying to capture the ultimate fall aspen photograph. For me it was not so much about the crowning glory of these golden trees but their transition from green to gold and they way they seem to capture the very light and use it as their own. The colors in this photo belong to the earth and not a photo editing program.

Monte Verde Lake Reflections

I pass this little resort lake often. During tourist season in the summer it will be filled with paddle boats and fishing families along the shore. And because of its location it rarely seems still enough to offer up a reflection. I captured this one because I had the camera in the truck.

The photograph below was on a trip to the Valle Vidal shortly after I got my new camera. I was running it through its paces by clicking the shutter at everything. I took a lot of Shuree Pond reflections that day. The depth of the reflection accented by the algae bloom on the surface makes this one of my favorites. And obviously reflections are a favorite as three out of four of my favorite landscapes are pondscapes.

Deep in Shuree Ponds

On the Road to Ojo

Light is what photography is about. I am constantly on the lookout for just the right lighting on the landscapes as I drive. I like the empty roads of the back country of New Mexico because I won't create a traffic accident pulling over to try to capture the fleeting light. The landscape above was taken on a hill overlooking my favorite Spa, Ojo Caliente. I was down for a day to meet up with another photographer friend and we were killing time before dinner so had driven to the top of the hill. So this may be my favorite because not only the light but the company.

And the last of my choices is a still lake; no ripples, no company. And what makes this a favorite is the silence. A silence which is translated into a digital medium.

Week 40 - 2016 in Photographs

Day 274

This week is all about skies this week. And there were some awesome skies to photograph. Most of these I took on my two day retreat to Ojo Caliente Spa. Getting away from home has its advantages. My new Nikon D7100 has a dawn and dusk setting which has proven to be quite useful. Only Day 274 and 277 were not taken at dawn or dusk.

Day 275

Day 276

Day 277

Day 278

Day 279

Day 280

Week 35 - 2015 in Photographs

Day 239
Eddy on Cimarron Creek

This week included more time devoted to photography. Not just click and run. And while you sometimes capture great pictures that way a concentrated period of time with camera in hand is by far the best approach to learning something while taking pictures.

Opening a computer folder with 100 or more digital images and doing that three or four days in a roll gives you perspective but not necessarily that many more good photographs. A former friend that worked for National Geographic as a photographer told me in the days of film that if you get one good image out of 36 you are an excellent photographer. That was my goal for a long time. Digital through that yardstick out the window on one level but it also put the photographer back in the darkroom if you will.

When I took Photography 101 in college we had a darkroom for our black and white photography. We had complete control of our images. Then along came color and who could afford their own color darkroom. You had to have an intimate relationship with your film processor. Digital gave us a dry darkroom and control of our images again. But still I think if there are three photographs on an average out of 100 you want to spend time with in that dry darkroom you are doing good.

But there are bonanza weeks where your eye, the light, and the subjects available seem to be magic. But even when that is not the case you need to review the photos which did not work and come up with why they did not work. Yes, it is no longer a matter of wasting expensive film but it is part of becoming a better photographer.

Day 240
Coneflower and beetle

 The wet year has certainly given me ample time to learn to photograph sunflowers. And try to come up with unique approaches. I had announced to a photography friend I was out with that I was taking no more photographs of sunflowers. She saw me aiming at the one in the photo I said I was photographing the bug. But this also is not a sunflower but a yellow wild coneflower.

Day 241
Remains of hotel at old Stage Coach stop
Dawson, New Mexico

It is always nice to have new subjects to photograph but familiarity also makes for better photographs. Definitely want to revisit the stage coach stop and also Ojo Caliente and retake the same images but at a different time of day or from another angle.

Day 242
Latia fence at Ojo Caliente

Adobe walls and vigas are familiar architectural elements, however. And because the were familiar I wanted to try a couple different treatments in that dry darkroom. I think I am more fond of the black and white.

Day 243
Shadows and light

But the sepia with a more generous crop makes the building look older. It is a new building built in the old style.

Day 244
Sepia treatment

 But we stayed in the historic hotel where the aim was to keep the historic look but in the renovation and in the photographs. Upon return I want to spend more time with the details of the old hotel.

Day 245
Chair at the end of the hall

Week 43 - 2014 in Images

Day 295

Last week was a busy week for the camera and the dry darkroom. The photography trek with Terry Rowe produced over 600 photographs which had to be sorted and processed. Then like a person addicted I grabbed the camera and went to Las Vegas, New Mexico to take more photos. 

The Plaza at Ranchos de Taos and the church of San Francisco de Assi dominates this week's photos, and yet of all the photographs they were the ones taken closest to home. But it is also an area normally dominated by tourists and thus prevents clear and uncluttered access to the perfect angle. And on this particular day it had rained all night and was still misting a bit. The water and wet and clouds added another dimension. 

Day 296

Of the ones I took that morning this is one of my favorites. I love the starkness of the bell tower in black and white. Thank you pigeons for your participation.  And in the photo below I even got one pigeon in flight.

Day 297

The rain added dark streaks to the sides of the adobe walls and highlighted the straw used in the mix. Modern adobes often used stucco for exterior finish because it is more maintenance free. But if you stucco both inside and outside you end up with what is called an eggshell adobe where between the two stucco layers the adobe bricks degrade and crumble. Sometimes mud is just better.

Day 298

Could not resist the picture of hollyhocks against the adobe wall. These seemed to be trying to grow as high as the wall. But the reason we had stopped was to get a photo of the church reflected in puddles. Geraint Smith of Taos had done a very stunning photograph of it recently. We had to stop and give it a try.

San Francisco de Assi of  Ranchos de Taos
Bonus photo for the week

Some weeks you end of with more pictures than you need. And this certainly was one. The folder for week 43 had eight photos in it. I could have shuffled it over to week 44 but that folder is filled too. It has been a fantastic fall season with rich images to record. So a bonus photograph for the week for those who came to read the weekly blog for the 365 Day Photography Challenge.

Day 299
Truck at Ojo Caliente

This week's photo selections seemed to be almost all vertical. Horizontal can be so much more restful for the viewer. And the photographer. You have no idea of some of the contortions you have to get into for a vertical image. With the red truck it was just a matter of where to take the picture from. I wanted the building and the dog and the pumpkins in there too. Sidestepping back and forth while holding the camera up to your eye begins to look like a dance, and feel like an aerobic exercise when you do it in a partial squat.

While taking pictures of buildings from the side walk in front of them means you have to lean backwards and twist for the right angle. Yes, one could cross the street but then you have all the cars in front. Besides where is the exercise in that.

Day 300
Building in Las Vegas, New Mexico

By comparison the below vista of the Chama River in Abiquiu was a piece of cake. Terry and I had just finished lunch and were wrapping up fixings and trash to move on when clouds and light conspired to illuminate the golden cottonwoods on the other side of the river.

Day 301
Along the Chama River

Week 21 - 365 Day Challenge 2013

Day 141

My pets do not often make the 365 day post because I feel their significance is primarily for me. And the one above broke one of the rules of animal photography. Her eyes are not in focus. Her eyes are not in the picture. In fact they are intently staring at the ducks which are out of the frame causing the ripples. True to her training she is not chasing. Just intently watching.

Day 142 - Fading into the past

Jessica Duke and I took a photographic trip down to Ojo Caliente. No soaking in the famous hot springs because of thunder and lightning in the area. Instead we took pictures and ate lunch. Lunch was great and so were the pictures. Several of the pictures posted this week were from that trip. We had hoped to see the big horn sheep again but they did not keep their appointment.

Day 143 - An Unkindness of Ravens

I stayed in the car while Jessica ran in to mail a package. Not Ojo but Taos behind the Burger King. Obviously this is a favored hangout for ravens and they were fighting over something rather large and brown they kept tossing in the air. I was using my camera as binoculars to see if it was a rat or something and then noticed the wonderful poses of the squabbling birds. Since I frequently put ravens in my paintings I took a few reference photos. Normally such pictures would never get past a quick printing to draw from but the combination of architectural elements, ravens and clouds was too good to pass up.

One of the rules on taking pictures of buildings is at least one edge has to be aligned with one edge of the photo. However, I liked the tension of the angles of the building and the sign post that looks like a cross. I even liked the telephone wires. Never did figure out what they were fighting over.

Day 144. - 1946 Chevrolet

There is a whole album on the blue pickup truck at Ojo on my Facebook Fanpage (link in right column). I played it straight in that presentation but old cars are just so fun to post process. And this is one of my favorite effects.

Day 145 - The Crossing

This charming bridge is within the boundaries of the new Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. There are residences on the other side of the Rio Grande and on the side where I stood are camp grounds and picnic areas and many a patch made by anglers on their way to the water. The water was like glass that morning which was a great photo opportunity but an indication of how very low water levels are due to drought.

Day 146 

I do not want to confess as to how long I stood with camera ready to wait for these two geese to get into the perfect position. Some photography is pure luck like the ravens fighting and some is extended patience.

Day 147 - Crown of thorns

My Crown of thorns blooms constantly and is in reality a wonderful vivid red with pinks. The wall on the right is gold. But it was not the colors that drew me but the shadows. The color just seemed to get in the way.

This was one of those weeks in which I posted lots of pictures in albums on my Facebook pages. It is not all about the one photo for the one day in the 365 challenge but that undertaking the challenge often gives you almost endless pictures.