Artistic Expression ......

Four years ago I was juried into the Santa Fe Society of Artists. Ever since that time, it seems to have become more important what others think of my work, than what I think of my work. I've decided that I am no longer photographing for others. I am, again, photographing because that's what I love to do.

Composition

The next most important thing in photography is composition ..... what your photo is about. A tip: in your mind, divide your image in thirds both horizontally and vertically. At the point where the lines intersect, place your subject. This is called the Rule of Thirds. This creates the difference between a photograph and just another "pretty picture." The subject of this photograph is not Avery, or the horse, but the cross. Does this photograph accurately depict a Christian Cowboy?

Most Important Thing about Photography .... Light

Light: what do we know about it? First, it is always changing. Second, it can make things appear different than they really are. But, does it affect our emotions when we view a photograph? I believe it can. The way the light is captured sets the tone or the "mood" if you will, for the photograph. The way we capture light can make images "feel" warm or "feel" cold. Here are a couple of examples. Each photograph contains a storm, but the way the light is captured affects the mood of the storm. In the picture taken at White Sands National Monument, the storm does not feel so severe. This shot was taken in the evening with very low light. The evening light is almost like a blanket in that it makes everything appear like it's in the same "layer" of light. But in the photo taken on the Eastern New Mexico plains, the light creates a completely different efect. This shot was taken late-afternoon just before the sun started down. Which storm can you "feel?"

Be Brave! Use your manual settings!

Ok, I have to admit something. I have refused for years to "go digital" because I was afraid I was not smarter than the cameras that are out there these days. But, I recently purchased a Canon EOS Rebel Xsi and I LOVE IT! It works just like my film camera ..... duh. Here are some recent pix taken at White Sands and Gran Quivira .... with manual settings!

more

more old stuff

Looking through old stuff and found this

He sure is majetic

Curious

A Mustang near Vallecitos is just as curious about me as I am about him ....

Mission Churches

The last class of this season is "Mission Churches." The date has been changed to Saturday, Oct 10th. We will meet at the Nambe church at 6:00am. While it's not a mission church, it's still very photogenic :) Plan to leave Nambe at 6:30am and arrive at the first church, St. Francis of Assisi in Ranchos de Taos at approx 7:30am. Then, we will head over to the Dulce turn off between Chama and Pagosa Springs (corner where Hwy 84 and 64 join). On the corner is a beautiful, quaint, penitente chapel.

Fall in New Mexico is beautiful

I am constantly amazed by nature. This fall's extravaganza is by far the best I've seen in years!

Advertising Photography

The last couple of weeks I've gotten to try a little advertising photography. After a failed attempt last week, this week's photographs are MUCH better. I was even IMPRESSED by a couple of them :) I never thought I would like this type of photography, but it was actually fun! This is part of the "Be an Angel, Adopt a Mustang" advertising campaign.

Making a Living with Art ... or TRYING to :)

How does one go about it?

In talking with my daughter this morning about her photography, it became crystal clear to me that I LOVE equine photography. It is my life's passion and I really would like to make a living at it. So, with that said, I'm going to begin an advertising and marketing program.

Isn't this the American dream .... to do for a living that which we love to do? It's a big leap of faith for me to even THINK of putting my work in front of advertising people and horse industry publications. It's a very vulnerable feeling. Hopefully, throughout the years, I've developed a thick skin, so to speak. I guess we'll find out :)

In the meantime, be an angel, adopt a mustang!

Fishing

Finally took a day off and went fishing with my boys. What a beautiful day!

Next Class is the Zoo!

My next class is at the Albuquerque Zoo. If anyone wants to carpool, please call me at 505-501-1251 by Thursday (9/3) evening to arrange it. There are 2 spaces left! Bring a water bottle and sunscreen. We're going to discuss composition and natural light. It's going to be a blast!

Aye Calypso!

This five year old mustang named Calypso came to his new home near Santa Fe, NM in May. He had been halter trained by a prison inmate in Canon City, CO. And, he'd had a saddle on a couple of times. Since he's been adopted, he has been worked with on the ground by his new owner several times. He's had his feet trimmed and been longed. But basically he's been allowed to hang out and settle in for 3+ months. Well, after several saddle and tack fittings, today, he had a saddle on and a rider :)

Valles Caldera Pix

Saturday was spent hanging out with my dogs in the mountains enjoying the BEAUTIFUL New Mexico scenery :) In our travels we wandered into the Valles Caldera which is now a National Preserve and open to the public. It was AMAZING!

Horses and Relationships

Horses form agreements or relationships with humans .... that much is obvious. What isn't so obvious is the amount of "heart" a horse has. For instance, one of the mustangs I've been photographing, his name is Mr. Breeze, wasn't treated very well (to say it nicely) in the BLM holding pens. The men were afraid of him because when they mis-treated him, he reacted violently. Only God knows the extent of Mr. Breeze's ill treatment. But, even after all he's been through, it is amazing to watch him find the courage to try and trust a human. It's very humbling to watch.

Learning to See Creatively Workshop

The "Learning to See Creatively Workshop" was a lot of fun! It's always enjoyable to see on film how people "see" in their mind's eye. The image in our mind usually varies quite a lot from the image on the film! Trying to make the mind's image and the film images look the same is challenging most times :)

Additional Photo Class Being Offered!

This is an amazing opportunity .... we have been invited to photograph three mustangs. These horses have been placed in a home south of Santa Fe and they are in training. We have the opportunity to photograph them as often as we like. Here's the deal, the classes will be held on Saturdays by appointment. We must have no more than six people attend at one time and it will cost $20 each. Above are two pictures taken during a training session last week. This is the first time this horse has seen a saddle and the time difference between the two photos is about ten minutes!