photoLog 2008

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Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Topic:  Ghost Towns Photo: False Front Building, Cloride, New Mexico (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 35mm By my count, there are around nine ghost towns Sierra County, New Mexico.  At least that's what Serria County calls them.  I guess whether or not you'd call them a ghost town would depend upon your definition of the term.  I've only been to the eight of them that are west of I-25 and really don't know anything about the town of Engle.  I think some of these are worth a visit and some are a waste of time.  For example, the only reason you might want to go to Cuchillo or Winston is because they are on the way to Chloride. Cloride was a wild and woolly mining town that boomed around 1880 and during its hayday had eight saloons.  The false front building shown on the left was one of them.  It later became the post office.  A number of other buildings are still standing and some seen considerable preservation work.  Although it is intended as a tourist attraction, it is still far enough off the beaten path to have an "authentic feel" and I doubt crowds will be a problem.  ( I was told the current population is twelve.) One of the things that interested me most about Cloride was the variety of construction materials and methods used.  There's not much uniformity in the surviving buildings.   My guess is that this is partially due to the wide variety of people that were attracted here by the using building methods they were familiar with.   Lumber like that shown in the photograph was probably hard to come by so, as you would expect in this part of country, some of the buildings are made of adobe while others are made out of native stone.  The Pioneer Store is made of huge logs.  It now serves as a museum and houses large number of items found in and around Cloride.  I think it's worth a visit if you happen to be in the area.

Date: Friday, August 15, 2008 Topic: River Crossings Photo:  Rio Salado South of Riley, New Mexico (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 35mm I noted in a 2007 photoLog entry that places needing rain should hire me to show up with a camera.  Now it seems that there is no need for a personal appearance, all I have to do is think about a destination. My intention was to photograph the ghost town of Riley, New Mexico.  Riley is about 20 miles across the desert north of Magdalena, NM and getting all the way there by vehicle requires that you ford the Rio Salado just a few hundred yards south of the town site.  There had been heavy rains in the area and I had postponed the trip for a couple of weeks knowing that the river could pose a problem.  When I arrived at the ford it was obvious that the river had been very high and crossing it even with a four wheel drive could be still a little risky.  I think there was at least an eighty percent chance that I could make it, but considering that I was 20 miles away from help without cell phone service made me decide against it.   If I had been by myself I would have waded across and hiked the rest of the way, but I didn't want to leave Eddie Jo stranded on a river bank for a morning.  Well, it was a beautiful early morning drive across the desert anyway. Over the years I have pulled a number of people out of a similar river near where I live.  Everyone that spends much time on back country dirt roads will most likely get stuck a few times in mud, sand or a wash.  I don't usually mind helping out except when when their needing help was the result of an  obviously stupid decision.   Don't drive into water if you can't see the bottom and don't take chances if you don't know the country.

Date: Friday, July 4, 2008 Topic:  Awesome Skies Photo: Cholla at Sunrise (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 35mm Images of sunsets and sunrises don't require much in the way of photographic skill and are considered to be a little cliché by most photographers.  Moreover, those of us that live where big skies are the norm can get a little jaded.   However, sometimes you see a sky that is so awesome that you just have find something to put in front of it. Probably the hardest part of making a photograph like this one is finding an uncluttered view and getting low enough to make sure most of the cholla has sky behind it.  This one required that I reverse the center section of the tripod so that I could shoot from ground level.  It also required rolling around in the dirt and, of course, watching for Weimariners that seem to have a penchant for straying into the frame just as you release the shutter.   Was it worth the effort?  Genre snobs and art critics would probably say that it wasn't; outdoor lovers would probably think that it would have been nice just to be there.

Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 Topic: Black and White Conversions Photo:  Saint Jude Mission, San Patricio, New Mexico (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm I'm just now getting around to working on some images I made in June, 2007on a trip through southeastern New Mexico.  While I'm still not completely satisified with some of my black and white conversions, I think the image of Saint Jude Mission comes close to what I might captured on film. This church was built in 1967 and presents quite a contrast to the church it replaced.  The old church was the oldest church in the Hondo Valley and I had photograhed it with a medium format camera some time ago when it was in a state of considerable disrepair.  (See Church at San Patricio)  I had expected to see it continue to deteriorate, but some repairs have been made and it is actually used for services on occasion.  To see what the old church looks like today see last year's photoLog (photoLog 2007).  I like the design of the new church and think it fits quite well with surroundings.

Date: Thursday, June 5, 2008 Topic:  Remembering Images & Circumstances Photo: Soda Dam (click for larger version) --Mamiya 645, 80mm, T-Max 100 Even though I'm getting a little old and senile, I often can remember the details surrounding the images I made years ago.  Not just the technical photographic details, but my thoughts and feelings regarding the  image I want to make as well particulars such as the weather conditions, other people that were there, and so on.   I doubt I’m that unique in this; I’ll bet many other photographers experience the same sort of recollections.  Even though this image of Soda Dam was made almost fourteen years ago, I remember making it as if it were yesterday. Soda Dam is just north of Jemez Springs, New Mexico and was formed by calcium carbonate deposits from a hot spring in a fault below the Jemez River.  It’s just one of the many interesting sights in the San Diego Canyon between Jemez Springs and La Cueva. I mounted my 645 on a tripod so that I could shoot at a speed slow enough to slightly blur the water, but I had to wait for the kids that were playing in the waterfall to finish so that I could have an unobstructed view.   Luckily, I was able to pass the time by discussing photography with a couple of ladies that had pulled up in a convertible.  They wanted to preview my composition by looking though the Mamiya and asked if I would take their photo in front of the dam with their point and shoot.  I wish it had occurred to me to photograph them with the 645.

Date: Sunday, April 13, 2008 Topic: Almost Ghost Towns Photo:  Grassland Cafe 2 (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 35mm I'm not sure what the official definition of a ghost town is, but I'm pretty sure Grassland, Texas isn't one.   While Grassland is still an active farming community with a few residents and a business or two, it's certainly not the small town it once was. I still prefer film for black and white images--probably because I'm not good enough at doing digital black and white conversions.  However, digital certainly offers some advantages in doing dramatic skies.  I most likely would have used a red or dark yellow filter for the photograph on the right if I had been shooting film producing a negative that was difficult (for me) to print.  Since I was shooting at a right angle to the sun this morning,  I simply used a polarizing filter to help separate the sky and clouds.   The downside of using a polarizing filter for black and white is that you sometimes lose some of the specular highlights that can give a monochrome image sparkle.

Date: Sunday, April 6, 2008 Topic:  A Different Look Photo: Badlands and Duffy's Peak (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 35mm It's strange how an area can change its looks in a short period of time.  A couple of mornings ago I was out looking for strays in the 4WD was quite taken with this view of the badlands and Duffy's Peak.  Normally, the area is almost completely barren, but last spring we received above average rainfall and some of the badlands area actually ceased to look like badlands.  In fact, it grew more grass than I thought it was capable of growing.  However, an extremely dry fall and winter has left the grass a bright yellow which makes an interesting color contrast with the red ground. Duffy's Peak is the mound in the distance and probably has a name only because it was used as a landmark when this part of the country was surveyed.   Although it can't be seen in the image, the Salt Fork of the Brazos River is just this side of it and is currently in its normal dry state.  To call Duffy's Peak a "peak" is somewhat of an exaggeration, but it does look considerably higher when viewed from the river bed below.

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Topic: Photographing Skies Photo:  Post House and Weeds (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 35mm, polarizing filter I'm a sucker for dramatic skies.  That's one of the great things about living in the southwest.  We had a cold front blow in from the north this morning and, at least for a while, we had really beautiful skies.  This is the same house that I had in the photoLog in October, 2007 photographed from a different angle and, of course, in black and white.   I still prefer film for black and white images--probably because I'm not good enough at doing digital black and white conversions.  However, digital certainly offers some advantages in doing dramatic skies.  I most likely would have used a red or dark yellow filter for the photograph on the right if I had been shooting film producing a negative that was difficult (for me) to print.  Since I was shooting at a right angle to the sun this morning,  I simply used a polarizing filter to help separate the sky and clouds.   The downside of using a polarizing filter for black and white is that you sometimes lose some of the specular highlights that can give a monochrome image sparkle.

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2008 Topic:  Photographing Ghost Towns Photo: Coffee Pot (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 50mm From my house, the ghost town of Canyon Valley (population 0) is only three miles or so by horseback and about eight miles by road.  It's an authentic ghost town, but not a really old one.  It seems that each time I visit there is less and less to see or photograph.  I dropped by yesterday for probably the last time and made a few images that were mostly just record shots.  I did run across the coffee pot shown at the left. One thing I've learned is that sometimes things change more rapidly then you expect.  Don't put off photographing ghost towns if they interest you.  If the light is not exactly right just try to do the best you can because you just can't count on them being there when you return.  Over the past two or three years I have revisited places I photographed earlier only to find that they had been vandalized or  bull-dozed.  In other instances access had been restricted because structures had become dangerous or a land owner just got tired of putting up with the public.  As a land owner myself,  I certainly understand.

Date: Saturday, February 23, 2008 Topic: Cute Rodents Photo: Prairie Dogs (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 80-200mm Until I was in Lubbock, Texas last week I never realized the extent to which prairie dogs had taken over some of the town's open areas.  Actually, the prairie dog towns are pretty easy to spot since the area they inhabit tends to be devoid of any kind of vegetation.  Now it looks as though they are spilling over into the adjacent areas and neighborhoods where they are certain to be unwelcome guests.  I saw one run down a sidewalk and go down a hole in someone's front yard about a block from the vacant lots where the town is located.   I understand that prairie dogs are susceptible to bubonic plague that is carried by fleas.  I don't know, however, if this poses any kind of real health risk for humans. It's going to be interesting to see how this over-population problem is solved.  It they were some other kind of rodents such as mice or gophers, I think the problem would be a little different.  Prairie dogs are larger and cuter and there are bound to be howls of protest at some proposed solutions.  I also suspect the only politically correct method is relocation.    Like I said,  it's bound to be interesting.

Date: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 Topic:  West Texas Stucco Photo:  Sudan Hotel, Sudan, Texas (click for larger version) --Pentax 67, 50mm, Ilford Delta 100 Although I had passed though Sudan, Texas dozens of times, I had never noticed the old Sudan Hotel until we were there on a photography day trip in May 2003.  It was hard to tell how long the building has been vacant, but I guessed that it probably been at least a couple of years and most likely longer since I had seen much activity.    Unfortunately, it was a Saturday afternoon and there wasn't anyone handy to ask.  However, I knew immediately that it was a building I wanted to photograph. The first print of this was a toned silver gelatin darkroom print that was part of an exhibit at the Garden and Art Center in Lubbock.  I’m just now getting around to creating a digital file.  I’ve printed the image on Espon’s Velvet Fine Art paper and I think the ink jet image is slightly better than the darkroom print. This building is of some historical significance to the small town of Sudan.   I don’t know, however, if any effort will be made to maintain it.  Whether or not to spend money on buildings like this one is a common dilemma.

Date: Monday, January 28, 2008 Topic: Cabin Fever Photo: Campfire (click for larger version) --Pentax Super Program , 50mm,  Kodachrome 64 The weather here has not been very suitable for doing any kind of outdoor photography.  It has either been too cold or too windy.  If fact, today the high winds and dry conditions have combined to provide us with a real dust storm.  It's not the kind of weather I even want to expose my equipment to.  To make matters worse, I'm stuck with a large pile of paperwork that I need to get done.  In other words, I'm trapped in the office without any excuses.      When I had done enough work this morning to convince myself that I deserved a short break, I decided to thumb through some loose slide pages that I found in the bottom of a drawer.  The image on the right caught my eye.  This spot is only about a mile from my house and we camped, fished and photographed here for years but it's been a long time.  The image is a little corney, but it brought back lots of memories and at least a temporary respite from cabin fever.

Date: Thursday, January 24, 2008 Topic:  Photographic Freedom Photo:  Aeromotor (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm There was a time when I absolutely refused to photograph subjects that I considered to be a cliché.  This included things like wildflowers,  old buildings and, in this part of the country, windmills.  In retrospect, I think I was probably more concerned with what other people might think than with making an image that I liked.  Deciding that you are going to photograph for yourself (and really meaning it) provides a great sense of freedom.   In fact, I'm may be more creative than when I was concerned about pleasing someone else.  I still photograph enough weird stuff to consider myself to be at least a little arty.

Date: Friday, January 11, 2008 Topic: Raw Nature Photo: Dead Cactus (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 50mm Landscape and nature photography sometimes gets a little boring and repetitive.  (See Bryce Canyon photograph below!)  I've always liked it when a photographer shows me something I haven't noticed before or perhaps the same thing in a different way.  I think Eliot Porter did a fantastic job of this and often wonder how many of today's digital photographers have even heard of him.  There are most likely books of his images in any medium size library.  Also, his amazing and labor-intensive dye transfer prints can be seen in Santa Fe and at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.  If you like nature photography then you'll find his work to be eye opening and inspiring.  Over the years I have photographed a lot of fauna that was wilting, dead or dying.  Many of these were photographed in B&W to be handtinted later by my wife or myself.   The dead cactus on the right was near my house and the orange leaf is most likely from a Red Bud tree in my front yard.  I almost removed it because it looks a little contrived but then I decided not to since I was making the image for myself and liked the additional splash of color.

Date: Monday, January 7, 2008 Topic:  Bryce Revisited Photo:  Bryce Canyon (click for larger version) --Mamiya 645, 80mm, Fuji Velvia I was rearranging a filing cabinet today and came across a notebook of medium format transparencies, mostly 645, made in the 1990s.   I don't think the image on the left was ever printed.   It's just a straight shot of Bryce Canyon but it remined me of its vastness and how much I enjoyed being there. The composition is pretty good, but, on the other hand, making a good photograph of Bryce Canyon is no great feat.  If you can't go to Bryce and make a good image you should consider letting someone else use the camera for a while.

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