Vics Blog

Photographing wildlife is incredibly exciting and spending time in the wilderness with all that’s wild is almost as good as it gets. The key word is “almost” because spending time with my lady is always better. Candi is wonderful to travel with and one of our favorite destinations is Santa Fe , New Mexico between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s an incredibly romantic city with lots of fine dining, art galleries, shopping and beautiful scenery. The scent of burning pinon pine and the spice of Northern New Mexican cuisine wafts through the cool air and adds to the southwestern ambiance. Most nights we walk the streets, stepping into the local cantinas for a margarita or two and listening to the sounds of Spanish guitars as they serenade the evening away.
Now you might be wondering what all this has to do with photography? Santa Fe offers a great deal of subject matter and gives me a needed break from elk, deer and climbing up and down the mountains in snow storms. I also haven’t found any ill tempered moose in its streets ready to charge. Light in that part of the country is surreal and draws painters and photographers from all over the world trying to capture its magic. The sky is an azure blue and takes your breath away. Sunsets can be magnificent and they paint the adobe walls of the city in hues of coral and gold. We always spend several hours walking through the old neighborhoods looking for alleyways that hide hand hewn doors , gates and windows painted in turquoise and pink. The city celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2011 and all those years reflect in its hidden corners. On one side street we found a bright pink gateway adorned with all kinds of religious artifacts. On another, an aged door with chipped, faded blue paint and a large pumpkin at the side which made for wonderful contrasts in color. Take your time, be patient and look for everything unique. I try to use a short zoom lens which allows me to frame subjects easily.
We’ve been lucky enough to enjoy a dusting of snow on a couple of occasions. Canyon road hosts tons of galleries and during the holiday season its doors and windows are decorated with chili wreaths and ristras. As the gentle snowflakes fall, they make for perfect postcard pictures.
In the late evening look for luminarias along coble stone walkways which adorn the city for the holiday season. The shadows of flickering candle light in the brown paper bags can make for fascinating images. I like to take pictures of sculptures covered in snow which adorn the courtyard of Saint Francis Cathedral on the east side of the plaza. Take your tripod and use long time exposures to capture them against the stone walls of the church. Oh, and one last thing…..Make sure to relax and breath in the enchantment of this place with the one you love.