Alburquerque for this weekend... site recommendations?

I'm flying out to Alb. NM on Thursday for a Friday shoot but have the rest of the

time (until I fly out again Sunday) to shoot pretty pixs... any spectacular

suggestions in close proximity?

Scott, FWIW, you might enjoy getting a car and driving through Santa Fe to Taos and then the "enchanted circle" which goes past Eagle Lake and Angel Fire(don't miss the Viet Nam Memorial!) A great day trip with plenty of landscapes and architecture. Also check out Sandia Peak(especially at night) Hungry? I still get flashbacks of Tomasita's in the old train station in Santa Fe----------Cheers!

Depends how close you want your proximity to be. I second the suggestions of Taos and Sandia Peak, but note they are each an hour or more away. In roughly the same time range are Georgia O'Keefe's Ghost Ranch at Abiquiu, Bandelier National Monument, and Pecos National Historic Park. Acoma Pueblo ("Sky City") is about 50 miles west of Albuquerque.

 

Note that some of the pueblos have serious restrictions on photography and -- if they will allow you to shoot at all -- will charge fees to use pro-type gear even if you are not shooting commerically. Pro-type gear includes a tripod and anything beyond one lens.

 

Despite these limitations, this is my favorite part of the country for shooting.

Thanks guys, this is very helpful!!!

Scott, due to your short time span, I would recommend Taos Pueblo or Pecos National Historic Site. Don't try Ghost Ranch because advance reservations (3 - 6 months) are required or Acoma Sky City because tripods are not allowed anywhere on the reservation. Happy shooting.

one thing that comes to mind after visiting that region at one time :

 

polarizing filter

 

haze or ultraviolet filter

 

Cheap insurance to have these with you.

 

You could imagine how the natives might feel with every yayhoo in the country taking pix of their poor living conditions. You might try to bring them something that might brighten their day, other than a strobe..

Scott

 

There are nice photo ops right in Albuquerque. There are a lot of trail heads on the west side of the Sandia Mountains off of Tramway (that's the last major street running parallel to the Sandias). Try the Elena Giegos park, also a recreation area at the northern point of Tramway with various trails into the Sandias - La Luz Trail and the Peidra Lisa Trail. Also, the Petroglyph National Monument is on the west side of Albuquerque.

 

Also, the Jemez Mountains are nice. Go up I-25 to the Bernalillo exit, then west to San Ysidro, turn right and head up the Jemez River. Really nice river valley/canyon on the way up and nice high mountain country once you're on top. And last there is always the Tent Rock Rec. area at Chochiti. Go north on I-25 about 30 miles and get off at the Chochiti exit and follow the signs west.

 

The other locations suggested, Taos, Abiquiu etc., are a 3 hour drive one way.

 

These are my suggestions and, oh yeah, I live in Albuquerque.

 

Brian

I second the recommendation to go to Tent Rock National Monument, perhaps an hour from the airport. These are incredibly bizarre rock formations that one can easily hike into with large format gear. In the summer, one should start out from A-que before dawn and finish shooting before noon. It gets really hot in those rocks.

 

But wherever you go, be sure to take plenty of water and a hat. It's high and dry here and it's very easy to get dangerously dehydrated.

Thank you ALL! This is going to turn out to a fast and furious weekend and all

your recommedations are GREAT! Thank you all. I will let you know how it

turns out when I get back here to develop the film.