Best time of day to shoot New Mexico sites

<p>I will be based near Angel Fire for a week starting Monday. I'm hoping to get some guidance on early/late light for shooting locations. I am interested in the following:<br>

- Bandelier<br>

- Rio Grande Gorge (sunset?)<br>

- San Francisco de Assisi Church / Rancho de Taos<br>

- High road villages (Truchas, Las Trampas, Chimayo)<br>

- Taos Pueblo<br>

- Bisti Badlands<br>

- Cimarron<br>

As I have never been to any of these, any help is welcome. I have already gotten lots of help here finding these sites! Any other suggestions of sites nearby are welcome. I am interested in architectural, landscape, people.<br>

Thanks,<br>

Jim</p>

<p>I have been to all those places except the last three. You are in for a treat. Beyond the obvious that morning and evening light are the best it is going to depend on your schedule and travel time. Bandelier was good in the morning, would not want to becoming out of there in the dark. Some pics<a href="http://www.mitchseaver.com/newmexico"> here</a>.</p>

<p>You need Laurent Martres book "photographing the Southwest" Vol 3 Colorado and New Mexico. It has a lot of the information you have asked for. </p>

<p>I was just in some of these sites in May of this year. In my experience, best time at Bandelier is in the morning. We took the loop trail with one of those Ranger-guided tours, which I would recommend. After the tour, I stuck around from some crowd-free photos. I toured Taos Pueblo in the afternoon, from about 2 till they close at 5 or so. Be advised they charge $10 per camera in there, and that's in addition to the gate charge. The afternoon light shines on the surrounding mountains and the late afternoon colors were lovely. But there may be lots of people there in August. There weren't so many people there in May, and the small run-off stream that passes through the Pueblo was full, making it an interesting part of any view of the Pueblo. I also went to San Francisco de Assisi in the morning, which was very nice. It had rained in the night, so there was a freshness in the morning light that made for good photography. Second time, I returned to see it in the afternoon light, but it was so windy on that day and the light so washed out that I didn't even take my camera out of the bag. Didn't stop at the other places on your list. Try Chaco Canyon, early morn or afternoons. Long, tough drive in there, though. Personally, I preferred the late afternoon light in those areas. The earth colors turn golden. But that was in the spring when the average daily temps were only in the 70s. <br>

Happy trails</p>