Conditions in New Mexico

[richard baznik]

I will be in New Mexico next week, primarily in the Santa Fe area, for

a vacation that I have planned as an opportunity to shoot MF in the

southwest for the first time. I'm bringing color (chrome and neg) and

B&W, and have planned to shoot mostly landscapes and details. Given

the tragic fires in the area over the past week or so, can anyone in

the area give me a sense of the conditions for shooting, and any other

advice that would be helpful? Thanks.///Dick

[shutters]

Richard,

 

As you are aware, the fires are still burning north of Santa Fe. According to the news, they're approx. 35% contained. Though, the wind is up this morning, more so than it has been the last week. Hopefully this won't heavily affect the efforts being made to extinguish the blaze.

 

I wouldn't know what to expect in so far as 'subject' matter and availability - access, etc. My choices would be Taos, Santa Fe, Las Vegas and of course, the initial point where the fires were first started - the Indian cliff/ruins north of Santa Fe.

 

It's burned about 42,000 acres. As I said, it's hard to say/recommend anything. Taos would be good - especially with the gorge so close by.

Good luck - and enjoy what you can. Gr.

[santa_rosa_shutterbug]

Just curious. What type of film are you planning on using? I'm a Provia 100F fan, but the need for refrigeration may be an issue. Is the MF camera the only one you plan on taking?

 

JoAnna

[richard baznik]

Jo Anna:

 

You asked about film and gear. Chrome: Velvia (primary) and E100SW. Neg: Reala CS (primary) and Portra 160VC. B&W: APX25 (primary) and TMX. I hope to take advantage of an in-room refrigerator and plan to have the color stock processed locally in Santa Fe. And yes, I'm only bringing my MF gear (GS-1), leaving the Leica system at home this time.//Dick

[pete_caluori]

Greetings,

 

I've been in areas adjacent to forest fires and depending on the direction of the wind, you could end up with many shots that appear as though they were shot on a hazy, overcast day. Santa Fe is one of my favorite areas, but you may want to consider traveling further south, west, or north; perhaps into southern Colorado. Let me know if you want ideas for other areas.

 

I can't help commenting on film. I've traveled all over the south west in all types of weather and never had a problem with film (Velvia, Provia, NPS & B&W) in all formats from 35 to 8x10. I think if you're doing color critical work, like matching color for a catalog, keeping film at a constant temperature may make a difference, but for landscape and general outdoor photography I have not found this to be true. I always wait until I return home so I can process the film myself and have not had a problem. Good Luck!

 

Regards,

[tom_raymondson]

I was in New Mexico last summer and found the best photo opportunities (for me) at: Taos Pueblo (you have to pay an extra fee to bring in a camera and they don't allow tripods), Santa Fe (architectural details, particularly doors, windows, etc.), the Very Large Array (especially if you can juxposition a close-up of one telescope with the others off in the distance), and if you want to go further north, the railroad that goes into southern Colorado (the names escapes me right now). Have fun!

[kim_fullbrook]

One other thing to add, which may not be obvious to everyone, is to be prepared to adjust your normal exposure because of the altitude and desert brightness. My normal sunny exposure for Provia 100 is 1/250 @ f8 whereas in the New Mexico desert it had to be 1/250 @ f8-11 during the middle of the day.

[richard baznik]

Thanks to all of you who have responded either in this space or off-list directly to me. My only fear is that the quality of my images will not reflect the collective wisdom I have received.///Dick

[trace_dibble2]

Regarding the Taos Pueblo: another thing that the tribe doesn't allow, aside from tripods, is anything larger than 35mm.