Southern and middle New Mexico

[Ronny Nilsen]

I'm attending a photo workshop i New Mexico in December and have a little more than a day
after the end of the workshop to get from Alamogordo and back to Albuquerque and my plane
home. I plan to use this time to do some additional photography.  

So I'm wondering if anybody have some suggestions of places to photograph. I'm mostly
interested in landscapes and not cities, but ruins is OK.  

The workshop includes White sands and Bosque del Apache and some other locations, but
I would like to know about more options on my way back. Maybe driving south to  Las Cruces
and north on I-25?

I would also appreciate it if anybody can point me to a good camera store in Albuquerque
that have a good inventory in stock. I would like to buy a Canon TS-E 24mm L. What would
that cost in Albuquerque? Also what will I have to pay if I should want to pick up a Canon 400D?

[Hank]

I would go south on 25, then turn west on 90, taking the smaller and smaller roads through Hillsboro, Mimbres, and ultimately to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.  From there you can go south to Silver City via Pinos Altos.  Back on 90 from Silver City, I'd head south on 61 to City of Rocks, then probably back to 25 for the trip north, considering that you have only one day to play.  There's more further south, but this loop is a more reasonable distance for one day.  Urban points of interest along the way are Silver City for its museums, Fort Bayard for wildlife and history, Pinos Altos for history and old architecture and Santa Rita for the extensive open pit copper mine.

[Misirlou]

I'd be surprised if any store in NM had a TSE lens in stock. There are a couple of decent photo stores in ABQ, but the only place one can buy camera equipment in Las Cruces is at Best Buy. The 400D is probably available at electronics stores.

I also recommend Gila Cliff Dwellings. Very accessible and well preserved. Breathtakingly gorgeous under the right light.

[Hank]

At one time Santa Fe Workshops was affiliated with Canon and had a pretty full spate of lenses in their store.  I'm not sure if they're still with Canon, but it's worth a call.  Even if the store doesn't carry them, I'm sure the staff would know if anyone in the area did.

More details on the cliff dwellings-  On a rock face adjacent to the campground there is a very subtle but nonetheless dramatic panel of pictographs.  They're red (ocher?), but usually shaded, so a tripod will be required.  Most visitors miss them, but they are well worth a visit.  I had the best luck photographing them using a Singh Ray color enhancing filter to bring up the reds.  There are signs and a trail, so the panel is not hard to find.  Smaller individual ones are scattered along the draw leading uphill, but they are harder to find and less dramatic.

Also, if you have the time at the cliff dwellings, walk downstream along the river below the foot bridge.  There's a bit of a trail on the same side as the visitor center.  If you have an eye for them, there are some beautiful wetland and riparian scenes within 1/4 mile.

Edit-  I forgot to mention that the best overall view of the ruins in context with the landscape is achieved not on the trail to the ruins, but from the hilltop across the river and above the campground.  It's a bit of a walk (roughly 1/4- to 1/2-mile) but well worth the effort if time allows.  For framing purposes something on the order of a 300mm lens is helpful, and 400mm allowed the tighter crop I was seeking.

[Ronny Nilsen]

Thank you Hank and Misirlou!
The Gila Cliff Dwellings and City of Rocks looks just like the kind of places I would like to visit! Looks like a good route to drive to get the most out of the trip.

To bad I won't be able ti pick up a lens, the saving compared to the prices i Norway would have almost covered the cost of the airplane tickets.

[Hank]

Good choices!

Here's a shooting tip for the ruins-  

Carry your tripod and experiment with your flash for fill.  Unlike many other locations, you can actually enter the ruins.  Looking inward, you can do great things with long exposure and ambient light.  Any time your framing includes an exterior view along with the ruins, the exterior will be completely washed out when you expose for the interior.  There are some good views that work well with the interiors, but only if you set your camera for an exterior exposure, then rely on your strobe to fill the interiors.

City of Rocks is most interesting early and late with low angle light, so count on a long drive after dark once you have finished there.

Have a great time!

[Misirlou]

To bad I won't be able ti pick up a lens, the saving compared to the prices i Norway would have almost covered the cost of the airplane tickets.
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Why don't you just order the TSE lens on the internet? Buy it from one of the well-known retailers (B&H would be a good choice), and have it drop shipped to New Mexico. Have them send it to the workshop location.

Or, maybe to my house. I'd be happy to hold it for you until you can get here to pick it up. Or maybe I could do some extensive testing with it on my 40D.

[Kirk Gittings]

You won't find a 24mmTSE in stock in Albuquerque. Order it over the internet and have it delivered to your hotel a day ahead of time.

[dmerger]

Unless B&H has changed its policy recently, they won't ship to a hotel or motel.

[Kirk Gittings]

When I was shooting film on the road (up till last October), Calumet did this for me all the time.

[toddhata]

Check out the Valley of Fires if you have a chance.  I took a workshop with Carole a few months ago, she's great.  Got some nice shots in White Sands at the Balloon Festival.