Dale and I traveled to Santa Fe in early August with fellow members of the Board of The Atlanta Opera to see performances of four productions of this Santa Fe Opera season. It is a top tier Opera, known for high quality and new productions. The Opera house is an architectural marvel, covered, but open on the sides and every set is open in the back, so you see the spectacular desert sunset as the backdrop to the scenery.
I engaged a photo guide to take me around Santa Fe, Taos and the surrounding area for opportunistic photography during the days. She arranged sessions with two professional models, Thomas and Joaquin. It was a fun experience and a learning experience. Both knew their craft, and I have some treasured images as a result. We shot Thomas at the Eaves Ranch, a move/TV studio outside Santa Fe, an old Wild West town that has been used for many movies. Thomas and Joaquin are both part time actors and models and we became good friends in our short time together.
The other shots are random things and people we ran across, just stopping the car whenever and wherever. It was fun, and Jennifer taught me some new skills and principles.
The last thing in the show is a video of a Mexican wedding celebration I stumbled across while shopping near the Cathedral. Naturally, I had violated my rule of always carrying my camera, and had to make do with my iPhone.
I hope all of you will have the chance to visit Santa Fe if you have not previously. It is an artist’s colony, with spectacular light and skies, culturally a blend of Native American, Mexican, Old West and early Missionary. It is loaded with art museums and great restaurants, and lots of shopping. I find it a distinctly romantic destination.
