Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, New Mexico

On this day, Juliana and I visited the Farmers' Market in Santa Fe, before meeting up with Pamela for our day's outing. It was fun wandering around and seeing everything on offer. The market is held every Saturday morning in the rail yard, and is very popular.

The Lavender Lady, selling sachets of lavender, among other things, at the Farmers' Market

I was amazed at the size of these Kohlrabi,

the smaller ones are the normal size!

I loved this healthy-looking hand-made bread!

After exploring the delights of the market, we met up with Pamela and Buckley to drive to the bridge over the Rio Grande Gorge, near Taos.

After driving for a while, we saw this sign, and couldn't resist investigating.

We decided we needed some of the group therapy that was on offer. 

From the left, me, Pamela, and Juliana.

Just a little more wine-tasting before we were back on the road again.

Although we passed through Taos, we were unable to visit the Indian Pueblos as they were closed for "Quiet Time". So we carried on to the Rio Grande Gorge. Wow, the bridge is an amazing sight! At 650 feet (nearly 200 metres) above the river, and with a span of 1,289 feet (393 metres), I can see why it was deemed "The Most Beautiful Bridge", in the long-span category, by the American Institute of Steel Construction. And the views are stunning too!

The bridge over the Rio Grande Gorge,

with the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background.

The view of the gorge to the north

The view of the gorge to the south

While we were on the bridge, we were entertained 

by this very accomplished guitar playing singer

There is no settlement around the bridge, 

so this entrepreneur has a great idea. Is this "food to go"?

As you can see from the photos, the weather was closing in. So we returned to Taos for a leisurely, and delicious, lunch, before returning to Santa Fe. This state of New Mexico is an absolute gem. And one well worth returning to, as we have really only scratched the surface of all it has to offer. Thank you, once again, Pamela!

by Elizabeth Coughlan

El Santuario de Chimayó, New Mexico, USA

El Santuario de Chimayó, from inside the gate

Another interesting site on our itinerary was El Santuario de Chimayó. Every year, as many as 30,000 pilgrims make their way to the Sanctuary, especially during the holy week before Easter. It is believed that miraculous cures happened here, about 200 years ago, and that is why it is also called "The Lourdes of America".

View from outside the gate

The miracles are said to have occurred on the spot where a wooden cross was unearthed. And it was on this place that the local residents built the chapel (completed in 1816).

One of the reasons for visiting this iconic building, was to take photographs. Efraín Padró's book, The Photographer's Guide to New Mexico, accompanied us everywhere, and we diligently followed his tips and suggestions of how to get the best shots of the chapel in Chimayó.

We tried to copy one of Efraín's images from his book

In his book, Efraín encouraged us to walk around our subject and find a wide range of compositions.
We spent ages trying to figure out how Efraín got the above shot. Our conclusion was that he must have been lying on the floor! My shot is not quite as accomplished as I would like, as I didn't get the top of the gate in. I really needed to get down even lower, or use a wide-angled lens. One for my wish list!

Another view of the chapel

Efraín also talks about using creative editing in a program like Photoshop. So here is my attempt at a painting-like rendering of my subject, below.

This was another great site to visit in New Mexico. We were so lucky that Pamela was happy to take us around, and especially delighted that we had the companionship of Buckley, too!

Buckley

by Elizabeth Coughlan

Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

This is Pedernal - the flat topped mountain to the south of Ghost Ranch - which O'Keefe loved to paint.

Once the Ultimate Money Making photography Workshop was over, Juliana, my traveling companion, and I,  were free to explore the area. Fortunately, my wonderful friend, Pamela, lives in Santa Fe, and she offered to drive us to some of the local must-see places. Our first adventure was to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico. This area was made famous by the artist Georgia O-Keefe, who lived there, and painted its iconic landscapes.

This easel is set up in the Georgia O'Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, and shows the typical landscape

that she could see through the window of her studio.

O'Keefe's interpretation of the red rocks found in this part of New Mexico

The colourful rocks, typical of this area of New Mexico

Once at Ghost Ranch, we opted to go on a tour of the area to see the places where O'Keefe set up her easel, and view the area through her eyes.

This is the actual tree that Georgia O'Keefe painted in her work, Cedar Tree with Lavender Hill, in 1937.

Chimney Rock, also made famous by Georgia O'Keefe in her art

As we wandered around the site after our tour, we came across this old cart...

...and this abandoned wooden chalet. (That's Pamela taking photos).

What a glorious day we had, certainly one to remember!

by Elizabeth Coughlan

The 2014 Ultimate Money-Making Photography Workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Videography

The video workshop was everything I had hoped it would be. Tom Reissmann, our teacher, made everything seem so easy, that I came away with the feeling of, "Yes, I can do this!"

After a session in the classroom, we went out to the Santa Fe's central plaza, with a task to film what was going on there. We mounted our cameras on tripods, and diligently practiced steady panning, to give our videos a smooth look.

This is my first video. The Plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Once I had made my first video, I was then inspired to put together a sequence of images of the art and culture of Santa Fe into another video,

...and here is that result.

I must add that the music for both videos is by http://www.purple-planet.com/

Now I am busy capturing themed video clips of Istanbul. This is so much fun. Watch this space!

by Elizabeth Coughlan