Fellow NxNWer, Michael McLean, photographs the patchwork of autumn colours in a section of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains outside Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 3rd, 2026.

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/8
• Camera: OM-1
• Exposure bias: -5/10EV
• Focal length: 35mm
• ISO: 400
• Shutter speed: 1/750s

San Francisco de Asis Mission Church in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico draws photographers and artists from around the world due to the fame of photographs by Ansel Adams and paintings by Georgia O’Keefe made in the late 1920s and early 1930s. This image was taken during our NxNW trip to Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, on October 5th, 2026.

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/6.7
• Camera: OM-1
• Exposure bias: -5/10EV
• Focal length: 8mm
• ISO: 200
• Shutter speed: 1/2000s

Adobe with character seen just off Santa Fe’s famous Canyon Road on October 4th. 2026 during our NxNW trip to Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico,

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/5.6
• Camera: OM-1
• Exposure bias: -5/10EV
• Focal length: 28mm
• ISO: 200
• Shutter speed: 1/2000s

During our trip to New Mexico, we paid a visit to metal artist Gilbert Candelaria in his studio in Eldorado and photographed him and some of his art. This striking blue bird is installed outside the studio and has a wingspan of 5 or 6 feet.

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/9.5
• Camera: OM-1
• Focal length: 18mm
• ISO: 200
• Shutter speed: 1/250s

We spotted this adobe entryway just outside San Juan de Los Lagos church in Talpa, New Mexico during our travels a week ago. The sun was at its highest at this point, so I pulled out the infra-red camera and captured this image. One of the useful things about photographing New Mexico in infra-red is that the colour of the adobe is pretty close to normal in the original IR file so there’s a lot less work needed to process the final image (assuming you want the keep the adobe looking this colour, of course).

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/4.5
• Camera: E-M5MarkII
• Exposure bias: -5/10EV
• Focal length: 11mm
• ISO: 200
• Shutter speed: 1/180s

Our trip last week wasn’t all adobe and churches. We also dropped in on the Classical Gas Museum in Embudo where owner Johnnie Meier has a fantastic collection of fuel pumps and memorabilia on display.

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/3.5
• Camera: OM-1
• Exposure bias: -2EV
• Focal length: 8mm
• ISO: 200
• Shutter speed: 1/60s

The main plaza in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico is home to this gorgeously organic-looking adobe wall containing a blue door and contrasting chile ristra. It’s almost as if the owner was wanting to create a perfect scene for the many folks who visit to photograph the famous San Francisco de Asís Church directly opposite.

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/9.5
• Camera: OM-1
• Exposure bias: -5/10EV
• Focal length: 12mm
• ISO: 250
• Shutter speed: 1/125s

We spent Monday wandering the High Road To Taos, a picturesque mountain route between Santa Fe and Taos in New Mexico. Along the way, we and made a stop in the village of Las Trampas to photograph the San Jose de Gracia Catholic Church which was built in 1760.

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/8
• Camera: OM-1
• Exposure bias: -5/10EV
• Focal length: 12mm
• ISO: 200
• Shutter speed: 1/350s

I’m just back from a whistle stop mini-NxNW trip to New Mexico where four of us spent 3 days taking pictures between Santa Fe and Taos. I still have to import the photos from all but our very first location but here’s a drone shot from last Saturday evening when we took a drive into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains above Santa Fe.

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/2.8
• Camera: L3D-100c
• Exposure bias: -1.3EV
• Focal length: 14.45mm
• ISO: 125
• Shutter speed: 1/25s

A slightly bedraggled male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) seen at Nutty Brown Farm, Austin on Saturday, August 26th, 2026.

For the technically inclined...

• Aperture: ƒ/8
• Camera: OM-1
• Focal length: 700mm
• ISO: 1000
• Shutter speed: 1/750s