Building Clouds North of Albuquerque
Late spring/early summer clouds build over the desert north of Albuquerque.
Building Spring Clouds North of Albuquerque (2022), outside Albuquerque, NM (21″x46″)
Panorama of Approaching Storm
A series of full panoramas of an approach storm over Albuquerque, New Mexico. I included both color and black and white versions – each seems to have its own focus and strengths.
Approaching Storm over Albuquerque (B&W Panorama #3, 2022), Albuquerque, NM (22″x86″)
Approaching Storm over Albuquerque (Color Panorama #3, 2022), Albuquerque, NM (22″x86″)
Storm Clouds from NM 556
Storm clouds over the Sandia Mountains, shot from NM 556 in the North Valley outside Albuquerque. Two crops- one of them removes the tree in the foreground on the left. Can’t decide which I like more, so I shared both panoramas.
Storm Clouds over Sandias from NM 556 (Color #1, 2022), Albuquerque, New Mexico (20″x54″)
Storm Clouds over Sandias from NM 556 (BW #2, 2022), Albuquerque, New Mexico (20″x40″)
Late spring rain clouds over Sandia Wilderness
Panorama of spring rain clouds over the Sandia foothills and Wilderness area near Elena Gallegos outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Rain Clouds over Elena Gallegos (Panorama #1, Color), outside Albuquerque, NM (20″x50″)
Approaching Storm
I was briefly in New Mexico for a couple of days for work, and I was lucky enough to overlap with a much-needed series of rainy, cool days. Here is one photograph I took of approaching storm clouds over Albuquerque. I purposefully made the focus 95% the sky, with very little hint of ground in the frame.
Approaching Storm (BW #1, 2022), Albuquerque, New Mexico (12″x22″)
Fields and Clouds at Bosque del Apache, Part 2
Grasses glow in a field under the setting sun and winter clouds at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.
Fields and Winter Clouds (#2, Color), Bosque del Apache NWR, NM (12″x21″)
Fields and Clouds at Bosque del Apache
Fields and winter clouds at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.
Fields and Winter Clouds, Bosque del Apache NWR, NM (12″x21″)
Mountains and Clouds at Bosque del Apache
I love to drive down to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in central/southern New Mexico and watch the cranes land around sunset. However, I’m not a wildlife photographer, so I like to arrive early to stroll around before sunset and look at the clouds, surrounding mountains, and open fields.
Bosque Mountains and Winter Clouds, Bosque del Apache NWR, NM (15″x22.5″)
Sandia Ridge in Clouds
A fin of rock along one of the ridge lines in the Sandia Mountain Range pokes up into the clouds.
Sandia Ridge in Clouds (Single Frame #1, 2021, B&W), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (22.5″x15″)
Loo with a View at Galisteo, NM
Old outhouse on the Galisteo Basin Preserve outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Outhouse and Hills, Galisteo Basin Preserve, New Mexico (16″x31″)
Sandia Mountain Winter Storm, Part 5
After shooting a several panoramas, I used my ND filter to make a few long-exposure photographs of the passing winter storm. I shot a series, ranging from 30 seconds to 6-7 minutes. There wasn’t enough blur in the clouds at <30-60 seconds, and at >3-4 minutes the clouds started losing most of their texture/blur, so I decided to share the 61s and 91s exposures.
Sandias and Winter Clouds (ND Single Frame 61s, 2021, Color), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (15″x22.5″)
Sandias and Winter Clouds (ND Single Frame 91s, 2021, Color), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (15″x22.5″)
Sandia Mountain Winter Storm, Part 4
After shooting a series of panoramas, I decided to make several single-frame photographs focused on the foothills and the patch of light on the mountains in the background. Here is one of my favorite single-frame photographs.
Sandias and Winter Clouds (Single Frame #1, 2021, Color), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (15″x22.5″)
Sandia Mountain Winter Storm, Part 3
Another panorama of the Sandia foothills as winter storm clouds lift over the Crest. This is one of my favorite sets of photographs from the evening because the brighter foothills and clouds seem to frame the dark mountains. I can’t decide if I like the color or black and white version of the panorama better, so I decided to post both; the clouds appear more dramatic in the black and white version, and the foreground pops out more in the color version. Note the splash of light in the far left mid/background on the foothills.
Sandias and Winter Clouds (Panorama #8, 2021, Color), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (21″x76″)
Sandias and Winter Clouds (Panorama #8, 2021, B&W), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (21″x76″)
Sandia Mountain Winter Storm, Part 2
Last week I posted a panorama that focused on the path in the foreground, but for the second round of panoramas, I decided to focus more on the dramatic clouds draped over the mountains.
Sandias and Winter Clouds (Panorama #4, 2021), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (21″x64″)
Sandias and Winter Clouds (Panorama #3, 2021), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (20″x52″)
Sandia Mountain Winter Storm, Part 1
Winter storm clouds obscure the top of the Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Sandias and Winter Clouds (Panorama #1, 2021), Cibola National Forest, New Mexico (18″x67″)
Santa Fe National Forest Winter Storm Clouds, 2019
Winter storm clouds gather behind cholla cacti on a plain west of I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Cholla Cactus and Winter Storm Clouds (B&W Panorama #4),
Santa Fe National Forest, NM (16″x40″)
Bosque del Apache Sunset
Around sunset, geese begin to return to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge after spending the day in fields throughout the Middle Rio Grande Valley.
Bosque del Apache Sunset (#1), Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM (16″x39″)
Bosque del Apache Sunset (#2), Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM (16″x36″)
Sandia Mountains and Clouds, 2019
The road to the Sandia Tram winds up the Sandia Foothills outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Road to Sandia Tram and Storm Clouds (B&W Panorama #1), Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x68″)
Road to Sandia Tram and Storm Clouds (B&W Panorama #1), Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x53″)
Sandias and Winter Storm Clouds, 2019
A lone juniper stands on a grassy slope in front of the Sandia Mountains in the high desert outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Juniper, Storm Clouds, Sandia Mountains (B&W Panorama #6), Cibola National Forest, NM (16″x38″)
Santa Fe Summer Sunset
Red setting sun casting shades of orange and pink across layers upon layers of summer clouds in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Unfortunately I wasn’t in a spot to get a nice foreground, but the sky was fantastic.
Summer Sunset over Santa Fe Botanical Gardens, Santa Fe, New Mexico (23″x30″)
Santa Fe, NM Summer Clouds
Bulb exposure of gathering summer rain clouds over a sculpture at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Meow Wolf Sculpture and Summer Clouds, Santa Fe, New Mexico (12″x18″)
Cerro Bonanza, NM
While driving from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, I stopped to photograph the shifting evening light on passing clouds and Cerro Bonanza.
Cerro Bonanza and Evening Clouds, near Santa Fe, NM (16″x54″)
Looking North from Sun Mountain, Santa Fe, NM
The shapes of the clouds appeared to mimic the shapes of the foothills outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Clouds over Baldy Peak and SF National Forest, near Santa Fe, NM (16″x54″)
Spring Clouds over Santa Fe National Forest
Late winter/early spring winds blow tumbleweeds against a fence as clouds pass over the Santa Fe National Forest near Route 16 and Peña Blanca, NM.
Clouds over Santa Fe National Forest, near Peña Blanca, NM (16″x47″)
Luke Parsons Photography 