"So what have you been doing?"

This is a question that I am asked fairly frequently nowadays. Usually I say something about volunteering at the state park or creating a newsletter for the Friends of the state park group. I also sometimes say that I joined the Dona Ana Camera Club. In the few months of being a member I have made a couple of friends, been asked to teach a course on beginning digital photography at a November Symposium, learned how to mount, mat and frame photos for exhibits, and most excitedly, had three of my pictures accepted for the September Exhibit at the Branigan Cultural Center. This exhibit is part of New Mexico’s Centennial Celebration and will be here in Las Cruces for a month and then move to the Deming Museum for October. Yea,, you can say I am pretty exited!

This is the description from the Branigan website. And this is the card that the Branigan produced to promote it:

The guidelines for the photos were that they had been taken in New Mexico and that they reflect the theme “This Enchanted Land.” Neither was particularly difficult for me. I have had time to take and process more photographs  than ever before, and I really have fallen in love with this area. Despite its occasional warts, this is the place where I was meant to live. I know that now.  

Now, a look at the photos I submitted and a few words about each:

”Mesilla Valley Takeoff”
This was snapped last January on an absolutely gorgeous day in Dona Ana. I missed the beginning of the first day but returned extra early on the second day. I set up, drank coffee and waited for the launch to begin at about 7 am. Perfect weather, perfect light, perfect background and a pretty fine picture. I only took about 200 pictures but this was my favorite.

“Heritage Museum Reflection”

This was an early spring morning when we went to the museum for the first time with our friends Bill and Clair. After looking at the exhibits there, we grabbed some food and sat out in the courtyard absorbing the wonderful sun warmth. I saw that dead wild grass and figured and snapped off a few pictures but something was clearly missing. As I moved around it, I looked up to see the bright beautiful blue sky reflecting off the museum windows. Two pictures later I was done. This one just says spring to me.

“Only Onions”

I almost did not submit this one but when I brought it to a camera club meeting and got so many positive comments, I just had to. I took this one on a little farm in Mesilla. Pepper plants surrounded it, but there was this huge strip of onions, ready to be picked and photographed. Two days later they were gone so I feel lucky to have not procrastinated that day.

The exhibit opens next Friday, September 7^th and continues for the entire month.