Last weekend I was able to get away for a quick ski weekend with an old friend in Taos, New Mexico. In addition to some excellent spring skiing I was able to chase some good light and capture a few great mountain and sunset landscapes that back up New Mexico’s title of “land of enchantment”.
San Francisco de Asis church is a historic landmark in Rancho De Taos dating back to the early 1800’s, and remains an active church today. With it’s twin bell towers and arched entry, this adobe church blends Spanish colonial architecture and the building techniques of the Taos Pueblo people. Made famous by Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keefe, it is a National Historic Landmark and an excellent architectural photography subject. On this sunny afternoon at the tail end of winter I was able to capture a couple shots of the church’s front façade and the bell towers that really stand out in these black and white photographs.
The evening light was simply amazing on my last day in Taos and presented an opportunity for some new mountain photos that was just too good to pass up. As I was heading out of town to drive back home I took a quick detour and stopped to take in the beautiful sunset illuminating the snow covered mountains outside of Taos. Just inside the Taos Pueblo I came across these two horses doing their best to graze in a field beneath a snow-capped, 12,305’ Pueblo Peak. The wildlife was perfect for some foreground interest in this already stunning mountain landscape and dramatic sunset sky.
Lucero Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north of Taos looked magnificent lit up in the evening light under a beautiful deep blue sky with pockets of sunset color. This is definitely one of my new favorite mountain landscape photos and perfectly highlights the beauty of northern New Mexico.
All in all, it was fun quick trip and I cant’ wait to return to explore more of Taos and the surrounding area in different seasons for more enchanting New Mexico photo opportunities.
