News
Letter #1 April 12th 2010
Greetings
from Taos, New Mexico.
"Taos Mountain Cottonwoods", a new archival print from my
Taos, NM Photography Studio. I drive by this view of Taos Mountain and
the line of cottonwood trees almost every day, and people heading north
from Taos do the same. The scene is one of my favorites in Taos and
one I photograph constantly. I love shift of light on Taos Mountain
with the willows and the cottonwood trees, like sentinels announcing,
"you are here enjoy the view!" I am offering exhibition quality,
signed, unframed prints available in five sizes using archival papers
and inks.
8.5" x 11" $85.00
11” x 16” $135.00
13” x 19” $165.00
17” x 22” $225.00
20" x 30" $475.00
30"x 40" $650.00
FREE shipping.
To order this print please go to Taos
Mountain Cottonwoods or call my Taos Studio at 575-758-8563
The
day the elk came down.
©
Geraint Smith
From the start of my day to the fraction of a second when I took this
photo there was
a large space between two extremes, distance and time, which had to
dissolve into
one – where nothing existed but my appreciation for the scene
and the shutter release
at the precise moment when the elk jumped.
A phone message from a friend letting me know there was a large herd
of elk running through
the fields in El Prado, just north of Taos, may have inspired a mad
dash from
Eagle Nest Lake back to town to capture the magnificence of the moment.
However,
at that moment I was exactly where I was supposed to be, having tea
with a friend at
his home on the lake.
An hour later I was driving through the Moreno Valley and Taos Canyon
in a
blizzard of white out conditions with the road barely visible twenty
feet ahead.
Once again I was sure that that was exactly where I needed my attention
to be.
When I look back on that day last winter, the elk drifted out of memory
and got
lost in the ether somewhere between Palo Flechado Pass and Taos.
I remember
driving very deliberately and how my pulse seemed to slow and the rhythm
of my
day and perhaps the pace of the Elk became the part of me that said:
“be in the
moment, pay attention to the road.” My only feeling – the
finger numbing, hands
on the wheel, get around the curves moment. I experienced some form
of
detachment to any outcome of seeing the elk at all that day and continued
my drive
into town. Eventually out of curiosity for wanting to see them, I found
myself in a
traffic jam at the Overland Ranch store in El Prado.
My pulse quickened! Up ahead I could see the elk and no opportunity
to pull over
for a photo. “Just breathe,” I told myself. I remembered
an elk totem I once read:
“An Elk totem teaches you how to pace yourself. You might not
be the first to
arrive, but you will arrive without burning out.” The rhythm of
the elk had
provided me with an insight into the pace of life and how timing is
everything.
Time passed... until I arrived at a parking area on Highway 150. I pulled
over and
climbed on my car with my camera. State agencies were attempting to
direct the
elk toward the mountains to keep them from crossing the highways north
of town
but at some point the elk herd wheeled around in my direction. My heart
rate
quickened. I felt the life in my body and saw the life force in the
elk moving
quickly towards me. Fences until then, invisible against the snow were
made
visible by the elk as they rolled over them effortlessly in a perpetual
wave. I moved
my camera and found a fence directly in the path of the herd.
Two hours after the phone call, a shutter speed of 1/2000 of a second
and all the
time in the world, I remembered that I am one with nature and the rhythm
of life. This piece was first published in FIVE Magazine
You can see
more images from this story here.
©
Geraint Smith
Photography Tour with Geraint Smith July 18-23 Cost: $650
As an accomplished freelance photographer, Geraint Smith sees the world
through an intuitive eye. In this experience we will view some of the
most spectacular scenery in Northern New Mexico, all within a days drive
of the high desert town of Taos. Some sites will be familiar and some
wont! We will explore ways to create a personal view of the landscape,
people and places. The objective is to realize a style that conveys
the essence of the places we visit and ultimately expresses ones own
journey within and through photography. Come prepared with hiking shoes
and rain gear for short hikes off the beaten path and an open spirit
to be amazed
TaosArtExperiences.Com
ARTSHARE
FOR THE LAND
From
the Taos Land Trust Website
I am an invited artist and honored to be a part of this show for the
Taos Land Trust
©
Geraint SmithThe northern New Mexico landscape of god-lit, wide-open
views and traditional villages has attracted and inspired artists for
generations. Just like we can't separate culture from the land, we can't
separate art. ArtShare for the Land provides opportunities for artists
to give back by supporting Taos Land Trust's efforts to protect the
land that is their muse. And it provides opportunities for its members,
art patrons and the community to purchase beautiful artwork, while supporting
both the artists and permanent land conservation.
Local artists were invited to submit a piece of work that had some connection
to the Town of Taos marketing theme of “Return to Sacred
Places”. Images were juried and the result is an exciting, colorful
and eclectic mix of artworks – something for everyone’s
taste. The exhibition will also be on the Taos Land Trust website: www.taoslandtrust.org.
Participating artists:
Abigail Winston, Alan Heuer,William Davis ( photographer), Bruce Norman,
Carlos Barela, Carol Mell, Cindy Livingston, Danny Heim, Dianne Frost,
Dirk Herrman, Elizabeth Jose, Geraint Smith, Issa De Nicola, Joan
Fullerton, John Hutson, Jonathan WarmDay, Jon Sorg, Josie Lenwell, Kimberly
Webber, Leigh Gusterson, Lina Thewlis, Lucy Herrman, Mary Ann
Warner, Melissa Fellner, Nancy Crochet, Nancy Delpero, Pablo Flores,
Pat Woodall, Patricia Decker, Roger Martinez, Sheila O’Malley,
Stacey Huddleston, Stephen Kilborn, Steven Baumann, Steven Gootgeld
and Tracy Turner Sheppard.Thanks
What: Taos Land Trust and the Historic Taos Inn present a juried show:
ArtShare for the Land: “Sacred Places: Sacred Land”
Where: Historic Taos Inn
When: March 30 –August 2
Artist Reception April 16 4:30 pm
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