Blog

Taos Munching

Food enhances travel like nothing else. Especially in New Mexico, what you're eating defines the place. If you want instant ID as an insider, order Christmas on the side when your server asks, "Red or green?" That gives you both types of chili, and lets you add as...

A Fine Vintage

Mine came without caps. There were a few scratches, but the soft front coating was mostly intact. Most important, there was no visible haze when I blasted a flashlight through it. Buzz at home - vintage 90mm f/2 Summicron v2 (1959) Old lenses are cheap. You can get...

Living in Tuff – Puye

There were about 100,000 of them when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. They were scattered among the volcanic cliffs and protected sites along the Rio Grande River, 30 settlements altogether. The Conquistadores, missionaries, and pioneer settlers called them...

Go Close – Images in Stone

Go close. Or put it this way: "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." Clan mask, Piedras Marcadas, Petroglyph National Monument Leica M10, 35mm f/1.2 Nokton Aspherical VM II That was Magnum photographer Robert Capa's famous quote on how to...

Horses for Courses – Why Different Lenses?

I was running around in headless chicken mode, preparing for a trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. I knew I'd be shooting the night sky, but wasn't sure which wide-angle lens to take. Conventional wisdom told me to bring the 25mm f/2.8 for a wider field. But I knew my...

A Night Sky of Your Very Own

I've always loved night skies. As a young child, I spent summers on the family's Western Montana ranch, far away from city lights. One of my favorite things was going outside after dinner and watching a night sky full of stars. Starfield near Pagosa Springs, Colorado...

Check Out the Bar Scene

Budweiser is universally available. Belly dancers with swords are not. Both can be found in bars and restaurants, important parts of the story when you’re traveling. My wife Pat is a food scientist, and researches eating places before we go. This usually ensures we...

Bring a Knife to a Gunfight – Short Lenses at Bosque

Don't bring a knife to a gunfight, right? Conventional wisdom says use a long lens for wildlife - at least 400mm, and longer is better for birds. And leave the short lenses at home? Evening landscape, Bosque del Apache NWR Not really. I always carry a second camera...

Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gunfight – Long Lenses at Bosque

Don't bring a knife to a gunfight. This advice from the old West is still good, especially when you're photographing wildlife. Sandhill cranes For birds, you'll want at least a 400mm lens, and preferably something longer. A 18-55mm kit lens won't cut it. You'll get...

Christmas Floobydust

My first engineering job was at National Semiconductor back in 1978. I had a huge interest in analog design, having built my own preamp and power amplifier for my keyboards when I was in college. So I would walk over to National's Building D on my lunch breaks to see...