July 2015 - Susan Brandt Graham Photography

July 28, 2015

Fading Light

Fading light, at the end of a beautiful day. The light here in the high desert of New Mexico is so clear and brilliant that even an “ordinary” sunset here is extraordinarily beautiful. Even from the time I was a child passing through on family vacations, the light here has always touched my heart and soul. Fading light – a phenomenon in itself, but also a metaphor for many other things; almost anything you want it to be.

The fading light at sunset last night was nothing extraordinary for here. It was quite peaceful and soothing. The first image, with the sky itself still in various shades of grays and blues shows the pink alpineglow of the Sandia (“Watermelon”) Mountains. This image was taken at 8:11 pm, MDT. The second image, taken at 8:21 pm, MDT, shows the Sandia Mountains already almost dark, but the clouds still with a wonderful pink glow.

It should be noted these images were taken looking east toward the mountains, rather than the more typical sunset images taken looking west toward the setting sun. Here in Albuquerque we are fortunate to often have multiple views of changing light at sunset.

fading light sunset — Looking east toward the Sandia Mountains, 8:11 pm

July 12, 2015

Dawn, 24 Hours Apart

Dawn, 24 hours apart during this active monsoon season, looked very different. Each was beautiful, as New Mexico skies tend to be.

At 6:05 MDT on July 10, a light rain was still falling, after significant overnight rainfall. The overcast sky was like a giant umbrella casting back a beautiful orange pink glow, while individual clouds in the mountains provided separation and depth to the Sandias. Although colorful, it was a gentle sunrise.

The following day, at 5:47 MDT, slightly less than 24 hours later, a very different dawn appeared. The sky was clear with only a few wispy clouds, and the moon seems to sparkle as the day dawned. It was just as beautiful in its own way as the sky had been the day before.

Although different, each was typical of a sunrise in New Mexico, “Land of Enchantment” and remarkable light with amazing skies.

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015

Image New Mexico Opening

Image New Mexico Opening Reception was held on Friday, July 3, at Matrix Fine Art. This was also part of First Friday Artscrawl, as well as part of the Independence Day holiday weekend. I went with the intention of enjoying myself, and I did. These are casual phone photos from the evening. Thanks to friend Tim Price who took the images of me. (We know about the glare on the glass at the beginning of the evening 😉 )

The majority of the images are black and white. Some are classic New Mexico, some show what can be done with digital art not “straight from the camera” nor intended to be. It is nice mix. The show will be open through July at Matrix Fine Art.