Uncategorized Archives - Page 18 of 28 - Susan Brandt Graham Photography

September 6, 2015

Late Summer Insects

Late Summer Insects in Corrales, New Mexico

Late summer insects were certainly abundant yesterday at the Corrales home of friends Tim and Laurie. I met them years ago through the local rose society, and we have become great friends with a wide variety of shared interests. They grow many roses, but they also plant a wide variety of other things aimed at encouraging pollinators and other beneficial insects. Their land was covered with abundant wild sunflowers, and also naturalized with cosmos, brown-eyed Susans, coreopsis, echinacea, black bamboo, and one I found especially fascinating for the variety of insects it attracted, garlic chives. All of these had been intentionally planted at one time, and then allowed to naturalize their land, which was spectacular in its color. I have been there many times, but I had never seen so much in bloom at one time before. The insects seemed quite happy and were buzzing everywhere! This is a small sample.

Bees, many different varieties, were everywhere. This one seemed to beg to be photographed. The plant is garlic chives.

summer insects bee — Bee on Garlic Chives

If you read my other blog, Southwest Desert Gardening, you recently saw a dead one of these, a Western Green June Bug, also called a Figeater Beetle. On that one, it was easy to show the metallic underside, which was quite beautiful. On this image, you can see some of the metallic parts. The plant is cosmos.

summer insects june bug — Western Green June Bug, Figeater Beetle

This is a Narrow Waisted Wasp on Garlic Chives

summer insects wasp — Narrow Waisted Wasp

Although I generally am not a huge fan of the grasshoppers that arrive in late summer, this one seemed to have a beguiling expression, and I also liked the blue legs. Once again, the plant is Garlic Chives.

summer insects grasshopper — Grasshopper

Butterflies will be in a separate post.

I enjoyed the opportunity to photograph these late summer insects not frequently thought of as “beautiful,” but I liked them. 🙂

August 23, 2015

Datura: Beautiful and Mysterious

Sacred Datura

Datura grows wild throughout the Desert Southwest. Also known as Jimson Weed and “Georgia O’Keeffe’s Flower,” ranchers, among others, find it a noxious weed that can kill livestock. It has been used in rituals by some Native American groups. All parts of the plant are poisonous, and I did not grow it when children and outdoor pets were a concern. I bought my first plant at a nursery, and it has continued to reseed itself over the years.

In 2013 and 2014, caterpillars (sometimes called “hornworms;” they attack tomatoes also) of the sphinx moth really damaged my datura. This year, I have not yet seen one of these caterpillars, although I have seen several sphinx moths in the last week or so. I’m watching closely for any evidence of these caterpillars so I can remove them before they completely destroy a plant.

Although these flowers are beautiful, I find them challenging to photograph. They unfurl at dusk. At first light of dawn, they begin to droop. This photograph was made in the early morning of a cloudy, hazy day.

The seed pods are very interesting, and I expect to have images of those a little later.

August 17, 2015

Some Rainbow! Some Sky!

Tonight’s sky and its rainbow were rare, even by New Mexico standards. Although this view from my house shows a boiling sky with much turbulence up above, there was no wind at my house and, sadly, no rain. Other places nearby, however, got both.

Several things were unusual about this rainbow. First, it was essentially a single rainbow, in contrast to the many double rainbows seen frequently in Albuquerque. Even triple and quadruple rainbows are not unheard of here. A single rainbow is relatively uncommon.

On close inspection, the rainbow appears not to have a smooth edge or smooth curve, in contrast to what is usually seen. Low clouds were passing by, and light from the sun in the west was broken up in different places by these clouds, giving a somewhat jagged appearance. At one point, the rainbow appeared to be cut in half by a passing cloud.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about this rainbow was the length of time it lasted. I do not know how long it was out there before I saw it. I began photographing at 7:15:29 pm, and stopped at 7:36:13 pm. Remnants were still visible near the base when I came in. A minimum of 21 minutes is a very long time for a rainbow to remain visible, at least here in the desert!

Of course, the dominant feature in the sky was the cloud/clouds. For all of that upper level turbulence, it was calm on the ground at my house. And, the whiteness at sunset is somewhat unusual for clouds, even looking east to the Sandia Mountains.

Once again, Albuquerque and New Mexico had an amazing sky. Thanks for your patience with this oft-used phrase, dear readers.

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.

Image New Mexico 2015 — Laurie looking at some of the other art

Once again, the two images I have in this show are “The Observer/The Observed” and “Living Jewels – Harry’s Pearls.”

I thank everyone who came to the opening, and especially my friends, some of whom really had to work hard to make it there. Thank you!

June 24, 2015June 25, 2015

Image New Mexico 2015

Image New Mexico 2015 is Just Around the Corner

Image New Mexico 2015, begun by Pat Berrett and Tim Anderson, will be held again this year at Matrix Fine Art, which has hosted the show for the past several years. This is a juried photography show, and there are no restrictions on where the photographers live, but the images must have been created in New Mexico in the last two years. I am pleased to be showing two images this year, ‘The Observer/The Observed’ and ‘Harry’s Pearl’s,’ the latter from the series, ‘Living Jewels.’

Regular readers here have seen ‘The Observer/The Observed’ before. I created the image for myself in the dark days of January 2015, and did not intend to show it. But, after writer, fellow anthropologist, and friend Jim Stallings wrote a poem about it as a gift to me and my family, I decided to show it. It was in Insight New Mexico – Through Her Eyes and is currently on display at the University of New Mexico Continuing Education North Building until August 15.

Spontaneous Poem from a Treetop Crow

In the lofty life of a wise old crow
Swaying in the topmost backyard branches
Like a magical clock counting down mortality’s coil,
May it not be in some secret way
We the awed observers
Have all along been honored by a wiser watcher?

– Jim Stallings

The second image is from my ‘Living Jewels’ series. Flower arrangers are quite familiar with the dwarf tree, Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick. This spring, here in Albuquerque, Harry put on an outstanding display of male catkins. I have titled this image ‘Harry’s Pearls.’

Matrix Fine Art is located in Albuquerque’s historic Nob Hill on the south side of Central Avenue (old Route 66), 2 1/2 blocks east of Carlisle between Solano and Aliso. The address is 3812 Central Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108.

All images are available for purchase.

Exhibition dates: July 3 – 31, 2015
Sneak Preview: June 30 – July 2, 2015
First Friday Artscrawl Reception: Friday, July 3, 2015, 5:00 – 8:00 pm

If you are here in the Albuquerque area, I’d like to invite you to the opening reception on Friday, July 3, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. If you’ll be passing through Albuquerque some time in July, I invite you to stop at Matrix Fine Art to view Image New Mexico 2015.

June 8, 2015

Paco, RIP

Paco, 11/26/2001 – 6/8/2015

shelter Cat Paco — Paco Watching a Bird on a Rainy Day

Paco was a shelter cat, born to a feral mom shortly after she was captured by animal rescue.

He was a wonderful companion. RIP dear Paco.

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015

Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico

Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico includes the river, the bosque, and metropolitan Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, and others. While cities and villages are included, there are also many rural areas, even at times within the cities and villages. I spent yesterday with good friends exploring parts of the Corrales area I had never seen, ending the evening on their deck for wonderful food and great conversation.

These images are not spectacular in the sense of being in any way unusual. These are very typical images from a summer afternoon in the Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico.

This area is known for its double rainbows. It is rare to see a single rainbow. If you look closely you will see that the main rainbow includes a double portion in at least the middle of the arc, while a portion of another bright rainbow is in the left of the image. It was a beautiful sky.

When I got home last night, on the opposite side of the river, I found 1/2 inch of water in my rain gauge. The rain falling behind the rainbows was falling at my house!

It was a perfect ending to a beautiful – and typical – summer day in the Middle Rio Grande Valley!

May 25, 2015May 25, 2015

An Awesome Sky

An awesome sky in all directions last night! I was working in the study when the pink light through the window lit up the room.

New Mexico is known for its brilliant light and spectacular skies. They do not occur every day, but they do occur with regularity. It had been some time since I had been aware of one this spectacular, and it felt like an old friend. An amazing sky to the east over the Sandia Mountains as well as to the west, looking toward the Rio Grande valley.

Sunset, looking eastward toward the Sandia Mountains

Sunset, looking westward toward the Rio Grande Valley

When I see a sky like this, I am always reminded of D.H. Lawrence’s description of sunrises in New Mexico. Much the same can be said our our sunsets.

I think New Mexico was the greatest experience from the outside world that I have ever had. It certainly changed me forever. . . . the moment I saw the brilliant, proud morning shine high up over the deserts of Santa Fe, something stood still in my soul, and I started to attend. . . . In the magnificent fierce morning of New Mexico one sprang awake, a new part of the soul woke up suddenly and the old world gave way to a new.

There are all kinds of beauty in the world, thank God, though ugliness is homogeneous. . . . But for a greatness of beauty I have never experienced anything like New Mexico.

The awesome natural beauty of my adopted state…

Category: Uncategorized

Late Summer Insects

Late Summer Insects in Corrales, New Mexico

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Datura: Beautiful and Mysterious

Sacred Datura

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Some Rainbow! Some Sky!

Some Rainbow! Some Sky!

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Fading Light

Fading Light

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Dawn, 24 Hours Apart

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Image New Mexico Opening

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Image New Mexico 2015

Image New Mexico 2015 is Just Around the Corner

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Paco, RIP

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Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico

Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico

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An Awesome Sky

An Awesome Sky

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Late Summer Insects in Corrales, New Mexico

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Sacred Datura

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Some Rainbow! Some Sky!

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Fading Light

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Image New Mexico 2015 is Just Around the Corner

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Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico

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An Awesome Sky

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