Rio Grande Reeds

_config.yml One of the more iconic sights of the great state of New Mexico is the Rio Grande River; a once mighty waterway that rips through the middle of the state, giving life to nutrient rich farming valleys and stunning tree lines in the fall. I snapped this picture in early October, just as the leaves were beginning to change. In this post, I’ll talk about my photographing attitude for a bit.

My Canon m50mk1 has this fun little feature where it’s entire screen can swing and pivot on a hinge, which makes it easier to put the lens into difficult spots while still being able to frame a shot. That’s what I did here, as I put the camera almost on top of the water in a small boat launch. I remember it being a crisp fall morning as I wanted to take some time to be outside before the harsh winter set in. I went down to the Alameda open space with no particular goal in mind, only that mid-terms were around the corner and, for some odd reason, I just needed to get out of the house. While this was not the first shot of the day, it was the one I had the most fun with, mostly because I was able to get so close to the water and see some contrasting entities.
What was exiting about this shot is the way that the photo changed as I was taking it; the river ebbed and flowed along with the flora. I have seen some photographers be able to capture this movement, but I wasn’t up to fiddling with my settings on that day, I just wanted to take some pictures. And this is the shot that attitude left me with; I feel it’s an accurate representation of those feelings.
Thank you all again for reading, it really does mean a lot to me. See you again soon!
-Ben

Written on May 11, 2022