Old Mesilla, New Mexico

A few weeks ago I traveled to El Paso via boyfriend to visit his home and take day excursions into the beautiful, dry - yet surprisingly green southwest! July may not be the best time to visit a desert, but the photographic opportunities made it a shutter-happy paradise for me! Rare is the instance I get an opportunity to photograph the story of a place - the sad story of a full time undergrad - but I want to make this practice more a part of my photo career. So please bear with me.

Old Mesilla. The name is beautiful and rusty. Billy the Kid and Pancho Villa were regulars in this cantina town in the 1800's, while the U.S. and Mexico played tug-of-war with the Mesilla valley. I reveled in the color and adobe structures that make up the face of this scenic outpost. The doors! I've always been drawn to fascinating architecture and doorways, from the remains of Pompeii to Gaudi's new-age facades in Barcelona. The doors of Old Mesilla were no excpetion to this and proved a vibrant treat to the eye.

Please enjoy my summer gift to all who follow my blog!

**These images are also available for purchase**

breaking for sping

Mustang Island was a prime spot for camping as my friends and I discovered last week over break. The first few days were spent on a misty, brooding beachfront with little sunshine and plenty of fog. But the last two days were picture perfect. I couldn't resist getting some beach-y details to blog about. One of my favorite things about Mustang was the jellyfish. Hundreds had washed up, including the beautiful man-o-war. Of course I took a picture - they can have tentacles up to several feet in length - which remind me of beaded, turquoise and purple chandeliers. Enjoy!

The Fourth

BarcelonAlma

In this set I found myself attempting to be free of the PSIF, the "personal space invasion fear" that had been holding me back from capturing the people that intrigued me throughout my trip. Spain is the setting, Barcelona the focus - or rather, the people there.
The Flamenco dancer was a challenge to photograph because of the speed of her movements and the darkness of the bar. There was a lot of experimentation with the shutter speed which resulted in the slow-swing effect of her shawl in most of the photos.


















The artist. He stared me down but I photographed him anyway - nerves be damned. I love his frown.





Go Home Tourist? I refused, and instead chose to immortalize intolerance.

BoHeMiA

These are just up from a trip to Prague I made during my time abroad this spring. Though color is everywhere here, I chose a black and white finish to evoke the lived-in character that defines this timeless, bohemian "City of 100 Spires." I focused on the local people and tourists who were lucky enough to end up on this blog.

These are a few of my favorite shots I took on a trip to Ireland last week.

A ruined castle

You can't imagine the graffiti a castle ruin from 1055 sustains. At least some of it is cool...