Shooting Photos in Georgia O’Keefe Country
Abiquiu, New Mexico ~ Fall 2009 Karen Rivera
Shooting photos in the New Mexico outback is not for the physically frail or the faint of heart. Abuquiu is no different. Long, pothole-filled dirt roads rattle your bones and the hours of off-road hiking needed to set up a first shot exhausts even the most intrepid. Sandstorms, rattlesnakes, cactus thorns and mind-numbing distance insure that you have to earn your chance to make art.
Several hundred photos later, Evangeline finally got the shot
This fall’s trip out to Georgia O’Keefe country made me once again appreciate the effort it took the early painters to find their subjects.
Abiqui, New Mexico ~ Fall 2009 Karen Rivera
Just how long did it take O’Keefe to get to the place she set up her easel?
In the early years, she had to travel 15 miles of mesa and cross a river once she left the tiny hamlet of Abiqu. Once she moved out to Ghost Ranch, it added another 10 long, dusty miles.
Evangeline sets up her tripod
This trip had the best of all possible weather conditions ~ sunny, calm and 45 degrees. Even with a running truck, gallons of water, sunscreen and a great IPhone playlist, the adventure getting there and back was satisfying but grueling.
Quite right, shooting photos in O’Keeffe country is hard work, sun and heat will break you down. I did archeological field work on Ghost Ranch. We quit at noon. Never worked past 12:00 p.m. But a beautiful country and place. O’Keeffe knew where to paint.