I firmly believe that no city in the world offers more wonder and inspiration for photography lovers than Santa Fe. Maybe it’s the way the rounded corners and angular lines of the adobe building bend the light. Or the way the Sangre de Cristo’s mountaintops invite themselves into every frame.

Cropping Not Needed: With Santa Fe’s distinctive light and iconic landscapes, there will be little you want to cut from the frame. Cropping Not Needed: With Santa Fe’s distinctive light and iconic landscapes, there will be little you want to cut from the frame.

But whatever it is that gives Santa Fe its unique shadow and light—combine it with the totems of Santa Fe’s people, culture, and heritage—and photographic mastery is just a click away.

Santa Fe Photographic Workshops Fuel Creative Energies

Another Santa Fe Photographic Workshops student strikes photographic gold (and sepia) (Photo courtesy of Tina Miller.)  Another Santa Fe Photographic Workshops student strikes photographic gold (and sepia)
(Photo courtesy of Tina Miller.)

For the photographically inclined of any skill level, Santa Fe offers a smorgasbord of workshops ranging from the technical to the philosophical. One of my personal favorites is Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. Offering classes year round, photographers engage their imaginations, rekindle their passion, and hone their craft, all while maintaining their personal style. Be sure to check out their expansive calendar of events. Upcoming workshops include  “A Natural Eye: The Summer Landscape,” and “Crafting Dramatic Light With Small Strobes.”

Developing Skills with Santa Fe Digital Darkroom Classes

Contrasting Images: Learn how to improve yours at Santa Fe’s Digital Darkroom (Photo courtesy of Santa Fe Digital Darkroom) Contrasting Images: Learn how to improve yours at Santa Fe’s Digital Darkroom
(Photo courtesy of Santa Fe Digital Darkroom)

If you’re like me, you feel confident in your ability to capture stirring images through the lens, but are often left asking, “Now what?”. Personalized, intensive workshops and mentoring programs offered at the Santa Fe Digital Darkroom guide you step-by-step through Adobe Photoshop®, Lightroom®, and digital photography techniques. Photographers with decades of experience and those new to the form can raise their game with the experienced, nurturing instruction here.

In addition to hands-on instruction, Santa Fe Digital Darkroom also hosts photographic tours through the city’s most breathtaking, picture-taking locales.  For starters, there’s The City Different Tour that brings legendary and off-the-beaten-path Santa Fe landmarks into your viewfinder. You can also opt for the natural beauty of Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu and the Chama River Valley as part of the Landscape Tour. And if you’re ready for something otherworldly, the Tent Rocks Tour offers a photographer’s paradise of surreal landscapes with ancient rock spires, twisting canyons and unforgettable views that comprise Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. All told, Santa Fe Digital Darkroom offers more than a dozen photographic tours, any one of which is sure to move you.

Every Picture Tells a Story in Santa Fe

Farolitos make Santa Fe architecture even more picturesque. (Photo courtesy of Thad Roan.) Farolitos make Santa Fe architecture even more picturesque.
(Photo courtesy of Thad Roan.)

A word of advice for any seasoned or wannabe photo buff planning a Santa Fe excursion: You better not blink, because you’ll find sources of visual inspiration at every turn.

St. Francis Cathedral is full of heavenly imagery.

St. Francis Cathedral is full of heavenly imagery.

If you’re looking for a good place to start, you can’t go wrong with the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, located right on The Plaza. You’ll wish you had faster shutter speed when visiting this gem that dates back to 1869. You also can’t miss (literally) the iconic Cross of the Martyrs. Located at the crest of the hill on Paseo de la Loma, this 25-foot-tall cross overlooking all of Santa Feoffers the ideal vantage point for breathtaking shots of the city.

The Loretto Chapel staircase doesn’t have a bad side The Loretto Chapel staircase doesn’t have a bad side (Photo courtesy of Matt Payne)

 

 

The hand-carved wooden spiral staircase at Loretto Chapel is a photographer’s dream, too. This marvel of craftsmanship was created with no structural means of support, and its double 360-degree spirals of velvety wood grain bathed in cathedral light make for an indelible photographic image. And when the day is done in Santa Fe, photographic ecstasy is just beginning. The applause-worthy sunsets here elicit awe from even the most seasoned shutterbug.

Santa Fe offers photographic magic as far as the eye can see

Santa Fe offers photographic magic as far as the eye can see

Make Your Santa Fe Adventure Picture Perfect

We photography enthusiasts are a restless bunch. We’re not content with standard-issue “vacation photos.” We thrive on the story within the story that great photographs convey. That’s what makes Santa Fe such a wonderland for anyone who’s been bitten by the (shutter) bug: Everywhere you turn, there’s a story, a personal narrative and the poetry of light and shadow. The best part is, you don’t need any experience or gear to capture truly awe-inspiring images. Whether you use a camera phone or a Canon, in Santa Fe there’s no way to not get the picture.