July is a nice month to reflect on earlier times of the summer. It’s brutally hot, we’ve barely received enough rain to settle the dust in the air, and the wind zaps the energy out of you the moment it picks up. It’s a great time, however, for getting quite a bit of work done on the other side of the camera. Amidst several shoots this month, I’ve spent a great deal of the waking (and some sleeping) hours writing, editing, designing, and tending to those persnickety e-mails.

Through the flurry, I found a memorable gem from Malaga, Spain. During the last few days I spent teaching in Seville, Amanda and I made a weekend trip with two very close friends to their hometown on the Mediterranean Sea. At the end of a great day spent tea shopping, listening to the sounds of a military parade, stopping in at a favorite local pub, and walking along the seaside, we had a pleasant (and tasty) dinner on the balcony of a family flat that looked southwest toward downtown Malaga, and to the southeast, the sea. The slight haze in the air warmed up the dusky light, silhouetting the mountainsides surrounding the city and giving the skyline an Old World glow among the newer construction rising around the 16th Century cathedral affectionately known as La Manquita, the one-armed woman. A nice view at the end of a nice day.

Here’s to hot summer days! More to come…

Running right on time (for this blog at least), the December desktop calendar! Pastel colors are hard to pass up in a nice New Mexican sunset, especially over a fresh coating of snow. Enjoy!

Large: 2400 X 1600

Laptop: 1440 X 960

iPad: 1024 X 1024

iPhone: 960 X 640

In West Texas, we get several nice (visually explosive) sunsets a year. We have A LOT of flat land and plenty of sky to put in a frame. I cut my serious photographic teeth chasing down evening storms and morning clouds in West Texas, and I’ve heard many photographers speak of how this part of the country offers some of the best light and atmospheric color in the world. I’ll have to agree…

I get equally excited to see such prominence in the sky elsewhere, such as this shot from Rocky Mountain National Park. It was actually my first visit to the park, and while the weather was quite inclement for a lot of early evening shooting, when that sun got below the clouds on the horizon, the sky lit up! This nice shower turned into a behemoth of structure above the peaks!

Feel free to download the appropriate calendar size below!

Large: 2400 X 1600

Laptop: 1440 X 960

iPad: 1024 X 768

iPhone: 960 X 640

Well, better late than never. It’s been a busy couple past weeks, and I’m settling in to February…finally. The February 2010 desktop wallpaper calendar is set, and all you have to do is click on the image above to see the large version. Right-click the image, and save it to your desktop!

Monsoon season hits the Big Bend area in far West Texas in the late summer/early fall of each year. This image was taken from atop a ridge at Cibolo Creek Ranch, one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the opportunity to visit. It’s settled right underneath the Chinati mountain range, about 25 minutes south of Marfa. If you’re ever in the area, it’s well worth the visit!