I’ve been vacationing in New Mexico this week, in the areas of Santa Fe, Taos, and Abiquiu.  I was born in New Mexico and next to Oklahoma, it’s my favorite state.

This was the perfect place to try this week’s photo challenge from the folks over at The Daily Post @ WordPress.com.  This week the challenge is “An Unusual POV“, (point of view, that is):

Challenge yourself to rethink your ideas about what subjects are appropriate, and then challenge yourself again to find an unusual perspective on your subject.

Go out and take photos and share a shot that reveals a new and different POV.

 

Part of my time was spent in Santa Fe, thanks to a free place to stay courtesy of my good friends Matthew and Tracy Pepper.  A free place here is not an insignificant thing, especially since my visit coincided with Las Fiestas, a 300+ year old annual event that celebrates the peaceful return of the Spanish after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.   I’ll write about that in another post, but let’s just say that it added to the iconic opportunities to take photos for this challenge.

I also spent a few days at Christ in the Desert Monastery, deep in a canyon near Abiquiu.  The area, famous as the home of painter Georgia O’Keefe, is absolutely stunning in its natural beauty, solitude, and spirituality.

I took a lot of photos during my week here, trying to keep an eye out for “unusual points of view.”  The photos you’ll see on this post are the best that I could come up with.  I have to say that this really did challenge me.  What I saw in my head was in many cases not realized by the photo.  I still have much to learn.

The one that I think is the best is the one at the top of this post.  I gave it the title “Take My Hand.”  You can also see it in the gallery below.  It is the statue of St. Francis of Assisi that stands just outside the Cathedral Basilica, just off the main plaza in Santa Fe.

Vote for the Runner-up!

The shots in the gallery below are some of my other attempts at unusual points of view.  I encourage you to pick your favorite as the “runner up” by leaving a comment on this post.  Be sure to let me know what in particular you like about it.  I think it will help me improve my technique for these types of shots.