Aspens, Northern New Mexico
This is the title of a famous photograph by Ansel Adams, which he shot in 1958 driving along the road to the Santa Fe ski area. Evidently he was on a photo trip with some of his famous friends, and stumbled on this scene after a less-than-productive day searching for the perfect shot. One of his other great photos, with the moon and lenticular clouds over the Sangres, also was a chance shot, so I guess that’s a lesson to look for opportunity under the most ordinary of circumstances.
Ansel Adams, Aspens, Northern New Mexico, 1958 (from Christie’s). Expensive!
I’ve been trying to find the spot where he took it, and I think I found it, a small clearing on the right side of the road as you drive up to the ski area. It’s been nearly sixty years since the photo was taken, so most likely the trees have grown up or died, but it has a familiar background of a few trees growing on the side of the cliff and a small flat area with thick grass and shrubs.
Aspens, Northern New Mexico, October 2016
Aspens in detail!
A bit further up the road, pines in the fog. Given the amount of moss, this is probably a pretty wet area.
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