My Photojournalism Pictures of 2011

My Favorite Wedding Photos of the Year

As the year ends I wanted to take a few moments and reflect on the fun weddings I photographed in 2011.  I’m looking forward to an even more productive year in 2012.

 

Marc + Meghan

This weekend I had the distinct honor to document the wedding of two remarkable people, my friends Marc and Meghan.  Their wedding ceremony, which was held at the picturesque Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm in Albuquerque, was incredibly moving and it brought me to tears.  Here’s a few frames from their day.  Blessings to you both.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busy Couple of Weeks: Poverty to Mechanical Bulls

In the last week or so, I’ve faced an extremely busy schedule photographing some challenging assignments.  One story I covered was about the fact that New Mexico has the second highest percentage of people living in poverty in the nation.  My editor, Roberto E. Rosales, suggested that I travel down to the Meadow Lake section of the town of Los Lunas, which is a very remote and poor community south of Albuquerque.  My assignment was to put a face on the recently released 2010 U.S. Census Bureau statistic that more than 20 percent of New Mexicans live below the poverty threshold, which is defined as $22,314 for a family of four.  In my search, I met a beautiful child named Marisol Franco, 15 months, who shares a trailer with her parents, and five other family members.  The sole bread winner of the residence said he’s lucky to make $25,000 a year.

On another assignment, I met and photographed Emily Apodoca, the sister of Tiffany Toribio, a mother who allegedly suffocated her three-year-old son, Tyrus Toribio, and buried him in an Albuquerque playground in 2009.

And in addition to those two difficult photo assignments, I had some fun ones too: kids enjoying the last day of the 2011 New Mexico State Fair, Friday night lights, and a portrait of a woman who runs a community center for at-risk youth.  Thanks for looking.

Dana + Candi

Monday, I had a great time photographing Candi and Dana’s wedding in Albuquerque.  They were great to work with, and I’m grateful they chose me to document their day.  Here’s a few frames from the fun.

Big Brown Bats visit state Capitol

Last Monday, while covering this year’s special session of the New Mexico Legislature, I spotted three Big Brown bats clinging to the east side of the Roundhouse.  Apparently, they were resting during a layover to warmer climates. They were the most interesting thing at the Legislature that day.

9.11.01: Looking back ten years

I wanted to share some moments I photographed in New Mexico on and shortly after 9.11.01 as a remembrance to all those who died in the terrorist attacks.

Alex + Alexis

I had the privilege of photographing the wedding last weekend of Alexis Kerschner and Alex Tappan. Yep, it was a tough assignment capturing all that fun. Here are a few of my favs from that night, I’ve still got oodles to sort through.

Zozobra

So I know everyone on Earth has been to see Old Man Gloom burn a million times. But this was my first.

It was refreshing to see so many people casting off their baggage from the past year and starting anew.

318th annual Fiestas de San Lorenzo

So I’m a little tardy in posting these but I really wanted to share. These are some of the pics I took at the Fiestas de San Lorenzo in Bernalillo, N.M. on Aug. 10, 2011. This kind of event is what I love about New Mexico.