ANDY JONES LOVES NEW MEXICO. He appreciates the variety of the landscapes, finds beauty in the sunsets and dark skies, and enjoys exploring the outdoors. And yet. When the St. Louis transplant hears other photographer friends gush, “Our state is so beautiful,” Jones feels a twinge of something—not doubt, really, but that sense of knowing that getting a great photo is much more difficult than it seems.
“I aspire to paint New Mexico in a positive light,” says Jones, who moved to the state in 2016. He had previously entered our annual Photography Awards once before, and this year bested more than 1,400 submissions to earn both the grand prize and a first place. “But, boy, does this state make you work for it.”
He recalls traveling three hours back and forth between his home in Albuquerque and the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness for three straight days to get a night sky photo with a specific foreground. But each time, he came up empty, growing ever more frustrated with what he viewed as a failing mission. As Jones hiked back to the car on the final night, however, he listened to a podcast about managing expectations that flipped his mindset. Looking around, he noticed a gorgeous sunrise over the rugged landscape. “I got several photos I was really happy with,” he says. “It was awesome.”
Pam Dorner's "Golden Feather" took the grand prize in New Mexico Magazine's 23rd Annual Photo Awards.
The stay-at-home dad carries that lesson with him now, whether he’s photographing landscapes, chasing storms, or experiencing the outdoors with his two young children. “If you leave yourself open—being mindful of your surroundings and the timing of things—something will happen, a window will open,” he says. “You just have to embrace it. That seems to be the case with a lot of New Mexico.”
Few people understand that as well as Pam Dorner, a previous grand prize winner and one of the judges for this year’s awards. She was happy to see both aurora and eclipse photos as finalists. “The northern lights are tough to shoot in Alaska, but it’s tenfold here,” she says. “Even with today’s technology, to capture such an image takes preparation, patience, skill, and much time under the night sky.”
Whether it’s the images of the northern lights, bees in our backyards, or neon along Historic Route 66, I’m thankful that so many talented photographers put in what it takes to showcase the wonders of our state, and grateful that New Mexico Magazine can once again share them with all of you.
Read more: From the aurora borealis over a lonely barn to the neon lights of Route 66, these images reflect the beauty, wonder, and complexity of the enchanting moments, big and small, all around us.
