1st PLACE
Glowing Grace, Shirley Estes
"The photo Glowing Grace is of my 20-foot tepee on our property in Ruidoso. This photo was taken when my husband and I went out to watch the blue moon rise on August 30, 2023. We started a fire inside the tepee to stay warm and relax, until the moon became visible. I went outside to take photos of the moon, but the fire pit and the reflection of the moon had caused an almost surreal glow coming from the tepee, so I started photographing the tepee instead. The photo was taken using my iPhone 14 Pro with no filters." —Shirley Estes
2nd PLACE
Morning Glow, Lindsay Damron
"I took this photo at the Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico during the mass accession. The sunrise perfectly rose behind the Sandias and a balloon as it was inflating—illuminating the balloon. It caught my eye and was a "right place, right time" moment. I was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and have a true passion for all things New Mexico." —Lindsay Damron
3rd PLACE
White Adobe, Tadson Bussey
"One of my frequent stops on a long list of places is the El Vado Motel, opened in 1937 as one of New Mexico’s first motels on Route 66 to welcome travelers. My first encounter was with a tiny roadside motel and its broken neon and cracked walls, to a then-closed and shuttered establishment several years later. Having stayed at El Vado soon after their renovation, I fell even more in love with the place. When a large group of friends and I were traveling to New Mexico in October 2022, I insisted that this was one of the places we needed to stay. During one of the beautiful afternoons, we explored the property with our cameras, soaking in the sunsets that New Mexico so often offers up. The light at dusk hit the adobe buildings, making them soft and sensual. The long shadows cast by the vigas became intriguing and inviting. The blue trim matched the intense blue in the sky." —Tadson Bussey
HONORABLE MENTION
Rain and Rust; Sunshine and Dust, Scott Pirtle
"The photo was taken at Bear Paw Ranch along the Gila River in the southwest area of the state. Bear Paw Ranch is a peaceful collection of cabins run by an amazing and energetic woman by the name of Rose Shoemaker. It had rained all day and night before morning broke with bright sun bursting through the remaining clouds. I took a few photos of a 1954 Chevy with a utility bed. The heavy-duty work truck had been used by UNM and WNMU, before being purchased by Rose's husband and placed on the ranch. I walked around and as I came up to the driver's side door, I saw that the window was half open. I have Parkinson's Disease, so hand-held photos can be a challenge if I need depth of field and have to slow down the shutter speed with higher F-stops. I couldn't use my tripod, and the truck was raised on blocks, so I just reached up and blindly snapped photos through the open window. When I saw the photos after transferring them to my laptop, I was flooded with unexpected emotions of riding in my father's old truck as a boy." —Scott Pirtle