Carlsbad Caverns

Firstly, Carlsbad was one place I wanted to see the last time I was in New Mexico.  Its a very busy place during the weekday, and a very challenging place to photograph. 

Even the drive there is pretty.

Now, its a long walk.  LONG and humid walk.  Bring water, folks.  Take breaks.  Don’t take pics on the way down.  Take them on the way UP, this gives you a reason to stop and view your surroundings. 

Its difficult to describe how awe inducing these caverns are.  They are not man made, they are nature made.  Different colors, textures, shadows and light that can be both eerie and brilliant. 

I’m a great fan of the Alien series (the movies).  For some reason, the way the rock melded and melts reminded me of the first Alien in that movie.  I swear, the designer of those Aliens had to have gone to Carlsbad and were inspired.

Taking photographs in an area that is near dark with spotlights on sand colored rock is a challenge.  I do not have a tripod and to be honest, that would be hard to do with all the foot traffic.  I reverted to making sure I focused perfectly – and snapped quick.  The lightening I did in post.

Can I say how humid this place is?  That being said I’m from Maine, where 100% humidity is normal.  ‘Nuff Said.

I wish we could actually touch/climb and explore.  But, alas, we can’t.  I guess we need to use our imaginations for that exploration, don’t we?

The mouth of the cave is just as interesting as the inside of the cave.  You just have to look. 

So if you are in New Mexico, totally go check out Carlsbad.