A former Library Blog: Mark Stambaugh, Photographer Extraordinaire

Watching the "likes" to the photos posted on Mark Stambaugh's Facebook page is a testament to his extraordinary "eye" for taking awe-inspiring photos.

There is a certain artistic talent necessary to capture breathe-taking photos. Sometimes you learned it in classes, but sometimes it is just an innate ability to frame the perfect shot through the lens.

Originally from Plainview, TX, Stambaugh is a graduate of Texas Tech with a degree in business and worked for Gulf Oil Corp in W. Texas. He moved to the Alto area in 1987, which solidified Stambaugh's love for New Mexico and the Ruidoso area. It is evident in the many of the local landscapes shown in his work. From snow covered shots of Sierra Blanca, to sunsets over Bonito Lake, his photos adduce the wealth of beautiful scenery to be found in Lincoln County.

A collection of Stambaugh's stretched canvas photographs are currently at the Capitan Public Library for the public to view until the end of March.

Other locations where Mark Stambaugh Photography can be seen are: Weaver Real Estate, located in River Crossing on Sudderth Dr. in Ruidoso; Cornerstone Bakery; on Stambaugh's Facebook page and at www.RuidosoPhotos.com.

Stambaugh began working as a real estate photographer in 2006. He recently opened Alto Storage Buildings on Highway 48, where you can traipse around various models of Graceland Portable Building.

Next to the storage buildings is the wood yard that Mark and his brother, Coy, started providing wood by the cord and specialty items like Chimineas with pinon wood (people in the Eastern U.S. particularly liked these items). Coy still runs the wood yard, while Mark branched off into photography, real estate and portable buildings.

Mark Stambaugh will be in the Alto Artist Studio Tour the first weekend in August, August 3,4 and 5, with a preview reception at the Spencer Theater on Thursday, August 2. His studio location on the tour will be at his Alto Storage Buildings.

To delve further into the making of these fantastic photos, I asked some questions to Mark.

How early do you rise to take photos? (boy, is that a dumb question or what? Obviously BEFORE sunrise.)

Mark: For sunrise photos, I'm often up by 5:30 am.
Favorite location for sunrises:

Ski Run Rd., at least 5 miles up to locations like
Oak Grove or Windy Point. I try to find high elevation
points, with long views which have few objects

like houses, power lines,etc.

Do you find locations and go back?

Mark: Yes, I go back to these same areas often.

Preferred camera and lens?

Mark: A Nikon D810 camera, often using a Nikkor 200-500 mm telephoto lens for wildlife, and a Nikon 24-120 mm "walk about" lens for general shots, while using
a wide-angle lens for landscapes.

Do you manipulate your prints digitally? Or is what
you see through the lens, what we see in your art?

Mark: My photos are shot in a RAW format and must be
developed. I use Adobe Lightroom, to process them and
enhance clarity and sharpness, adjust highlights, and
adjust light conditions, which are often too dark.