Bosque del Apache, by Olivia Discon
As college students, waking up before sunrise is not a typical morning for us. However, we were excited to see the Snow Geese start their day and take flight across the beautiful New Mexico sky at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge!
Bosque del Apache
On our tour of the southwest, one of our key objectives is to expand on our basic understanding of photography and apply it to the sites we visit along the way. Wildlife photography, as we’ve come to learn, is its own beast. While there are some habitual patterns of particular creatures, it is impossible to truly know what they might do next. However, we were up for the challenge!
Of course, the Snow Geese were the feature of this visit, as the sheer number of them joining in their morning flight could not be missed. They must have enjoyed having their photos taken, because they took flight two separate times, making for some variation in photos on our part.
What was most rewarding to capture was a lone Bald Eagle perched atop a tree trunk, scanning the horizon for its next meal.
Funnily enough, Cinthia and I almost missed this exciting catch, as we had just left the area to get a different angle. In the end, we were able to get some photos that we were proud of, along with the satisfaction that comes with experiencing nature.
We left Bosque del Apache with some additional photography experience under our belts and great anticipation to look back on our photos!
Lunch at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
By Cinthia Villarreal
Taking a break from the great outdoors, we made a stop at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to have lunch with former LEAP Ambassador, Karla Bush; her husband, Cameron Bush; and their friend, Richard Cravens. Karla and Cameron attended Texas Tech School of Law and are now successful practicing attorneys. It was great meeting these two, and it was inspiring, particularly since we are following in Karla’s LEAP footsteps.
Mr. Cravens, who is also an attorney, attended New Mexico School of Law and has recently published a book, Self Help: A Novel, which we had the chance to read in advance of our trip. Over lunch, Olivia and I received quality advice regarding law school and work ethic. Both Cameron and Mr. Craven made it clear that law school is a difficult journey, but a rewarding one. They noted that we might not be able to outsmart all our fellow law students, but we can outwork them. It’s not every day that we have the chance to speak to three attorneys over lunch–let alone such highly successful and candid attorneys! We were very grateful to have their perspective as former law students, and we would like to thank Karla, Cameron, and Mr. Craven for taking the time to visit with us.
Bernardo Wildlife Area
By Olivia Discon
To close our day filled with new experiences, great conversations, and learning opportunities, we decided to end our day as we started it; by watching the New Mexican landscape. This time, however, we set up in Bernardo Wildlife Area to catch the large flock of birds before nightfall and also just see nature’s beauty.
This go around was truly a sight to be seen. There were thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese awaiting their final flight for the day before getting some sleep, which we watched with both awe and envy.
These birds have not been in their typical sleeping spot as of late, so we had no idea what to expect as to their location or their destination. Accordingly, we split up and went to different locations to maximize our coverage.
Eventually, after some squabbling and feeding, it was time for liftoff!
The birds swarmed the orange sky in such a way that kept you glued to their elegant movements. The mountainous and open landscape made for some photos that were a good faith attempt at capturing the beauty of the scene.
We could not have ended our day with a more rewarding and serene experience. Just like the Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes, it was time for us to make our way towards a place to rest.
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