Scott Newton Photo

This is my friend, Sue. Can you feel the flow in the shot? It starts back in the mountains, swirls around in the valley, and jumps right at you, off the page, from the left… Kinda like Sue.

I never really understood why New Mexico and hot air balloons seemed to be synonymous (or at least congruent) until I woke up on a fine clear morning in Taos to unexpectedly see colorful clusters of the most basic flying machines rising magically in the cool clear mountain air. Now it all makes sense.

Whenever I approach a shot, the first thing I ask myself is, “ok, what’s the essence of this…?”… (Actually that’s what I’m constantly asking myself, even when the camera isn’t in the way.) Here, the vertical highlight reflections outlining the backlit sillouetted trees topped off by backlit leaves does the trick. The composition is basic rule of thirds. Usually the simplest shots are the best.

The Tao Te Ching says, “The inner mirrors what surrounds us; what surrounds us manifests inwardly” All Is One. There’s less separation between the outer and inner than we think. Maybe there’s no separation at all. Everything we shoot is a self portrait.

I see the tree on the left praying to, and for, the listening evergreens on the right. Of course, I see spirit and metaphor everywhere.

I just got back from a trip to Taos, New Mexico. The colors were astounding, if you like yellow.

Lyle Lovett is one of those Texans (or Texians as they used to be called many years ago), who convey to the World the thoughtful, intelligent, droll, whimsical, poignant, and fun side of Texas that so often gets over shadowed by petulant blowhards like Tom DeLay. Lyle is classy, understated and smart. And he’s an Aggie. What a contradiction….but that’s Lyle…totally unique.

As I was covering one of many acts on one of many stages at the Austin City Limits Music Festival this year, I ran across this collage on the side of an equipment case. I don’t know whose case this is, or the idenity of the collage artist. This is as fine an iconic / graphic summation of the rock and roll lifestyle as I’ve seen…..

Lucinda Williams, a former Austinite, is as fine a poetess and songwriting performer as can be found on stage today. She has a great eye for detail. Her offbeat style and unique delivery make her the antithesis of the formula musician.

Robert Randolph is one of the most dynamic performers I’ve ever seen. If anyone alive today can make the deaf hear, the lame dance, or the dead rise it’s him.