Capturing Moments of Beauty - Nancy Totland Photography

Welcome to Nancy's Blog

My intention is to reflect upon a selection of images and to tell you a little something about the photographs and how I came to make them.

July 24, 2011

The photo above, Cliff Swallow Nests at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, is not the beginning of my story of photography, but what a wonderful place to start. I camped at Chaco Canyon last Friday night, and on Saturday morning I walked the Petroglyph Trail that connects the ruin sites of Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl. As I looked up and saw these mud marvels, I couldn't help but wonder if seeing similar nests had inspired the Chacoan people who built their dwellings a thousand years ago.

Whether the ancients of Chaco Canyon took their cues from the Cliff Swallows nobody can know for sure, but of this I am certain: Nature is always our best guide, inspiration, and solace.