Monthly Archives: March 2009

A couple weeks ago, on March 5th, Rick and I made another trip out to Candy Kitchen to visit our friends at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.  As always, Executive Director Leyton Cougar, escorts us around on our photo tour.  There is something really magical about visiting this place.  The animals are exceptionally well cared for and it’s clear that they all LOVE Leyton. This is our third trip out to photograph the wolves and it gets better every time.  I really never expected to actually interact with a wolf, much less to be licked in the face.  Wolves are sensitive and intelligent and, though they do exhibit some dog-like behavior, it is very obvious when you make eye contact with a wolf that it is certainly not a dog! The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that operates entirely on donations.  The sanctuary serves two purposes; to care for wolves and wolf-dogs that have been rescued from various situations and cannot live in the wild, and to educate the public that wolves must never be kept as pets. Let me put that a different way – wolves make very terrible pets.  A good deal of the animals at Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary were rescued from people who tried, unsuccessfully, to keep them as pets.

To Leyton and everyone at the sanctuary, Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us and for helping us to get these awesome photographs!

-DeAnna Dimmitt and Rick Meiers

Dry Heat Photography

One of the newest residents at the sanctuary is Romeo the Red Fox.  Romeo came from a zoo that was down sizing and when Leyton saw him he just had to do something so he and the crew built Romeo his very own, extra special, fox enclosure.  Romeo is incredibly friendly.  He is very cat-like in the way that he moves and he loves to play.  I also did not realize that foxes have a scent gland similar to, though considerably less potent than, a skunk.  When they get excited the air gets fragrant!  Romeo is the most awesome little creature.  I love him!

This is Brutus

Brutus has a very noticeable and endearing snaggle-tooth

Rick and Lucian

Raven

Leyton and Raven have a very special wolf/human bond.  It’s touching to see them together.

Raven came to the sanctuary in 1997.  For nine years he was the public face of the sanctuary, making numerous public appearances with Leyton to educate the public about wolf conservation and, again, about not keeping wolves as pets.  Raven is now retired and continues to live peacefully with his mate, Cheyenne, at the sanctuary. To learn more about Raven click here.

This is Dakota.

This is Sugar

Sugar is a little cross-eyed

This is Teton

Marla and Brandon were married on March 14th at the Church Of Jesus Christ Of LDS at Seven Bar Loop and the reception was at the Shark Reef Cafe.  Initially Rick had met with Marla and Brandon because I was out of town and I did not actually meet them until a couple weeks prior to the wedding but they have already become great friends and will hopefully become regular visitors at the gallery. I had a wonderful time at their wedding!

To Marla and Brandon, Thank you so much for making me a part of your special day!

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

There is something fun about photographing babies and toddlers.  I don’t know if it’s their true curiosity, or the fact that all the adults act like clowns to get them to smile, or if it’s the wonderment in their eyes.  Whatever it is, it makes for an enjoyable afternoon.

DeAnna and I had the opportunity to photograph Madison, Tonya and Matt last weekend, oh and Milo the golden-doodle.  What an incredibly sweet and fun family.  We had such a great time with them.  I don’t know that Milo was having as much fun though.  Granted, the barks we heard from the road made Milo sound fierce but… He is not to sure about the cameras. 

Look at those eyes. 

TOES!!!

…And Milo escapes me again.

The Family.

I really like this one.

Finally, Milo warms up to the camera.

Thank you so much you guys, we had a great time.

Until next time,

-Rick Meiers and DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

I shot Taylor and Cameron’s engagement photos in the bosque a couple weeks back.  It’s still such a great place to shoot.  There are also a couple images from a session we did at El Zocalo.  Cameron brought his motorcycle to El Zocalo, unfortunately it started to sprinkle as we were doing the shots with the bike.   At least it cleared up by the time he had to ride back, riding a motorcycle in the rain is such a drag.

Thanks a lot you two, I’m looking forward to the wedding.

-Rick Meiers

I really like this one.  The trees look so foreboding.  

Yesterday Atsuko  (Introducing Atsuko and Conrad) came to pick up her Engagement Guest Book and very thoughtfully brought me flowers too.  Now in all fairness what she brought me were not flowers yet – they were stems with buds.  I put them out in a vase and figured it would be a couple days before anything happened.  When Rick and I got in this morning I was totally surprised that the stems with buds had burst into a full boquet of the prettiest yellow Daffodils.  What a great way to start the day!  Thank you!

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

Wow, three blog posts in one day. I like that!  Here is one more Engagement Session from Angela Gaeto.  This session is at Elena Gallegos Open Space.  Amy and Mark will be tieing the knot in June at the Inn At Rio Rancho and, of course, Angela will shooting the wedding too.

Here is another amazing Engagement Session from Angela Gaeto.  I am proud to introduce you to Sarah and Josh.  They will be getting married in June at John XXIII. This session was shot at Elena Gallegos Open Space.

Angela Gaeto has just sent me a whole boat load of wonderful photos from some of her recent sessions.  This particular set is from Mark and Monnet’s Engagement Session at Elena Gallegos Open Space.  They will be getting married in May at the Holy Rosary Parish.

Introducing digital artist

ShaRi Brooks

The Dry Heat Gallery is pleased to announce that we have added another member to our stable of exceptional artists!

Digital artist and photographer, ShaRi Brooks creates what has come to be known as wOManDalas.  They begin as original photographs that undergo a magical transformation and emerge as calidescope-esque, meditation focal points.

The following is ShaRi’s artist statement:

Happiness runs in a circular motion.
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea.
Everybody is a part of everything anyway,
You can have everything if you let yourself be.
~Donovan Leitch

This refrain from the song ‘Happiness Runs’ pretty much sums the affect mandalas, or wOManDalas as i call them. has on both myself and the viewer, as seen in this quote by writer and friend Michelle Miller Allen McCallum,  “Your mandalas are so amazing, I am in awe. You found it! Endless bottomless potentials…makes me think of all the dimensions we don’t know about, of our existing…”

I discovered mandalas through Jungian psychology as a part of my post~graduate studies in art therapy at the University of New Mexico. Mandala means center in Sanskrit, the ancient East Indian language. Other meanings include “circle circumference” “completion” and “magic circle”. My wOManDalas are digitally produced in Photoshop from my original photos. As they come together, it certainly feels like magic as the pattern begins to reveal itself. On my blog, http://womandalas.blogspot.com/, I have posted a ‘Sorceress’ photo next to the wOManDala that came from it. This is the source photo from which the mandala originated. Sometimes the original image can be found in its mandala, but most of the time it morphs into a completely new and surprising form!

Mandalas are intricately linked with the movement of consciousness and are a focal point for meditation and contemplation, and I must admit, I am somewhat addicted to making them. They are my ‘apples’, as in a mandala a day keeps the doctor away

ShaRi’s wOManDalas are now available at The Dry Heat Gallery!

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Camouflage by Karen Waters

The Dry Heat Gallery would like to congratulate photographer Karen Waters for winning first place in the All God’s Creatures People’s Choice Awards!  Linda Laitner and Helen Vanderbeek were tied for 2nd place and Gail Yovanovich came in 3rd.

Early Morning Breakfast by Linda Laitner

God Bless America by Helen Vanderbeek

At Dusk by Gail Yovanovich

We would like to offer our sincere thanks to all the wonderful artists who participated in All God’s Creatures and to all the photography connoisseurs who attended!

-DeAnna Dimmitt and Rick Meiers

Dry Heat Photography