Harold Hall
Retired since April 2011 and with our downtown Chicago condo sold, we were homeless, or more appropriately, home free and traveling for about nine years, no RV, no home base. In 2013 and 2014 we completed our first major adventures, six months in Europe, two months in Mexico, a month in China and have crisscrossed America more than once . In 2016 we are off on our longest tour yet, 90 days in Spain and Portugal then Eastern Europe. I called this the tour of the “a” countries since most end with the letter ‘a’. These include Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro. Weekly Blogs were written for each of these. Thank you for your interest in my photography and our home free adventures in retirement.
I was born and raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Los Alamos is also known as the Atomic City, home of the Manhattan Project in the “The Land of Enchantment.” As most kids, I did not fully appreciate the very special light, cultures or art that existed in the Southwest. Despite taking art and photography courses at the University of Utah, I eventually pursued a career in the corporate finance world. After thirty-eight years, we are exploring the world, home free.
My photos have appeared in Chicago Magazine, published in New Mexico Magazine and awarded several honors and awards from the Hubbard Museum in New Mexico in 2009 and the Grand Prize winner in their annual photography exhibition in 2010.
I am very proud to announce that I was awarded 1st Place, Grand Prize for my 2013 photography portfolio in the 12th annual New Mexico Magazine Photo contest. This has been a goal of mine for numerous years. Winning this has been the thrill of my photography career.
The condo in Chicago was sold a couple years prior to our retirement date in preparation for our retirement. With the sale of my Mom’s house in New Mexico, I can finally say we are homeless, or more correctly home-free, we are ready to embark on some really big travel adventures. Since we were not experienced international travelers, we do not know what adventures were ahead of us. I can now say that we never had a truly bad experience, no pick pockets, not major illness nor accident. All of the 70+ VRBO homes we rented, turned out mostly as advertised, no scams. All in all, a great experience for us both.
Here is the New Mexico Magazine article published in February 2013.
Because the magazine only had room to publish five of my ten portfolio photos, here are the other five from the prize winning portfolio.
Blue Fiesta – Taken at the Santa Fe Plaza during Zozobra
Reflected Light – Cliffs at El Malpais National Park
White Sands Cottonwood – From a short hiking trail in White Sand National Park
Gold in the Gorge – The Rio Grand Gorge heading to Taos from Espanola
Chamisa Breeze – Blowing in the breeze near Chaco Canyon
OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS
October 2013 – Best of Show – Dry Gulch Gallery Nogal, New Mexico
Capitol Reef National Park
February 2012 – 2nd Place New Mexico Magazine – Sense of Place
Tucumcari, NM
September 2010 – Best of Show – 1st Place – Hubbard Museum of the American West Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico
White House Ruin Canyon de Chelly National Monument
September 2010 – Honorable mention – Hubbard Museum of the American West – Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico
Greenriver Overlook Utah
September 2009 – Second Place – Hubbard Museum of the American West – Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico
“Our Lady of the Canyon” in Upper Antelope Canyon
September 2009 – Third Place – Hubbard Museum of the American West – Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico
Church ruins near Abiquiu, NM
September 2009 – Honorable Mention – Hubbard Museum of the American West – Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico
“Not Yet Spring” in Capitol Reef National Park
February 2015, New Mexico Magazine; 3rd Place
“Picnic Lake” in White Sands National Park after persistent heavy rains.
May 2017 – Best of Show – Boise, Idaho Camera Club
Iceland
May 2017 – 1st Place – Man Made Architecture – Boise Camera Club
Mostar, Bosnia Hertzegovinia
May 2017 – 3rd Place Man Made Architecture – Boise Camera Club
Along RT 66, New Mexico
May 2017 – Honorable Mention – Portrait – Boise Camera Club
Croatia Grandma
May 2017 – First Place – Abstract – Boise Camera Club
Las Vegas, NV
June 2017 – Second Place – ICPC, Inter-Club Photographic Competition
Itchy & Scratchy
Hi! I just saw your pic on NM magazine, and I found your link! I love your pics!
Have fun on your travels!! That is my dream to travel.
Melissa Hall (By the way, we are not related…)
Love the intense colors and incredible details your eye captures. I feel like I am traveling the world with you! As a novice enthusiast photographer, you give me much inspiration. Do you give workshops in the US or online?
Thank you for your kind words and compliments. No I do not do workshops or classes on line. In my retirement, that sounds too much like work. If you had an area of special interest or place to visit I could possibly make suggestions. Thank you and good luck in your photography.