Bosque Farms photographer wins New Mexico Magazine award

BOSQUE FARMS — From macro shots of tiny insects to sprawling panoramas of the night sky, Bosque Farms photographer Valerie Wells has done it all and everything in between.

Most recently she claimed a win in New Mexico Magazine’s annual photo contest with a shot of a tiny powerhouse of an insect she made in her own back yard.

Wells’ photo “Amidst the Harvest” showcases a bee resting on a sunflower past its prime.

“The initial shot was from fairly far back and you can see the whole sunflower ... then I’m zooming and I’m like, ‘Oh, I really like that.’

“I love those colors — the reds and yellows and then the cooler purple tones,” Wells says. “I thought it almost looks like spears, like the plant is presenting a defensive gesture towards the bee, when it fact it is simply resting there.”

Her entry in the animal category took first place and was published in the January/February 2025 edition of the magazine.

Wells’ affinity for insects and photography dates back to childhood, when she collected butterflies using a homemade net made from a wire coat hanger and a pillowcase. It was also around that same time that her mother gifted her a Brownie camera and another “bug” entered her life.

No matter what she was doing in life, Wells kept returning to photography, drawn to it’s variable nature.

“I can photograph a teeny, tiny insect in my backyard and by the same token, I can drive someplace and get a wonderful shot of a landscape at night with nobody else around,” she said. “It can force you out of your comfort zone, and I think too, it can be more than a little addictive.”

Between her photography work, Wells ran a construction company for more than 20 years that specialized in the decorative arts, specifically faux painting and stained/polished concrete. She worked on hundreds of residential, commercial and public works projects in New Mexico and adjacent states.

Projects included work at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Nuclear Science Museum, Mesa Del Sol, The University of New Mexico film school, several elementary and high schools and Raley’s grocery stores. More recently she has worked as a location scout for the film industry.

Born in California and raised in Kentucky, Wells moved to Albuquerque about 30 years ago, relocating to Bosque Farms in 2018.

“My parents are originally from west Texas and they wandered around a little bit, so I think that’s where I got my wanderlust from,” she said.

Living the rural life in a small village is calming and conducive to photography, Wells said, something that can be done whereever you are.

“Everybody I know who’s a pro or semi-pro would say you can do photography with any camera. Even a cell phone will suffice. Cell phone technology has increased to the point where you can get almost halfway decent star shots, night shots, with them,” she said.

While a typical digital SLR camera has a sensor about the size of a postage stamp — a difficult thing to fit in your average cell phone — Wells said she fully believes withing the next five to 10 years, the technology will be there.

“And then what the big camera companies going to do about that is beyond me. They’re going to have a hard time competing,” she predicts.

Regardless of what you use to take a photo, Wells says the key is all in the story you’re trying to tell.

“When somebody looks at that, can they get it immediately? I was trained that in photography, like fine art, your eye is drawn towards something and it naturally follows and in almost a circular fashion brings you back to that specific point,” she said. “To me, that is a sign of a very good image.”

Wells winning photograph might have been taken at her home, but she’s is adamant “you’re never gonna’ get a great image sitting in your chair watching TV.”

She points out the sliding glass doors on the back of her house, overlooking a neighboring field.

“Sure, a beautiful blue sky is wonderful but for photographic purposes, it’s pretty boring, right?”

Taking her own advice, Wells has never been afraid to pack up some camping gear and take off into parts unknown. Using a mapping application, she will drop a pin during the daylight so she can find the spot she wants to photograph later, in the dark.

“You’re sitting, waiting, and it’s cold and your feet start to turn to blocks of ice, so you just do a little exercise to stay warm and think about what’s going on. The craft forces you into patience, it forces you into that zone,” she says. “So what can you capture with your camera that you see in your mind’s eye? How can you translate that into something that is real and infinite and lasting?”