Personal Favorites
The Magic Returns
The Magic Returns was photographed on the Tremont River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in late October 2017. This was my 4th trip photographing the rivers of The Great Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee/ North Carolina border. The location is often referred to as Tremont Falls as it lays on the upper reaches of the Tremont River in Eastern Tennessee. Each year I evaluate wether to photograph the great Smoky Mountains during the Fall leaf change from Mid October through early November. The last two years I declined to photograph due to low water levels due to persistent drought. The drought conditions culminated in the Fall of 2016 when over 3000 structures were burned in the Galinburgh area. This is a standard size print; however it is actually a six panel panoramic composed of 48 high resolution images at seven levels of light. The image is a featured print during Spring 2018 at my studio gallery At Top Side overlooking Ruidoso New Mexico.
Fine art landscape photography by Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
Remnant At Square Lake
Remnant At Square Lake was photographed in the Permian Basin near the sand hills of Square Lake in Northwestern Lea County New Mexico. The location is an old stripper well originally drilled around 1980. The Pump Jack was photographed at a close upward angle using a tilt shift or perspective control lens. The use of this lens renders perfect focus thought the image. The lens also provides a strong three dimensional feel when used in this way.
Fine art photography of oilfield production assets by Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
Separators And Battery At Sunset
Separators And Battery At Sunset was photographed in the central Permian Basin on a Battery and separator complex gathering oil & gas from several San Andres horizontal wells. The image is a 2:1 panorama composited from 63 high resolution images taken with the world's sharpest 55mm lens. The image is suitable for a large fine art mural or extraordinarily detailed fine art prints from 12x24' to 40x80". Fine art oil & gas photography of production and midstream assets by Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
Baker Downhole Pumps In Sepia
Baker Downhole Pumps In Sepia features an SWD photographed in the Delaware Basin after a heavy rain storm. This is an extraordinarily detailed image consisting of 63 high resolution images composited together. The sepia or brown toning in this black & white image matches dark wood or leather in an office decor perfectly. See the Midstream or Sepia Collection gallery for other examples of oil & gas assets photographed with this sepia toning. Fine art oil & gas photography by Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
The Golden Moment
The Golden Moment features Frontier Rig 26 drilling a deep directional well in the Northern Delaware Basin. Wether on fine art paper or fine art canvas, The image looks best spot lit with 4000K led lighting. The image was taken at sunset in Western Lea County New Mexico during the dry Winter of 2018. The clouds above the rig were caused by high winds aloft passing over the Guadalupe Mountains of Western Texas and New Mexico. This cloud type is often referred to as a lens cloud. The image is a non HDR composite of 16 levels of light ranging from white to total black. This allows the sun to be held back completely to its original shape while rendering all details in the foreground and drilling rig down to the finest details. Conventional photography would only allow the drilling rig and foreground to be displayed as a black silhouette. The image is an 85mm capture made with the Zeiss Otus 85mm 1.4. The lens has the distinction of being the highest performing lens ever made. The type of lens I choose and the resolution I photograph in are a large part of the very fine detail that my work is known for.
Fine art Oil & Gas Photography by Robert D. Flaherty
. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
Holding On To Summer
Holding On To Summer features an SWD photographed against a beautiful turbulent sunset in the central Delaware Basin of Western Texas. My favorite time of year to photograph the Delaware is during the rainy season from June through October. With the right light an ordinary oilfield asset such as this one can be turned into a work of art. This image is actually a composite of 63 high resolution images into one panorama that is up to 16 times the resolution of traditional professional photography. The bump in resolution and detail allows the image to be used as a fine art wall mural as large as 20x40 feet. The image can also be reproduced as a fine art print with a sense of depth and detail that few people will ever see. Fine art prints on canvas or smooth water color paper are available from 12x24" to 40x80". Going into 2018 I will be photographing water infrastructure and Midstream oil & gas assets throughout the Delaware Basin. Commissioned projects are available.
Fine art oil & gas photography by Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
An Evening To Remember Sepia Version
An Evening to Remember is set in the Northern Delaware Basin of Eastern New Mexico. The image features Silver Oak Rig 1 drilling between Carlsbad and Artesia New Mexico just after an evening thunderstorm. The image was taken at the end of a late monsoon season in October 2017. The panorama consist of 63 high resolution images rendering 7 levels of light. The final panorama has a ratio of 2:1 and suitable resolution for a 12x24 foot fine art mural. Fine art prints with extraordinary detail are available up to 40x80". Fine art oil & gas photography by Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
An Evening To Remember
An Evening to Remember is set in the Northern Delaware Basin of Eastern New Mexico. The image features Silver Oak Rig 1 drilling between Carlsbad and Artesia New Mexico just after an evening thunderstorm. The image was taken at the end of a late monsoon season in October 2017. The panorama consist of 63 high resolution images rendering 7 levels of light. The final panorama has a ratio of 2:1 and suitable resolution for a 12x24 foot fine art mural. Fine art prints with extraordinary detail are available up to 40x80". Fine art oil & gas photography by Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
Softly Spoken
Softly Spoken was photographed on the Bonito River near Ruidoso New Mexico. The image is an abstract featuring a beam of warm light projected into a dark portion of the river just after sunrise in early April. The river flowing through the image creates a nice three dimensional feel. The photograph is optimized for 4000K lighting and is available in sizes up to 40x60".
New Mexico Fine Art Landscape Photography By Robert D. Flaherty
Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
The End Of Tranquility In Sepia
The End Of Tranquility In Sepia was shot during the 2017 Summer Monsoon in the Western Delaware Basin near Orla Texas. The image was made using three high resolution cameras calibrated together and aimed each at a third of the location. The three images are then composited together to make one very high resolution image. The use of three cameras is necessary when photographing lightning due to its unpredictable and transitory nature. The end result is the highest quality image possible. This is especially important when producing very large scale fine art photography such as a fine art mural. The resolution in this print would support a mural up to 16 feet wide. The boost in resolution also makes for very finely detailed fine art prints on canvas or water color paper.
Fine Art Oil & Gas Photography By Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
The End Of Tranquility
The End Of Tranquility was shot during the 2017 Summer Monsoon in the Western Delaware Basin near Orla Texas. The image was made using three high resolution cameras calibrated together and aimed each at a third of the location. The three images are then composited together to make one very high resolution image. The use of three cameras is necessary when photographing lightning due to its unpredictable and transitory nature. The end result is the highest quality image possible. This is especially important when producing very large scale fine art photography such as a fine art mural. The resolution in this print would support a mural up to 16 feet wide. The boost in resolution also makes for very finely detailed fine art prints on canvas or water color paper.
Fine Art Oil & Gas Photography By Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.
Storm At Dixie Battery
Storm At Dixie Battery features the electrical assets on a Cimarex battery in the Delaware Basin set against a rapidly developing severe thunderstorm. Fine art Oil& gas photography by Robert D. Flaherty. Photo © copyright by Robert D. Flaherty.