Cover Art

Check out the Winter 2010/11 cover of the internationally distributed Route 66 Magazine and you will find a stunning photo of the Route 66 Malt Shop by our own Melissa Lea.

Over the years, Melissa has turned her camera on the many, unique sights along Route 66. The subject has held a fascination for her since childhood when she traveled to California with her parents. In 2006, she drove the route solo from Chicago to Santa Monica. “When you travel Route 66,” she says, “you are able to see the uniqueness of America as it really is. It’s not like driving the interstate where you see mostly chain stores that look the same everywhere.” And she particularly likes the Malt Shop, because it is “still alive and taking a step toward the future. Most people only take pictures of the old and dying landmarks and don’t pay enough attention to the ‘Mother Road’s’ success stories.”

Melissa shot this picture at dusk with a tripod. Neon is a particularly difficult subject to photograph but she handled it like the master photographer that she is. You can view more of her Route 66 images in our gallery.

A New Gallery Member

Every now and then we, at The Albuq - uerque Photo - graphers Gallery, make a few changes. Members sometimes leave for a whole host of reasons. Long time member Val Isenhower left to devote more time to various projects. So a new member joined us. Her name is Melissa Lea. This is what she has to say about herself.

"Everyone is born with a gift from the Creator. My gift is interpreting the energetic spirit of nature through the art of photography. My photography takes a person visually to a certain place in nature. In turn, it takes one further spiritually to that place to experience its essence. I feel blessed to experience the beauty and wonder that surrounds me on a physical, spiritual and creative level. And, I am excited to share these experiences with others through my photography."

Melissa has traveled through Europe, Canada and The United States. When she travels in The US, she mostly travels the "Blue Highways" and has focused on "The Mother Highway," Route 66. Her images have been published in Route 66 Magazine and American Road Magazine.

Join us in welcoming our newest member, Melissa Lea, to The Albuquerque Photographers Gallery, located in the Poco y Poco Plaza in Old Town.

Route 66

One of my colleagues at the gallery and co-op suggested that I make more matted images of my Route 66 pictures because during her shift at the gallery some visitors had asked for matted prints of one particular image in various smaller sizes. I thought that was a good idea so I'll add a few new images to my collection at the gallery during the next week or so.

She suggested that I add pictures of the old hotels that dot Albuquerque's Central Avenue and that's also a good idea. Most of them are pretty worn. Their neon lights are broken or don't work at all, but they do reflect a bygone era when most travelers drove across country on the "Mother Road." In Albuquerque, Route 66 actually approaches and pass through the city from four directions; east-west, which is the route we typically think of, but also north - south from Santa Fe to the South Valley which was the pre-1937 route.

Even though I've photographed a lot of these old buildings, there's still lot's to photograph. Wish me luck.