El Paso area

My daughter will be living in El Paso for 4 years. Her husband just got into med school. Any good books on photographing the area, guides, wildlife, good stuff, bad stuff...etc. All replies would be helpful, both to her and to her photographer Mother!

I can't dredge up any books, but I'll point out that "The Pass" is a great jumping off point for photography. I'm not so well acquainted with points east of there but can recommend both Big Bend NP and Guadalupe Mountains in TX as well as Carlsbad Caverns in NM. Wander north and west from El Paso, and the sky is the limit. My first stop would be White Sands national monument just north of Las Cruces. Keep going and you'll be overwhelmed with the possibilities in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. I've been "mining" that region 3-5 months a year for the last 15 years, and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. Go to this page and use the "by state" feature to explore the possibilities.

Photographing the Southwest: Volume 3--Colorado/New Mexico by Laurent Martres will be a good start. Another good book, which is specific to New Mexico is The Photographer's Guide to New Mexico: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them by my friend Efrain Padro.

Hank has mentioned some excellent locations. A few more to consider are; Hueco Tanks State Park, Fort Davis National Historic Site, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Aguirre Springs , and Three Rivers Petroglyph Site .

As hank and Adam mentioned, Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns are close to El Paso. Big Bend & Fort Davis are further away but well worth the travel time. Big Bend is one of my most favorite places on earth because it's one of the least visited national parks; not a lot of crowds unless it's spring break, etc.