Postcard from Tucson–Palm Pond

I took this picture some months ago in Agua Caliente Park, a small park located on the far east side of Tucson, up against the Rincon Mountains. The original image lent itself nicely for a black and white treatment.

And as I have said here before, black and white is not as easy as it looks. In fact, in so many ways, it is harder than working in color. It is why I admire all the pre-digital black and white photographers who worked their magic in the darkroom. Fortunately for me, I don’t have to do that to create good black and white images.  No more messy and smelly chemicals, or manually dodging and burning, or timing printer exposures perfectly. I can do it all now in the digital darkroom.

Still, it takes a lot of work, as well as study and practice to come out with decent black and white images. Often, I must spend more time creating the black and white image than I do with color. In color photography, the colors are predefined, whereas in black and white, I must experiment with many shades of gray to find the right combination for a good image.

Mind you, I am not bitching…I am just making you aware of the work it takes in case you want to try it for yourself. I love trying to create the perfect black and white image. I doubt I will ever do it, but it is fun to try.

Postcard from Tumacacori

In the last blog, I promised you a photo of an even older mission that San Xavier De Bac….and here it is. It is called Tumacacori, although its official name is “ San José de Tumacácori.” It lies about 30 miles south of Tucson and is part of the Tumacacori National Historical Park.

The name "Tumacácori" may have derived from two O’odham words, chu-uma and kakul, having reference to a flat, rocky place. The Jesuit priest, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino established it as a mission in January 1691, making it the oldest mission site in Arizona. For many years, though, it was a visita or visiting station of the mission headquarters at Guevavi. It was until the early 1800’s that the church was actually built. The Franciscans began work in 1800 on an ambitious undertaking - a church that would match the frontier baroque glory of the celebrated Mission San Xavier del Bac. It never quite made it.

Since 1917, over $20 million has been spent on the preservation and ruins of this now-famous mission.  And, it is a great place to roam around with one’s camera, especially io the lovely afternoon in winter and early spring. Try it sometime.

Postcard from Tucson–Mission at Sunset

(Note: computer and monitor issues prevented me from doing any Postcard blogs for the last week. But all is right again in that area and you will being seeing this blog again on a more regular basis.  Thanks for your support and patience – JRC)

Its been a while since I’ve shared any pictures from Mission San Xavier del Bac. To refresh your memory, this lovely old mission church (and school) lies just south of Tucson…in fact, only a few miles from my home.  On this particular day, we had some amazing clouds in the skies and it turned out to be a fantastic night for shooting sunset shots.

While this image is not a picture of the church itself, the San Xavier Mission was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. It is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona.

On my last visit, the church’s west tower was under renovation and was surrounded by scaffolding. That is gone now and I look forward to going back to photograph again…when the skies are just right, of course.

In my next blog, I will show you an even older mission church that is not quite in as good of shape.

Postcard from the Painted Desert

This lovely scene is from the Painted Desert in eastern Arizona. It is part of the Petrified National National Park. If ever in this part of Arizona (about 115 miles east of Flagstaff), it is easy to get to as it sits right on Interstate 40.

As one writer describes it: “It took millions upon millions of years for nature to create this natural canvas of unimaginable design that some describe it as a multi-colored layered cake. The Painted Desert draws upon the earth’s indecisive nature. From shifts in the earth’s crust brought about by temperamental volcanoes and earthquakes to complete inundation by fresh and sea waters alike, a veritable host of elements have breathed life into this area. Colorful sediments of bentonite clay and sandstone, stacked in elegant layers, feed off the setting Arizona sun in an ever-changing display of colorful splendor.”

Could not have said it better myself.

Postcard from Tucson–Massacre

It was a tragic Saturday morning here in my adopted city. A deranged gunman, shot our Congresswoman, then proceeded to shoot 19 other people. Six of them died…a federal judge, a nine-year-old girl, an aide to the Congresswoman, and three senior citizens.

No one knows the motive yet and maybe if we did, we wouldn’t understand it as it possibly comes from a mentally unbalanced mind. And according to witnesses, the killer was not done yet…he was changing magazines when he was knocked down and captured by a few people at the scene. The new magazine had 31 more bullets in it.

It was hard to watch the NFL playoffs that day as I kept switching channels looking for more information. I was shocked like most people and was looking for updates and answers as to why it happened. As more and more about the accused comes out, the answers may wind up being well beyond our logic.

The shooting took place just a few miles from where I live. I often shop in that area, so the killing ground is very familiar to me. I didn’t know about the “meet and greet” event scheduled there and would not have gone even if I did. Congresswoman Giffords represents the 8th District, and through a quirk of gerrymandering, I am just outside that district. But no matter. This was something that happened in my town and it makes me sad for my town, my state, and my country.

I find myself especially saddened at the death of the 9 year old girl, Christina Green. She went to learn more how government works as she was just elected to her grade school student council.  So ironic and sad. Such a promising life, snuffed out by a deranged gunman.

On Sunday, I took my daily walk over by the University Medical Center, on the campus of the University of Arizona, where Congresswoman Giffords is recovering. I took these pictures at the scene with my small pocket camera. The photos are not my usual pictures of beautiful places, but have an emotional impact never-the-less.

Our local sheriff started the inevitable rhetoric about political hate and violence and how Arizona has become “the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” I found his comment despicable and not helpful at all. Of course, the news media has carried that ball and made it worse. This was not a hate crime nor a politically motivated one. It was the product of a sick mind and should be isolated from any such conversation about politics.

It is true that our political debates have become quite polarized and filled with unbelievable rage on the left and right. The fact that Gabrielle Giffords was on Sarah Palin’s “Hit List” with a bull’s eye target next to her name has outraged Democrats. Trust me…the Dems have done things just as bad. You see, this is an era when using rage is how one gets elected.  Both sides use this tactic, thereby promoting reactionary anger in electorate. And rage is what drives up TV ratings, so it is widely used in the dissemination of news and reaction.

Did all this anger and rage affect the accused killer? Perhaps some of it wound up in his sick mind being twisted all out of logical proportion…it would not be the first time. Nothing good ever comes out of hate and anger. Will this kind of tragedy happen again. No doubt it will. To paraphrase a quote from the Bible…”As you sow, so shall you reap.”

Postcard from Chiricahua

It’s been a while since I showed you any images from Chiricahua National Monument in Southeastern Arizona. This wonderful, but way-out-of-the-way park features rocks of all kinds in strange formations or just by themselves.

I found this one on a trail and just liked how it stood out by itself, surround by bushes and pine trees. The clouds against a lovely blue sky helped make it a marvelous image. Notice the smaller pine tree growing out of the base of the rock. To quote a line from the movie Jurassic Park…”Life always finds a way.”

Postcard from the Olympic Rainforest

Yes, this is a simple photograph, no great sweeping vistas or raging rivers, or even spectacular sunsets. Just a photo of a small piece of nature along a trail in the Olympic National Park rainforest on the west side of the park. It was a trail, deep in the park, that led to a lake, whose name I forget.

I never did get to the lake as I was stopped by large pools of water along the trail. I was able to traverse a few of them, but not the big one about 1/2 mile from the lake.

I took a few pictures along the way, scenes similar to this. These photos attempt to convey a peacefulness and solitude that can be found in places like this…a quiet rainforest where you can only hear the wind rustling through the trees and a few birds chirping their songs.

While photographers like Ansel Adams influence my works when doing grand vistas, its another photographer, the legendary late Elliot Porter who inspired me to look down and see the quiet little corners of nature to appreciate what they are. You might remember his name the next time you are in a bookstore or library and want to see some beautiful photos.

Postcard from YPG–The Rocket Launcher

Here is another photo/sketch from the outdoor military museum at the Yuma Proving Grounds.  This is a portable rocket launcher that looks as if it was ready to go. Of course, it isn’t.

If you remember back a few weeks ago, I published a similar image from YPG…a tank, from those bygone days of war.  I had fun out there this one day around Thanksgiving photographing this ancient military hardware…then playing around with it in some of my filters inside Photoshop.  One never knows what one will get when one starts to experiment.

Happy New Year to you all.