Postcard from Tucson

I’ve started a new project (or picked up the pieces of an old one)…photographing some of the architectural wonders of Tucson.  Since I live here, why not.? Easier to photograph here than Paris.

My project, for the most part, will focus tightly on some of the smaller details of our architecture, and will mostly be in black and white. This photo, of course, fits neither of those two criteria. But I was out shooting early Sunday morning and I always wanted to shoot this scene without people in it.

So while I captured several good architectural images later in the day, I had to get this one while I had the opportunity. I will explain more about my new project when I show off some of those images.

But, of course, this does qualify as an architectural photo. It is the walkway in front of the old Tucson Courthouse. I’ve shown you a painting I did of the entire courthouse some time back. This walkway is on the other side of the picture. I love the arches here and have always been a fan of arched walkways and their courtyards. This kind of arched walkway is very prominent in several European countries. I have even found some here in America…the last one, besides this one, being inside a student dorm at the University of Chicago.

I found another interesting walkway similar to this one, without the arches, on the University of Arizona campus. As I said, it is similar, but quite a bit different. I will show it to you soon. I promise.

Postcard from Utah

How could one not stop and take a picture like this? I was traveling east on picturesque Highway 12 in Utah. I was east of Bryce Canyon and west of Escalante. I had just spent 4 days camping and hiking (and photographing, of course) in Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon National Park….the very westerly section of Highway 12. Now I was traveling east to see more of the most beautiful highway in Utah.

This photo was taken just outside the small town of Henrieville, UT…looking east. The red rock/mountain formation you see is called Powell Point and is one of many beautiful sites you see in the Grand Staircase of the Escalante National Monument.

The clouds this day, were of course, a major bonus. I think it rained a little off and on that day, but had stopped by the time I got to Escalante. From there, the real beauty of southern Utah begins.

Postcard from Mt. Rainier

In a less visited corner of this magnificent National Park lies a grove of old, first growth trees known as the “Grove of the Patriarchs.” It is about a one mile walk from the main road through some of the most beautiful forest you have ever seen. Part of the trail runs beside the Ohanapecosh River.

Soon, the trail divides and you cross the creek on a swinging bridge and head deeper into the forest, until you enter the Grove of the Patriarchs. From there, the trail becomes a boardwalk to help protect this old forest from the crush of too many visitors.

From here, you feel like you are on sacred ground. Groves of ancient Douglas-fir, hemlock and Western red cedar trees leave the air musty sweet. Many of these trees are over 1,000 years old…some have 30’ foot or more circumferences…they have survived fires and floods and even the ravages of man.  

This photo is more artistic and less designed to give you a feel of an old growth forest. In the future, I will show you images of the trees that grow here. But, better yet, if you are ever in this great park, set aside some time to visit this place for yourself. You will never forget it.

Postcard from Chicago

The date was 10/10/10…an unusual date to be sure. It was the day of the Chicago Marathon, a major event not only in Chicago, but in the world of marathon runners. They come from all over the world in many shapes and sizes, some runners, some walkers, and a few who can do neither.

I captured this photo as a so-called handicapped participant in the race came around the corner near mile marker 19. He was actually way ahead of most of the runners. He moved quickly as his arms kept spinning his back wheels, only leaving when he had to negotiate a turn.  It was a herculean effort to stay ahead of the pack and attain his best personal time over the 26 mile course. No matter what his final time, he is a champion and one that inspires awe and admiration for us more fortunate humans who have the use of all our limbs. I wondered that day if I could do this, given his same situation. I tend to doubt it.

But in fairness, I raise my glass in tribute to the thousands who competed that day, but to this fellow especially.

Postcard from Tucson–Book Fest

The annual Tucson Book Festival is probably my favorite event in Tucson. Too bad it only happens once a year. In only its third year, the event is now the 3rd largest event of its type in the nation. This year, over 400 published authors, many extremely well known, came here for the two day celebration of books of all types.

As you can see, there are a plethora of tents all over the mall area where you can purchase books, attend seminars, meet authors, get your books autographed, and visit many other publishing-related vendors. The photo above shows you just some of tents outside…there are many more off to the right.

For me, the best part of the festival are the author talks and workshops that occur in classrooms and tents on the University of Arizona campus. There are hundreds of them, but sadly you can only do five a day as they are held in the same time slots. When the lists come out, I spend a few hours going over them and narrowing down the ones I want to see…then make my final selections. Sadly there are always two or three events held at the same time and I have to make a hard choice. This year, I carried the list on my new Droid X phone, so I knew where to go for each event. Love that phone!

The second photo shows you one seminar I attended called, “Scene of the Crime: Place as Character.” The mystery writers there include Martin Cruz Smith, on the far left (Gorky Park, Polar Star, and many more)…and Cara Black, center, author of the Aimee LeDuc mysteries that take place all over Paris. It was held in one of the large tents set up on the mall.

Other events I attended were on such diverse topics as science fiction, constitutional law, astronomy, puzzles, writing, sports and more. I got to meet and speak with folks like the famous sports writer Frank Deford and the writer of many great thrillers, James Rollins. 

Like last year, C-Span 2 was also here showing live book talks on both Saturday and Sunday. I attended two of those and saw the camera pointed at me a couple of times, but have not seen the videos yet. 

In such a short space, it is difficult to explain how much I enjoyed this festival. If you are an avid reader such as me, look for a festival like this somewhere near you.  Or next year, plan to come down to Tucson and see this one.  By the way, the weather was perfect, right around 80 degrees.

Postcard from Mt. Rainier

This photo, taken in Mt. Rainier National Park, is the base of Narada Falls. And yes, the rocks are really that gold color. They really do look like large chunks of gold, made even shinier by the water. 

I remember this trip to Mt. Rainier as it was my one and only visit to this great park in the Northwest. Imagine that, living for 15 years in Washington State and only visiting this natural wonder only one time. And here’s another dirty little secret…I never made it to Mt. St. Helens.

What makes this trip even more memorable for me, was it was my first expedition into the wilds with my first, brand new digital camera, an Olympus E-300. I remember shooting on the first day in the park and not being really pleased with my shots. So I took a hotel room outside the park’s western entrance, got out the camera manual and read it in depth and discovered where I went wrong. (You know the old saying about electronic gadgets…when all else fails, read the manual). The next day’s shooting produced much better photos.

This shot of Narada Falls was done on the second day. The falls are just a short walk from the main highway and worth every step. I did shoot the entire falls, but like this one the best as it highlights the gold rocks, which, to me, are just as important as the falls. When one is shooting a scene like this, one should always shoot at different angles, as well as wide angle and close-ups. You never know what may jump off the screen at you when doing post-processing.  

Postcard from Tucson–Wishing for Spring

It won’t be long now…it’s early March and Spring is about to be sprung. Here in Tucson, it feels like Spring already…temperature in the 70’s and low 80’s, plenty of sunshine, baseball underway…but no flowers yet, like the ones you see in this photo.

I shot these lovely flowers last year in early April at the Tohono Chul Park here in our fair city. That park is dedicated to Southwest plants and flowers and no doubt I will be out there again in a couple of weeks. I showed you some of the flowers from there last year. But, like most of you, I am getting impatient for the real Spring to kick into gear again.  If you live in the north climates, you must be more than ready.

Don’t ask me the name of these flowers as I don’t have a clue. Remembering the names of flowers is not my strong point. So I just enjoy the beauty they bring to our lives…and thanks to photography, I can enjoy them all the time.

Postcard from Newport

The Oregon Coast is a wonder of nature and is always there for all to appreciate. I’ve driven it a few times, always with my camera because there is so much to enjoy and capture forever.

This photo of a beach near Newport, Oregon is a simple, yet expansive photo of the drifting sands caught in one moment of time. Go to this spot today, and it is an entirely different sight. When I saw this scene, I was reminded of some images I’ve seen of the sands of Death Valley and White Sands, NM. In these photos, it is all about patterns and texture.

I had no doubts when I photographed this scene it would be rendered in black and white. The sand is brown, but as I have said here before, color can distract the viewer from seeing the true intent of the photographer. By rendering the scene in black and white, you see what I want you to see and the image becomes more emotional. The patterns and textures jump out at you. Add to that, a classic S-Curve, and you have instant depth.

But enough of the photo lessons for now. Just enjoy the view.

Postcard from the Goosenecks

Last time, in my postcard from Mexican Hat, I briefly mentioned Goosenecks State Park. It’s an interesting place with a great view. I’ve never shared any photos of the place, because, quite frankly, my few pictures of the place were terrible.

The original images are the perfect example of why you never shoot at midday and you never shoot into the sun. I have worked hard to clean up this photo to make it presentable for viewing, but it is definitely not on my masterpiece list. I show it to you only because I want you to see part of the incredible views at this Utah State Park.

I stopped here briefly to eat lunch while on my way to Canyonlands National Park further north. I was amazed by the view and so sorry that I didn’t make it here at a better time of day, photographically speaking.  The river you see here meandering through the 1,000 ft. deep chasm is the San Juan River (I incorrectly identified it in my last blog as the Green River…sorry).  The river meanders back and forth, flowing for more than five miles while progressing only one linear mile toward the Colorado River. From this viewpoint, there is another gooseneck off to the right…just could not fit it all into the lens.

As I said, the only way to photograph the scene was to shoot almost directly into the sun, which accounts for the flares you seen in the photo. Still, it was a nice place to have lunch.