Southwest Photography - Arizona Treks Blog

Entries in weather (4)

Wednesday

May052010

New Project

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 1:28PM

2010-04-30-ChurchSteeple-06.jpg?fileId=6809313 For years I have noticed church steeples they usually grab my attention but I have never really photographed them. For a few months not I have been looking at them with a different eye. I decided that I wanted to do a study of them at night. I love the lighting and subtle tones and was wondering if I could do it and how well. As I was coming home from class last Thursday I drove by this church near our home and the moon was rising. I instantly knew I wanted to photograph it with the moon there but it was too late on Thursday. So Friday night, we headed over to photograph it. The moonrise was an hour later on Friday and a day later than full but we stayed there while the 2 police cars circled the area keeping an eye on us. We stayed off the property so they never stopped but we noticed them coming by evert few minutes. The moonrise was an hour from when we arrived so I walked back and forth on the sidewalk to find the angles I wanted. I made a few long exposures to get the star blurs. They were okay but just did not impress me enough to show them. Once the moon came up I metered and placed the moon on Zone 8. I then looked at the exposure time (TMax 400 film) and adjusted the aperture for a 5 second exposure. As Rod tells us, you will not get the celestial object blurs for exposures under 8 seconds. So I was careful to keep it there. I was using the 450mm lens and had the aperture almost wide open. This was a fun shoot and convinced me that I want to continue with the project. I have a few churches in the area but most do not have the steeple lit at night so I am considering shooting them at sunrise or sunset. Hit the boundaries when the light is just right.

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Wednesday

Mar242010

Fog Day

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 6:50AM

On Monday March 15 we woke up to freezing fog. In Phoenix fog is rare so I was a bit excited thinking about the possibilities. Along Farmington's Main Street would be great, but the trails along the Animas River were worth exploring as well. The bridges fading into the fog with vague outlines of the trees on the opposite banks. So we went to the park and I grabbed the 4X5, film, etc and off we went.

We went right past the first bridge and straight for the war memorial. It is a very interesting place. A line of flags of the different countries we have be at war with and plaques for the different wars and different branches of service. The visualization was strong and when we arrived there the image was strong. I made 2 different negatives but alas, one was ruined due to an error in loading the sheet. But the one here is strong and is the realization of the vision I had. My only regret was 4X5 rather than 8X10, but at least I didn't try 35mm or 645.

On the way back something in the woods to my right caught my eye. By this time the hands are almost numb and the wet has penetrated the clothes and we are thoroughly cold but I had to go investigate. The scene above was not what caught my eye but following one led to the other.

On the return to the truck we stopped at the bridge and I made the first photo here.

Arizona Treks |

Rain Rain Go Away

Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:09AM

Well, that does not really echo my sentiments about the current storm. We see this kind of weather in Arizona so rarely that I love it. If you are unaware, we are in the midst of a series of winter storms here in Arizona. A lot of snow in the mountains and a lot of rain in the desert. It has been many years since I have seen a storm of this magnitude here. Going through my library I found no rain photos but a few snow related. The photo above is along the road to Canyonlands - Island in the Sky and the one below is among the first 20 or so photos taken with the 4X5 on the Mogollon Rim in Arizona.

This storm is exciting because it opens up so many opportunities for photography, and different than the usual photos. The storm is warm so snow levels will probably stay pretty high, over 6,000ft. But rain, rivers running, snow in a few locations that it leaves quickly, just be there soon after the storm, if the roads are clear.

The possibilities are so great it is tough deciding where and when to go out and shoot. The storm is forecast to linger through Saturday but taper off. Saturday could be a good day to catch some snow but it could be dangerous if the roads are not cleared. Today and tomorrow would be nice days to shoot rain in the desert but I am really not outfitted for that as well as the consideration os high winds today.

Perhaps I will stay here and attempt to shoot some in the back yard where I can keep the gear out of the weather.

Arizona Treks |

Extremes

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 7:54AM

It has been said, if you wish to succeed, you must be willing to fail. This is true in every aspect of your life. You can not succeed without taking risks. You can not learn without trying things that may not work.

Some of the most moving work I have seen utilizes very bold contrast. Brett Weston was a master of this and I have seen others who are proficient at this as well. When done well it makes for a very strong photo. I have been looking at work that has very bold contrasts and have tried to utilize this in some of my work. However, to do it well is not as simple as it may seem.

So, here I am, in Death Valley, 500 miles from home. It is the last night there, a morning shoot then pack up and head for home. It has been solid overcast all day but the forecast for tomorrow is for clear skies. Most of the shooting so far has been in familiar places. Earlier in the day we had gone to Zabriskie Point and I was impressed by the view of the badlands there. I could visualize some very dramatic bold contrasts there as the sun first reached the badlands. So the last shoot in Death Valley was to be at Zabriskie Point.

We were among the first to arrive there and I went to a spot chosen the previous day as being the most likely to have sun first. I set up and tried 3 lenses before settling on the 210 first but then after that first shot, moving to the 480. The photo above was that first one using the 210. The one below was using the 480 from the top of the point.

I have printed a couple of these and the jury is out on whether I like them at all or not. Technically they are fine, detail where detail is needed, sharp focus, DOF as intended when shot. But artistically, the jury is still out. Some strike me right away one way or the other, some take a while to sink in. These are some of the later. However, I have found that those that take time to warm up to tend to be among my favorites for longer than those that are instantly liked.

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