Just out for a drive - ended up at Wupatki

Just out enjoying the day at one of my most favorite places when I just want to get away and enjoy the grandeur and the quiet.  Met up with a very interesting fellow from Connecticut in a porsche at Lomaki.  He was driving a '91 Carrera 4 (all wheel drive) and having a great visit.  When I caught up with him again at the Citadel, I had to snap this image of his porsche, and where he had parked.  It's the little things that put a smile on my face.

 

In addition, thought I'd share some images from the day.  Started out cloudy, but ended up with these great wispys in the blue sky.  Lots of people around so I had to be patient, but in a place like this, that's easy to do.

 

 

 

Close encounter.......

Just one word of advise..... mindfulness. Always be aware of your surroundings and where your feet are going next !

I startled this fellow while hiking on Mint Wash Trail around the backside of Granite Mountain. Needless to say, I was very thankful for the warning that he gave me before I got too close. Mind you, the 4 or 5 feet that I was away from him, I'm glad to say, wasn't too close for him. I immediately stopped, backed up, and went around him giving him a wide berth. Oddly, he didn't really move that much, so I actually had time to switch out lenses, and go back in for a few more shots. I know, maybe not the smartest thing to do, considering I was atleast a mile from civilization, but he was a beautiful creature !

At any rate, always keep your eyes open and your wits about you. I let my guard down, and almost paid dearly for it. It won't happen again.

Wandering continued.....

..... and from Two Guns. An amazing place. I've got to look up the history of this place and see what happened. Maybe just the Interstate highway happened, and like most places on Route 66, just faded from lack of use and interest. Everyone became obsessed with getting "there" quicker, rather than simply enjoying the journey and the "in-betweens".

Wandering on Route 66

It's always interesting to me how differently people see and relate to the same object. Take this image of the window, for example. I rather like the sharpness of the broken glass contrasting with start white border of stucco and the soft shades inside the room. My friend, Rich Charpentier of the Airstream Chronicles Continued...http://blog.richcharpentier.com/, however, saw the same image on a different day, in a different light, and came with a different interpretation. And I really like his, as well. But that's exactly what I mean, and I think it shows that photography truly is an art, just as painting, in that it doesn't always simply document reality, whatever that is ! It's about what happens inside and how that individual chooses to share that experience.

.... just my two cents worth !

The summer/monsoon/wildfire season

Now that the monsoons have started, the wildfires can't be too far away. Happened to catch these guys at the Payson airport doing some maintenance and cleaning prior to the season. Hopefully, they won't have to be too busy this year. The Forest Service has been doing alot of clearing the forests of undergrowth, and controlled burns over the winter and spring, so we'll see what Mother Nature (and the moronic two-leggeds) have in store for us.

thinkTANK Photo

".... and now, a word from our sponsor". At the risk of being too commercial, I just wanted to pass along a recommendation and an offer.

A couple months ago, I purchased from thinkTank, their digital holster 20 for my D200, and the lens changer 25 modular bag for my extra lens. After two months of hiking all over the place with these bags, I have to say I am very impressed. So impressed that I decided to become an affiliate of thinkTANK. What does that mean to you ? Well, if you are looking for some professional photographic bags for any use, consider thinkTANK, because ..... if you click on this link, http://www.thinktankphoto.com/affiliate (or the one in the sidebar), you will be directed to an affiliate page. You will see a box that says "enter code". If you enter my special code of AP-323, you will be entitled to a free camera bag, if your order totals $50 or over. Simple. From time to time, as a reminder, I will be posting any items of interest from thinkTANK, as well, whether it's a new bag, a new offer, or just some new photography news in general.

So.... there you have it. If you are considering a new camera bag, or lens bag, please consider thinkTANK.

Desert View after sunrise

Got up early this morning and left at 3:30 am to get to the east entrance of the Grand Canyon. This weekend, "they" waived the $25 entrance fee, so I thought I would just take off and see what I could see.

It was raining all the way up, and very windy, but as you can see, some very dramatic skies could be found. It really was a nice drive, and getting there early, there was hardly anyone else walking around. I ventured out onto one of the promentories, and then explored some of the other lookout points. By the time I got back to Desert View, the parking lot was filling up, but I just had to go inside the watchtower and go up to the top. Just an incredible place.

Stopped at Wupatki on the way home and down through Oak Creek Canyon. Can't wait to process some more images. Stay tuned.

Just one of "those" walks

Every now and then, I find it necessary to just get away from this sometimes crazy world for a couple hours, and do nothing but walk and soak up all that mother earth has to offer. Yesterday afternoon was one of those times, so I found myself walking through the rocks around willow lake in Prescott. As I walked down this little path at the base of this rock cliff, I came around a corner to find my own "private" lagoon. It literally was like walking through a door into another place. I must have spent a couple hours there, just exploring, enjoying the scampering lizards, and hundreds (probably thousands) of little blue dragonflys darting about.

By the time I got back to my car, I felt rejuvenated. I'm very thankful that I have a place so close that I can go to anytime I want and just get away. Every one should have a place like that to recharge their soul.

the obvious

Sometimes, a photo presents itself such that a title, or even an explanation, is not even necessary. I think this would be one of those times.

New England vacation

We just got back from a week vacation in vermont/new hampshire/maine, and had a great time. Visiting with family and friends, and seeing all the different shades of green and lots of water. But I'm pretty sure that I'll never move back there. I really feel at home in the wide open spaces of the southwest, not to mention all the sunshine and warm temps. Had to show this photo... this car pulled up to the restaurant where we had lunch in Damariscotta Maine with our very dear friends, Stephen and Priscilla. I call it my "everyday ride in the rain in Maine V12 $250,000 supercar". No, really. I love this image because this car is "driven"... not some garage queen that only comes out on sunny days, and then just to go around the block to keep the miles down, but still get alittle exercise, but not enough to increase depreciation !

Anyway, we did have a really good time, and hopefully will be going back again soon.

HDR is fun !

Sometimes you just want to go out and warp the "normal" reality. Great day for a hike today.

the simple things

Sometimes it really is just the simple things. Just wandering around the house the other day, trying different settings on the camera, I was just snapping whatever came into view. This image caught my eye and then I decided to play with it. Without getting too metaphysical, I find sometimes, just walking around with the camera in hand shifts my normal orientation of perception into more of the "now". If that makes sense. Some times we don't "see" things because of the repetition of always looking at them. That's one of the reasons why, when I go out shooting, I like to go to places I've been before, and see if I can consciously shift my perception of the sameness, and find something different to "see". Try it sometime. It's really amazing what new discoveries you can make.

Magic Bus

It's always a treat, when you're hiking out in the middle of nowhere, in this case, being the cinderfields north of Flagstaff, and you come around a corner and see something totally incongruous. Like this bus. Why was it there ? How did it get there ? How long has it been there? Are the owners still around ... or even alive ? It's not that it's especially old, as in antique. It's not like a lot of other vehicles that you find out in the wild....shot full of holes for target practice. It's just parked there, like someone was coming back for it, some day.

At any rate, it did put a smile on my face.

Classics

Can you tell that I'm thinking about a series on old classic american cars (and their owners)? Maybe it's just that I want to relive those much simpler and slower times. I saw an interview with Ron Howard last night and he said that there really wasn't a Mayberry. Well, I'm not going to argue with "Opie", but if the town I grew up in wasn't just like Mayberry, it sure was really close to it. Everyone knew eachother (by first name), house and car doors were never locked, and grade school kids could safely walk the two miles home from school. Things were built to last, and craftsmen took pride in their work. And . . . . I really like old cars. Besides the "Big Three", there were Desoto, Hudson, Packard, Allard, LaSalle, Studebaker, and a host of other independent manufacturers. Talk about American originality !

Oh well, I'm still working out the details. More later.

Shiny

There's just something about a vintage ZR1 corvette engine done in chrome. The combination of curves and angles and wires . . . . and how it all comes together as a finely tuned machine is a fine piece of art. Art that is not only pleasing to the eye, but also performs a function, like a mechanical swiss clock. When you see something like this, you just have to step back, take a breath, and smile.

Springtime in Arizona

For those of you who don't know . . . . this is an ocotillo in full bloom ! Beautiful isn't it ? This one stands about 8 feet tall. Spring in the desert, especially a wet Spring, really brings out the colors like you wouldn't expect.

So, now you know what an ocotillo is, and what it looks like. Hope you get to see it in person sometime.

Experimentation

Don't you love discovering something new. I found some software that I started playing with, and really like the effects I'm getting. It doesn't work on all types of images, but some of the shots just come alive after using this software. It's like looking at the world through new eyes. Sometimes, things can get alittle stale, or you get stuck in a rut because you keep doing the same thing, or become so set in your ways, that you think all your images should evoke a certain style because "you" did them. Well, with this software, it's like every picture is Christmas morning. It's such a wonderful surprise everytime you tweak it one way or the other. It's really keeping things fresh for me. I think I'll try to use that attitude in my every day living. Like every morning I wake up with some new software to try out and see the day in a different light. Might be interesting.

Confirmations

It's always great when providence, spirit, karma, whatever you want to call it, gives you a message where and when you least expect it. Pearl and I were out exploring again today at someplace new north of Paulden, and found ourselves in a dry creek bed of lava rock doing what we do best, wandering, when we walked through a tunnel and on the other side, discovered some great colorful graffiti. Now I understand graffiti is vandalism, but this was in an area of very low exposure... and some very clever stuff. From there, we made our way downstream to a very high railroad overpass and on the overpass, perhaps two hundred feet above us was the graffiti that I've shown here. It wasn't until I got home, and looked at it, that I read what it said. "ASK". How many times have you, as I have been all too often, simply not taken the time to ask? Ask for directions .... ask for help .... ask for understanding .... It just made me stop and think, and tell myself that it is ok to ask.

What a great weekend this has been !

New discoveries

It's kind of funny where you end when you take one right turn after another. My wife showed me this wonderful place to explore yesterday by just telling me "take the next right, then take another right, and when you get to the stop sign, take a right".... well, you get the picture. At any rate, we ended up at this abandoned salt mine that was great fun to wander around.

So, today, we're off on another adventure. No clue where we're going. Maybe this time, we'll just turn left ! You just never know where you'll end up.

Whew ! what a month !

March is a great month. Not only the start of Spring, and all green things growing, but this is becoming a very busy month, workwise. First, I have the New Frontiers show continuing through the entire month. I've been getting good responses from that show and hopefully, it will open up other opportunities. Second, I've gotten two larger pieces juried into the current exhibition at the Sedona Arts Center. Pearl and I attended the opening night reception this past friday, and I was very gratified with the comments I received. I was also invited to submit my work for consideration of display on a semi-permanent basis. And thirdly, I was just notified that a piece I had submitted to the "Keep Sedona Beautiful" group has been awarded Honorable Mention, and will be on display March 27th with the other winning photos at a public reception.

WHEW !!! This is great ! I really like being busy like this and hope it continues. Now to search for more opportunities.

Today's the day !

So, I've been preparing for this for a month.... we'll see if I remembered everything and the setup goes smoothly.

I'm talking about my first "one man show". Granted, it's a dining room at a New Frontiers health food store in Sedona.... but it will be all mine. From today thru April 5th. I've prepared 20 pieces for display, in different sizes and prices to fill the three walls I have available to me. The great thing about this location is that it probably gets more traffic than most galleries in Sedona, so if nothing else, by the end of the month, more people will have heard of me and seen my work.

I'm really excited about this opportunity and really have to express my gratitude to my wife, Pearl, who has always encouraged me and has always had faith in my work. After today, I'll be "out there", in the public eye. After today, we'll see .......

Fitting In

I've been thinking alot lately about a new project. "Hozhq encompasses the notions of connectedness, reciprocity, balance, and completeness that underpin contextually oriented views of health and well-being" (Stokols, 1991). I've felt that connectivity with the land and the people (ancient and present) ever since we made the move to this area. Everytime we go out on a hike, we can breathe it. It's very alive. I really want to try to share that feeling, that awareness, that connectivity through my photography.

Like I said in my previous post, this year is a time of change and opportunities, and I want to make the most of it. But sometimes, "making the most" of something simply entails stopping, breathing, and "seeing".

HAPPY NEW YEAR

So the new year is upon us, and the winds of change are blowing in my direction. I don't believe in new years resolutions, but this year is the time of transformation. And I'm really looking forward to it. So many opportunities have already opened up, which will undoubtedly present more. These are definitely exciting times.

I am currently showing in a juried exhibition in Sedona, have a photo in the current Shutterbug magazine, and have submitted a portfolio (hopefully for publication) to B & W magazine. I am also approaching other galleries for showings, and will be submitting to Arizona Highways magazine. So, I'd appreciate it if you keep your fingers crossed.