Category Archives: People

Celebrations, Places to Shoot, Travel

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with Arizona Highways PhotoScapes

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We’ve reached the end of my six-year stroll down memory lane before COVID wiped out the 2020 workshop season. As it turns out, I also had already posted about the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta back in March so…here it is again. Why re-invent the wheel, right? 😉

After all of my workshops for 2020 were either canceled or postponed to 2021 I did end up working a one-day class at the Flagstaff Arboretum. The lessons taught on macro photography by Amy Horn were great but I did not take any photos myself due to the lack of a monsoon season and therefore a lack of wildflowers. So, here you go…The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta revisited!

If you’ve never been to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta you really must put it on your bucket list. There was really nothing about it I didn’t like, ok, well…maybe the cold mornings, but it was ALL worth it!

Without a doubt, you will be there with a whole lot of people, so prepare yourself for the crowds if you are a landscape photographer and used to being by yourself.

But here’s the cool thing…you are RIGHT down on the launch field mingling around with all of the balloons and their crews. We did not meet a single crew that was not happy to talk with us about ballooning and showed incredible patience in answering everyone’s questions.

As in landscape photography, the weather will dictate whether the ballons launch or not. Rain, wind and fog are common events that ground the festival.

The sheer amount of envelopes (that’s what they call the balloon part) and how close they are to each other will blow your mind.

Getting there early for Dawn Patrol is also pretty cool…literally. Dress for it. Albuquerque is at 5,000 feet and pretty chilly in the early morning.

  

Shooting the balloons as they heat up the air is a crapshoot. I have several frames that are black because just as I was releasing the shutter the pilots turned off the fire. You are going to want high ISO in the morning because shooting with a tripod is difficult as you are constantly changing where you are aiming.

As the first wave in the mass ascension take-off it was hard for me to be patient and wait for the following waves and the sunrise. These early ones, before sunrise, are just not as brilliant as the ones with the sunlight on them.

I’m all about color, patterns and design. It was fun, though, once I got home, to play with black and white on some of the images. I dug the flags.

At times, as they flew overhead, it seemed you could reach right up and shake the pilot’s hand.

We went to the Gas Balloon launch one evening. It was definitely one of the highlights of the workshop. SO fascinating. These folks fill their balloons with gas (hydrogen or helium) and do a distance race that lasts 3 days or so. They dress like they are going to the top of Everest as the balloons fly at several thousand feet where the air is much cooler.

They carry lots of sand so they can get lift by dumping it. This poor team was tossing out a LOT of sand as they weren’t getting the lift they needed to get into the airstream with the other teams. For more info on this type of ballooning check out this article: http://www.ltaflightmagazine.com/gas-ballooning-faqs/

I think you will find it interesting and it’s a quick read.

Now for the REALLY fun part. All balloons launch during the mass ascension each day. They also have the Special Shape Rodeo which highlights these balloons.

 

I’ve never taken so many images in a single day in my life. And I swear, each day, I was seeing balloon shapes and colors I had never seen before.

The festival is in October. Hopefully, by then the Coronavirus will have calmed down and our workshops and mass gatherings will be back up and running.

Until then, stay healthy, wash your hands and keep shooting!

Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Flowers, Historic Buildings, Nature, Outdoors, Photo Workshops, Photography, Places to Shoot, Summer, Travel, Uncategorized

Black and White Photography, Flagstaff

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Black and White imagery can be stunning and powerful. In August of 2019 Joel Wolfson, a local Flagstaff photographer, was the instructor on an Arizona Highways PhotoScapes workshop on black and white photography held in Flagstaff. Flagstaff is one of the greatest places to be in the state of Arizona in August. I live here and I love working with Joel so I agreed to volunteer for the workshop. Like night photography, shooting in black and white is not my jam. I tend to turn color photos into black and white as an afterthought.

It was a three-day weekend workshop that began on a Friday with a long classroom session before shooting in the afternoon. It ended on Sunday by 3:30. It included two morning shoots, three afternoon shoots and lots of time in the classroom for critiques and lessons. There is a LOT to learn about black and white photography.

We learned about the zone system created by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer around 1940. The technique is based on late 19th century sensitometry studies. The Zone System provides photographers with a systematic method of precisely defining the relationship between the way they visualize the photographic subject and the final results. Although it originated with black-and-white sheet film, the Zone System is also applicable to roll film, both black-and-white and color, negative and reversal, and to digital photography. Joel taught the process of making this work. It’s going to take some practice.

We photographed in the mountains around Flagstaff…

as well as in town at the Pioneer Musium on Highway 180 and a little downtown.

If you are looking to up your game in the black and white genre this is the workshop for you. I had fun meeting some great participants and photographing in my hometown. It’s funny how little we do that.

Happy Shooting!

AHPS, Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Cultural, Historic Buildings, Nature, Outdoors, Photo Workshops, Places to Shoot, Summer, Travel, Weather

Chasing Monsoons with Arizona Highways PhotoScapes

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It was a good idea. As long as I can remember, and I’ve lived in Arizona since 1971, the monsoon season has arrived right on schedule. It generally begins when we get a consistent dew point in the 50’s and runs from about mid-July through August, give or take a couple of weeks. As the afternoons heat up the thunderheads begin to build and they can pop up anywhere. It’s not like a storm you can track from California. When I first attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff I could set my watch to the daily afternoon showers and thunderstorms. But with climate change, last year’s monsoon season was dubbed a non-soon. Much like 2020.

It was scheduled as a four-day workshop. The idea was that we’d convene at 9:00 in the classroom, learn about weather patterns, how to read weather apps and radar, learn where to go for the storms that just pop up in the hot Arizona afternoons, and be ready to load the vans and head in any direction from Phoenix, located in the center of the state. Thursday wound up being a tough day with a classroom full of excited photographers and nowhere to go.

It was decided that the next day we’d head in the direction of a historically rich corridor of monsoon activity, interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson.

We had class from 9-12, lunch from 12-1, then we headed to Tucson. With no storms forming, we photographed the Mission San Xavier del Bac. It’s always a good choice for people with cameras.

It’s crazy to think of the lives, people and stories that have wandered these grounds over the centuries.

To think of the folks who have sat in these pews and prayed.

A storm cell popped up around Benson, south of Tucson. By the time we got there, this was all there was. It had mostly dissipated as quickly as it had formed. We shot until sunset then grabbed some food and headed back to Phoenix. We got back to the classroom at 11:30.

Saturday was a similar situation. We headed south of Phoenix but this time only went as far as Florence. No storms popped up on the radar…ANYWHERE, so we photographed the desert. Again we were out until 11:00.

Sunday we spent half the day in the classroom doing photo critiques with what we DID shoot and dismissed.

Again, the idea was a good one, too bad the weather didn’t cooperate. Highways has since taken this workshop off the schedule, for obvious reasons. Maybe someday, when weather patterns settle down, we can get back to it. I still learned a lot about weather and photographing storms. They can be dangerous for you and your gear so keep a safe distance from lightning and have rain gear for you AND your camera always ready.

Stay safe out there and Happy Shooting!

AHPS, Architecture, Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Historic Buildings, Photo Workshops, Places to Shoot, Travel, Urban Art, Urbanscape

Bisbee Women’s Retreat

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I just realized I already posted a Women’s Retreat blog to Bisbee back in March when everything was shutting down and the pandemic was getting busy. Oh well, in case you missed it…you can look up the last one from March 2020 OR you can enjoy this one. 😉 Interestingly enough I chose some pics the same and some not. Either way, if I continue in the order of things from the latest to newest workshops I’ve been on you get to visit Bisbee again. Which isn’t a bad thing. I like Bisbee.

I love urban art and patterns. There is SO much of that in Bisbee one could shoot for days…or weeks. I see something new every time I go back.

Such an interesting combination of sign and statue. Like…are you welcoming me to…the end? Yikes!

Keep an eye out for the murals both on main streets and in alleyways.

Here are some plants and a pet that requires little attention.

The gates to homes alone would make an amazing photographic collection.

But don’t forget to look up as well as the windows are equally interesting.

Lighting fixtures and shop signs don’t disappoint either.

 

There is a small town nearby called Lowell. It is basically a  single main street with old buildings, cars, and the Bisbee Breakfast Club. THE place in town to go for that first meal.

We spent a whole morning after breakfast just shooting up and down this street.

I also love door handles and locks. The textures, the patterns, the colors, the history!

Flowers could be found growing up between sidewalk cracks and in people’s yards.

Check out the March issue of this workshop, I went into a bit more detail and didn’t want to just repeat the whole thing again. Bisbee is rich in mining history and was built in the hills so there are a LOT of steps to go up and down if you want to see where people live. Otherwise, most of the town is down low.

I hope you make it there someday when travel becomes easier and I’m hoping for another women’s retreat there too!!

Happy shoooting!

Adventure, AHPS, Animals, Animals, Architecture, Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Boating, Cultural, Flowers, Historic Buildings, Nature, Outdoors, Photo Workshops, Places to Shoot, Travel

Vancouver Island, B.C.

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In June of 2017, I went on a dream come true workshop…Vancouver Island. A dream come true workshop for me includes a perfect mixture of urban and nature shooting opportunities. The workshop was run over six glorious days with a really fun group of participants. The photographer, Shane McDermott, grew up on the island so he was wonderful to follow around.

Here’s one way I could tell I was extremely inspired on this trip, I squeezed the shutter over 3100 times. Over twice from any other workshop. It still remains the highest number of images I’ve taken in my career with PhotoScapes  (except for the Albuquerque balloon festival last year but that’s another story).

We arrived in Vancouver (the city) on a Saturday in June. “We” included two participants that happened to be on the same flight and Megan, my fellow volunteer. My good friend Amy Horn was already there. Megan and I had some volunteer errands to run before we hooked up with Amy,  and the two participants we knew and headed out to explore the city. It was suggested we head to Stanley Park and Granville Island, so we did.

Seriously, I was like a kid in a candy shop. We walked and talked and laughed and I kept having to run to catch up because everything caught my eye. And the workshop hadn’t even STARTED yet!

The next morning we took the ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. I think I FINALLY got the difference between the two! LOL!

The morning fog was beautiful.

The workshop began for Shane at 2:00 pm in our hotel in Victoria. For the volunteers and participants, it began with breakfast Sunday morning, rounding everyone up and getting them to the ferry then to our hotel. After introductions and an overview, we headed out to the inner harbor to photograph. Victoria is such a beautiful city.

I could shoot boats all day long.

The Parliament Building was amazing.

Growing up in Arizona and having spent my entire adult life in Flagstaff I am used to the art and culture of Navajo and Hopi first nations people. It was SO much fun to be exposed to those of the northwest. I was especially enthralled with the totem poles.

The Inner Harbor also boasted fun tattoos and cool floating homes.

The rain was a constant companion and made for some beautiful images.

The next day, after a morning shoot at Beacon Hill Park,  we headed to world-renowned Butchart Gardens. It did not disappoint. Be sure to plan a full day for this venture, especially if you plan to photograph. We allotted four hours and in that time many folks never got past one or two of the gardens! I wandered all the way to the back and found the ocean and more boats!

Another tip would be to arrive, walk the entire property then go back to the gardens you feel most inspired by. Don’t get sucked into the first ones. Not that they are not beautiful but there is so much more!

Tuesday morning, following our third trip to the Inner Harbor, we loaded the vans and headed to Port Renfrew a couple of hours up the coast. On the way, we stopped by Royal Roads University and photographed the grounds there. It was beautiful. Royal Roads University is located on the grounds of the former Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) at Hatley Park National Historic Site on Vancouver Island. Following the decommissioning of RRMC in 1995, the government of British Columbia created Royal Roads University as a public university.

The coastline of British Columbia stretches approximately 27,000 km, including countless islands, bays, inlets, and arms.  Port Renfrew is the last step into this remote area. Considered the “Jewel of the West Coast” and the “Tall Tree Capital of Canada”. Port Renfrew is the southern entrance to the Pacific Rim National Park and the world-renown “shipwreck life-saving trail” now called “The West Coast Trail”, and the beginning of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.

Yes, we stayed n these cabins. Check out the low tide.

We spent Tuesday afternoon, all day Wednesday and Thursday morning exploring this wild area. My favorite part was our walks along the coast.

 

We drove back to Victoria on Thursday afternoon. Friday was a big day. We had our final classroom session before heading to the dock and our whale watching tour. The tour finished at 1:00 and by that evening I was visiting family in Northern California. Here’s what we saw on the whale tour.

We each had to wear these survival suits. They were really hot but would save our lives should we end up in the ocean.

Ocean-going tankers and whale collisions is a real problem.

Another tour boat.

If you ever get the chance to visit British Columbia I highly recommend it. SUCH a beautiful place. I hope you enjoyed the tour, I’d do it again in a heart-beat.

Until next time, Happy Shooting!

AHPS, Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Historic Buildings, Nature, Outdoors, Photo Workshops, Photography, Places to Shoot, Travel

Vermillion Cliffs

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My third Women’s Photo Retreat was located in one of my favorite areas in Arizona, if not the planet. The workshop was called  Vermillion Cliffs but in reality, we shot much of the workshop in the Glenn Canyon National Recreation Area at Lee’s Ferry. Here’s how it went down.

Again we had a bus with an amazing female bus driver who was herself an artist. She liked to create her pencil drawings with broken pencils she found in her wanderings. Pretty cool stuff. Anyway, since we were on a bus I was able to be picked up in Flagstaff before we headed north to the Arizona Strip, that piece of land between Grand Canyon and Utah where very few people live.

From Flagstaff, we stopped at the Cameron Trading Post for their world-famous Navajo Tacos. I can’t remember if we went straight to the hotel or not to check-in but either way, my journal says we spent from 3-6pm photographing Navajo Bridge, Lee’s Ferry, and the Paria Riffle, the first little rough water on a Colorado River trip through Grand Canyon. Lee’s Ferry is the launching point for such trips, commercial and private alike.

Navajo Bridge is the name of each of a pair of steel spandrel arch bridges that cross the Colorado River near Lees Ferry in northern Arizona. There are two bridges. The newer bridge carries vehicular traffic on US 89A over Marble Canyon between southern Utah and the Arizona Strip.

Prior to completion of the first Navajo Bridge, one of the only Colorado River crossings between Arizona and Utah was located about 5 miles upstream, at the mouth of Glen Canyon where Lee’s Ferry service had operated since 1873. The ferry site had been chosen as the only relatively easy access to the river for both northbound and southbound travelers. By the 1920s, automobile traffic began using the ferry service though it was not considered a safe and reliable crossing as adverse weather and flooding regularly prevented its operation.

The original bridge was dedicated on June 14–15, 1929 with an official name of  Grand Canyon Bridge. in 1934 The state changed the name to Navajo Bridge. After the new bridge opened in 1995, the original bridge was closed to vehicle traffic but remained opened to foot traffic.

The endangered California condor has been re-introduced into this region recently due to its remote location and lack of human habitation and can often be seen roosting on the bridge’s metal parts. 

Lee’s Ferry initially served as a military outpost for 19th-century settlements in Utah, a center of limited gold-seeking, and since the 1920s, the principal point at which river flow is measured to determine water allocations in the 246,000-square-mile Colorado River basin. Lees Ferry demarcates the boundary between the Upper and Lower Basins of the Colorado River; the states which make up each basin are legally allocated one-half of the river’s natural flow. Glen Canyon Dam impounds the Colorado River a short distance upstream and completely regulates the river flow past Lees Ferry.

Saturday morning we woke up early to catch the sun rising on the Vermillion Cliffs from the boat ramp at Lee’s Ferry. To our delight, we ran into the legendary photographer Gary Ladd shooting at our same location! He’s been published in Arizona Highways Magazine numerous times and instructs for us in workshops as well.

To the right, you can see some blue rafts. These private boaters packed the night before and launched later that morning.

On our way back to the hotel for breakfast, we strolled down this road to the Lonely Dell Ranch. Lee was a practicing polygamist who built cabins for two of his families at Lee’s Ferry, in what became known as “Lonely Dell”. Lee’s ferry started service on January 11, 1873, ferrying Mormon settlers across the river. Tensions rose between the settlers and the Navajo, whose lands were being occupied by the settlers, resulting in the construction of the Lee’s Ferry Fort at the crossing in 1874. No conflict arose at the ferry, so the fort became a trading post, then a residence. In 1877 Lee was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre. In 1879, the LDS Church bought the ferry rights from Emma Lee, granting the ferry service to Warren Marshall Johnson and his families. A number of structures remain in the district from the polygamist period of the Lee and Johnson families.

Here we are having breakfast with Gary. He ran out to his car, grabbed some books, signed them, and sold them. He’s a great storyteller and was fun to hang out with.

Following breakfast, we had some downtime to download and edit our images. We then met at the house we, (the photographer, other photoguide, and myself), were staying in and had lessons and critiques before heading out to our sunset shoot along highway 89 leading out of the valley we were in.

The next morning we drove across down 89 and turned onto Badger Creek Road. From here we photographed the wide-open spaces and distant storms.

On the way back we stopped at an old trading post built into the rocks near our hotel at Cliff Dwellers Lodge.

The erosion of sandstone formations leaves crevices, caves, and overhangs with which to build. Over time, travelers and residents found creative ways to use these natural features as temporary or permanent shelter.  Around 1927, Blanche Russell’s car broke down as she traveled through this area. Forced to camp overnight, she decided she liked the scenery so well that she bought the property and stayed. The stone buildings under these balanced sandstone rocks were built shortly after that in 1930.  I believed she ran it as a trading post of sorts. A place for travelers to stop, purchase provisions, and rest.

I like pebbles.

And so concludes a jam-packed three-day women’s retreat in Northern Arizona. Following the morning shoot, we headed back for breakfast before packing, loading the bus, and driving down 89 toward Flagstaff. After they dropped me off at the gas station near my home they headed down interstate 17 to phoenix, I’m sure reminiscing about fun memories just created and those of past women’s trips. What a fun group!

If you are interested in future women’s retreats go to Arizona Highways PhotoScapes website and look up Amy Horn. She is the current photographer leading these trips and she is amazing. Not sure what it will look like in the coming year or two with COVID-19 on the rampage but something to keep in mind nonetheless.

Until next week…Happy Shooting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

AHPS, Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Historic Buildings, Nature, Outdoors, People, Photo Workshops, Photography, Places to Shoot, Travel

Best of the West…truly.

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In May of 2016, I landed the mack daddy of trips…Best of the West. This epic journey, and yes, I use that term a LOT with these workshops, had truly set the bar for me for locations and people I got to meet and spend time with. This adventure was seven days long, began, for me, in Sedona and ended with the bus dropping me off at my home in Flagstaff. We had 14 participants, two photo guides,  our photographer/instructor, and a bus driver.

Unlike the Oregon Sampler, we photo guides did not have to drive. That allowed us more time to get to know our clients. And what an amazing group.

Here’s a sampling of who I met:  an eyewitness to 9/11, a guy who served two years in the Egyptian military, a WWII vet from the battle of Okinawa, a guy who survived a broken neck from an avalanche, a father and son team, a lawyer from Peru, a stroke survivor, an anesthesiologist, a urologist, an avid runner with a double knee replacement, another person from Manhatten and a couple of friends from Washington State. Not to mention my amazing co-guide, photographer, and bus driver. I fell in love with them all while spending seven days on a bus and over 650 miles, sharing amazing locations and many meals together. The participants drove over 900 miles as their workshop began in Phoenix.

As I said, I joined the party in Sedona where my wife dropped me off at the hotel. The shooting locations were as follows: Sedona, Grand Canyon South Rim, Page, Monument Valley, and Canyon de Chelley. We spent one night in each location, except for Page where we spent two. We photographed sunset at each new location and then sunrise the next morning before heading off to our next destination. As of this trip I had never been to Monument Valley. Go, it’s beautiful. All of the other places are among my favorites on earth.

It doesn’t matter how many times I go to Sedona, a quick 30-minute drive from my home, I am amazed at its beauty. This was our initial afternoon/sunset shoot.

The next morning we hit Airport Mesa for sunrise and were treated with some hot air balloons in the distance.

Before heading to Grand Canyon we dropped into Slide Rock State Park for some water action.

The grand landscapes easily draw people’s attention but don’t forget to look at the details.

Speaking of grand landscapes,  I find this one particularly difficult to shoot. Capturing what I’m truly seeing and feeling at Grand Canyon seems an impossible task.

Putting people in images helps show perspective and scale.

Thank goodness for Desert View Tower! Nothing like a good man-made object on the edge of a natural wonder to help capture what you’re seeing and feeling.

One can pretty much count on an elk encounter at the South Rim. They don’t ever seem too bothered by us humans.

After two nights on the road in two different hotels we headed to Page, a town built so Glenn Canyon Dam workers back in the 1950s and ’60s had a place to call home.

Our first stop was Toadstools. Here’s a cool thing about this trip. As you can see, we are visiting places I have already been to on previous workshops, the women’s retreat in Sedona and now Page. In a couple of days, I’ll get to revisit Canyon de Chelley! It’s nice to return to a location and see it through different eyes (the participants) and hear the instruction from different photographers.

Headlamps were a must on this excursion as I had my first lesson in light painting. It’s a thing where you set up your camera on a tripod, open up the aperture (2.8), and set the shutter speed to 30 seconds. Once it’s open you take a flashlight and do brief flashes onto the subject, in this case, the rock. After you see what you got you either say Yay! or make adjustments and shoot again. It turned out kinda cool.

The next morning was sunrise at Little Cut then off to Antelope Canyon. These are places I don’t seem to get tired of visiting.

It was a big day so we didn’t do a sunset shoot. We had a critique instead. People were given time to download images and edit them. They then gave us three or so images to project onto a screen and talk about. It’s really great to see everyone’s images.

Sunrise the next morning was Horseshoe Bend. This place has become crazy popular. It now has a paved, pay parking lot and safety rails at the rim.

Black and white can be a good choice if you can’t quite get the colors right.

On the way to Monument Valley, you have to drive through Kayenta.  Just outside of Kayenta is Agathla Peak which rises over 1500 feet above the surrounding terrain. The mountain is considered sacred by the Navajo.

Agathla Peak is an eroded volcanic plug consisting of volcanic breccia cut by dikes of an unusual igneous rock called Minette. It is one of many such volcanic diatremes that are found in Navajo country. Agathla Peak and Shiprock in New Mexico are the most prominent. These rocks are part of the Navajo Volcanic Field, in the southern Colorado Plateau.

Our hotel in Monument Valley was Goulding’s Lodge. The building was constructed in 1928. The lodge originally served as a trading post and home for the Goulding’s. During the great depression, John Ford was looking for a site to film his movie Stagecoach. Goulding heard of this and immediately went to work capturing photos of Monument Valley to send to John Ford. Ford ended up shooting the film in Monument Valley and came back to produce more, popularizing the area.

Our afternoon/sunset shoot at the famous mittens.

The next morning we did an early morning truck tour.

One of the stops was John Ford Point. We were lucky enough to arrive and have a model out at the point on his horse.

I followed him as he came off the point. I have no idea how long he and his horse had been out there, standing, gazing at the amazing beauty. Turns out he’s a third-grader from Flagstaff!! He was out on the Rez visiting his cousin.

The local cafe was not yet open.

From Monument Valley, we headed over to Chinle and Canyon de Chelley.

Here is an example of turning a photo into a monochrome. I wasn’t happy with the colors of the one above. I think black and white is much more dramatic.

Our visit to Canyon de Chelley allowed for a sunset and a sunrise shoot. We did not have time to enter the canyons as we did on the five-day Canyon de Chelley workshop the previous year.

 

Again, pay attention to the details.

Shooting from one of the rim viewpoints.

People still live at the bottom of the canyons. Can you find the house?

We stopped in Winslow and ate lunch at La Posada.

It was a great trip full of wonderful memories with amazing people.

May you have epic adventures in these COVID times and stay safe out there!

Happy Shooting!!

Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Cultural, Nature, Photo Workshops, Places to Shoot, Travel, Uncategorized

Canyon de Chelley

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My next workshop in 2015 was at Canyon de Chelley with photographer Leroy Dejolie and my good friend Jeff Insel. I had been to the canyon years earlier and always wanted to return. Yay me!

This was a transformative workshop for me. I was only a year and a half into the Highways workshop gig and still learning how to run things. It was my third five-day workshop and I was settling in with making relationships with my people my priority for the trip, not landscape photography. It’s the first trip I wrote down the names of the participants in my travel journal with a short note next to their names so I would remember them better. It was also the first workshop where the participants had real downtime to work on images or just take it all in. There is something to be said for that.

It was also the first time I put together a video of the trip to music that featured the people, not the scenery. I can’t locate the video, it must be one of the “lost files”. I’m not sure this platform could handle it anyway.

I took a shuttle to Phoenix the afternoon before where Jeff picked me up so we could go run our photoguide errands: picking up snacks and water for the week, going to the office, and grabbing things there we’d need and picking up the vans we would be driving.

The next morning we met our crew at a Holiday Inn near the airport in Phoenix, loaded them up, and drove to Winslow where we met Leroy at La Posada for lunch. Leroy was coming from Page and his wife dropped him off.  It was a five-day trip (Wed-Sun) but given that the first and last days were travel days we only had three full days to photograph the area.

Once arriving at our hotel in Chinle, AZ we headed out to Tsegi Overlook for our first shoot under heavy clouds. I don’t have any images from that excursion.

The next morning, Thursday, we loaded a tour truck and headed out on an eight-hour tour of Canyon del Muerto. Canyon de Chelley has one entrance before splitting into two canyons.

We saw ruins, petroglyphs, homes and fall colors.

It was a glorious day.

Friday was model day. Following a sunrise shoot at Junction Overlook we went back to the hotel for breakfast and to wait for Leroy to call us together for a model shoot. He managed to locate a couple of folks to sit indoors under studio lighting and pose for us in their beautiful native dress.

We were treated to a sheepherder on horseback out on the sand dunes in the afternoon.

On Saturday we did a half-day tour of Canyon de Chelley in a truck. The sunrise and sunset shoots were all rim locations.

On the way back to Phoenix Sunday we drove through Ganado and stopped at Hubbel Trading Post National Historic Site.

In 1878, John Lorenzo Hubbell purchased this trading post, ten years after Navajos were allowed to return to the Ganado region from their U.S.-imposed exile in Bosque Redondo, Fort Sumner, New Mexico. This ended what is known in Navajo history as the “Long Walk of the Navajo.”

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

The trading post is still active, operated by the non-profit Western National Parks Association, which maintains the trading traditions the Hubbell family established.

Today, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site is still situated on the original 160-acre homestead, which includes the trading post, family home, outbuildings, land and a visitor center. Visitors can experience this historic trading post on the Navajo Nation, which includes weaving demonstrations; and the store still maintains a wooden floor and walls from the days of old. A set of initials carved on the gate of the privacy wall which separates the public spaces from the private stand for John Lorenzo Hubbell.

We stopped at La Posada again for lunch.

I highly recommend this workshop and if you go on your own remember, you are not allowed to enter the canyons on your own, you need a local guide.

Happy Shooting!!

AHPS, Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Flowers, Historic Buildings, Nature, Outdoors, Photo Workshops, Places to Shoot, Travel

Spring Wildflower Workshop_2015

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March 2015 began my second year with Arizona Highways Photo Workshops.

I tried to be a landscape/nature photographer, I really did. But I find that my minimalism gets in the way. To be a successful nature photographer you need gear. Gear is heavy. At the time of this shoot, I was lugging around a Canon 7D, tripod, and several lenses. I learned to photograph flowers you also “need” a diffuser for the harsh sunlight, maybe a “plamp” (a plant clamp to hold flowers still in a breeze), and perhaps a dark piece to cardboard to give yourself control over busy backgrounds.  A remote or wired shutter release is necessary so you don’t bump the camera on the tripod when releasing the shutter.

In my first couple of workshops, I learned how the tripod is a landscape photographer’s best friend. It provides for sharp images while using slow shutter speeds due to low light. And of course, you need several lenses to have variety. I had a long lens, a wide-angle, and a macro. The backpack I used to carry the gear was heavy. What I found out about myself and evolved into as a photographer over these last six years has allowed me to widdle my gear down, drop my backpack size, and take with me only what I really use. The less gear I have to manage the more time I have to shoot. But let’s not skip ahead.

March in the desert southwest is beautiful. Quite often there are amazing cactus and wildflower blooms and plenty of locations to photograph. However, not that year. 2015 was a less than stellar year in nature’s wildflower industry so we opted for one of Arizona’s State Parks: Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Globe, Arizona east of Phoenix. There was plenty on this beautiful property to keep us busy for two days.

Black and white images can be dramatic and powerful, especially when shooting urban scenes. I tend to turn nature images into black and white when A) the color is not a significant part of the image or B) I can’t get the color right in post-processing.

This image was super contrasty as I shot it mid-day and din’t use my tripod or diffuser. To help with that issue I turned it into a low contrast black and white image.

 I believe it was this workshop where I first began really noticing and being fascinated with shadows.

I did break out my macro lens and capture these little red guys crawling all over a cactus flower.

Nature’s patterns are everywhere! Shooting macro without a tripod can be difficult as the depth of focus is sometimes as thin as a credit card. Few people can hold steady enough to keep the subject in focus at that level. What I began to realize but couldn’t articulate for several more years is that I’m more of a close-up photographer as opposed to true macro.

This image shows the depth of focus situation. The stamen around the glob in the center are in focus while the glob in the middle is not.

But, at the end of the day, my favorite images were things made by “man” in beautiful surroundings.

 

If you’d like an opportunity to photograph wildflowers in Northern Arizona PhotoScapes is hosting a workshop in Flagstaff August 15th with photographer Amy Horn. I’ll be her sidekick photo guide. Click here for more information or to sign up! https://ahps.org/shop/macro-wildflowers-in-flagstaff/

I believe there are a couple of “seats” left so don’t delay. Amy is an excellent instructor and I’m just plain fun.

Stay safe and happy shooting!!

 

 

Arizona Highways PhotoScapes, Flowers, Nature, Outdoors, People, Photo Workshops, Photography, Places to Shoot, Travel

Sedona Women’s Retreat

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My second outdoor workshop was what turned out to be the beginning of a long-standing love affair, The Arizona Highways Photo Workshops (later PhotoScapes) Women’s Photography Retreats. This was a perfect storm for me to fall head over heels in love with these workshops.

This workshop was in Sedona. A place I had been to many times for hikes and mountain biking but didn’t necessarily feel inspired by the location photographically. It is here I began to realize, if I’m not inspired by the sights and views of Sedona, then perhaps I’m not a “landscape” photographer. It was also on this trip that I began to realize my love of people. And that perhaps traveling is more about the people one meets and not the location. I only had three days to get to know a group of women, many who had already become friends on previous women’s retreats and had formed bonds and inside jokes.

Living just 45 minutes away in Flagstaff, and given that this was my “official training workshop”, I was able to drive down and meet the cast of characters in Sedona at the hotel at a predetermined time.  I was the third trip leader and was expected to stand back and observe how things are done. But here’s the thing, I had been teaching and managing field trips at an elementary school, at that point, for over 20 years. Also, I had already had my trial by fire as one of the two main leaders on the previous Slots trip so…I was ready. BRING IT, LADIES!

We met at the Sedona hotel around 9:00 am, had a quick meet and greet then loaded the little bus and headed to the train station for a ride on the Verde Canyon Railway in Clarkdale, AZ.

Riding the train was fun and beautiful with the spring wildflowers but what really caught my attention, photographically, was the not so common sights. Turns out I’m attracted to patterns and details.

While waiting for our departure time everyone wandered in a different direction. The small group I was with ended up at a little dump area that had all KINDS of things to photograph. The black and white image above is a decaying bicycle tire.

There was also a bird exhibit near the train depot showing off rescued birds to the public. It gave us a close up of some feathered creatures that would not have been easy to capture otherwise.

More wanderings along the closed tracks.

The train ride culminated at Perkinsville, an abandoned train station on the Arizona Central Railroad. The Verde Cayon Railroad train engine disconnects at Perkinsville moves along a siding and reconnects at the opposite end of the train for the return trip to Clarkdale.

Our sunset shoot was at Crescent Moon Ranch with an iconic view of Cathedral Rock in Sedona. Most landscapers want people-free images. I find that people make it much more interesting.

The next morning we woke up to rain, rain, and more rain. I’m talking Northwest style, socked in, low clouds, soaking rain. But that did little to dampen the spirits of my new friends. (No pun intended).

Airport Mesa was a GREAT place to practice using our camera raingear.

It was nice having the bus close by as a place to warm up. The temperatures had plummeted 30 degrees from the day before, both highs and lows. It was chilly.

That afternoon we were supposed to do a famed Jeep Tour into the red rocks of Sedona. The weather and a quick phone call at lunch changed those plans to the next day. The good thing about storms in the Southwest is that they normally do not last long.

By our sunset shoot at Marg’s Draw, the sun was already trying to come out.

Folks were practicing their settings, compositions, and hyperfocal distance, all while trying to stay out of each other’s shots!

The raingear was kept close by as last-minute sprinkles found their way to the ground.

Clouds DO make for spectacular sunsets.

Sunday morning we did a quick sunrise shoot at Back O’ Beyond before breakfast at the hotel, check out, and a full day of shooting.

Look at those blue skies! The sun came out, we loaded into three red jeeps with drivers dressed like the old west and headed out.

This crew got out of their jeep to photograph another jeep climbing up the Slickrock as only a jeep can do.

We also had a model lesson with natural light out on the trail.

Here is where I became more interested in the details.

We stopped to view the Seven Sacred Pools. I feel the cowboy is needed in this image to show scale.

While stopped I couldn’t pass up Mother Nature’s color and patterns.

After lunch, we headed to Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon to photograph whatever caught our eyes.

Here is the instructor, Colleen, and two participants photographing bubbles and/or water patterns.

Here is one of my water patterns.

I love the glow of backlighting.

Following Slide Rock I got into my car and aimed for home, exhausted, a little sad it was over already but energized and excited to think about future workshops with these amazing ladies. The friendships, bantering, and camaraderie warmed my heart.

Of this first women’s retreat group I believe I am in contact with each and every one of them still. I have either seen them on later workshops or connected with them on social media, or BOTH!

To be clear, this blog is NOT about saying women’s retreats are better than co-ed workshops, because they aren’t. They are…different. Think Ladie’s Night that lasts all weekend!

Next week we’ll revisit my first workshop with Shane McDermott. I love him.

Hang in there, stay healthy and happy shooting!!