Tag Archives: photography

Submarine

Posted on by
4

A shot from over Lake Powell.

My husband and I flew up to Lake Powell the other day to take care of some business. Among our chores was a photo flight up the lake as far as The Rincon (about 79 miles uplake from the dam at Page).

SubmarineMike took this shot as we began our flight uplake. It features Padres Butte, which is known by local tour pilots as “submarine” because it looks like a submarine conning tower. There was very little wind on the lake the reflections were outrageous. The lake is as blue as ever, but if we’d taken this shot later in the afternoon, the buttes and surrounding cliffs would have looked much redder. This shot was taken around 1:30 PM.

Mike was shooting still photos while I shot video. He’s a pilot now, so we had the dual controls in. When he shot, I’d fly. When I shot, he’d fly. It worked out pretty well. We had both our doors off, so there’s no glare. We were, however, pretty darn cold — it was only 50°F up there and when you’re cruising at 80 knots with the doors off, you can’t help but get cold.

I have more photos from this trip and I’ll be uploading them to my photo gallery as I share them here.

PhotoJeeping: Mine Ruins on the Hassayampa River

Posted on by
1

Some photos from a real off-road experience.

This past Sunday, Mike and I took the Jeep up the Hassayampa River. Way up the river.

As folks around Wickenburg know, the Hassayampa is mostly dry. The water does flow year-round, but in most places, it’s below the sandy surface. In rocky areas, it flows above the surface as a small stream.

Unless it’s rainy (or has been rainy). Then it’s a real river and should not be driven in.

Our Route InOn Sunday, it was running only slightly higher than usual. We entered the riverbed near the end of Rincon Road, where it climbs up to meet Scenic Loop. There was an old manganese mine there and the dirt road is black. Going straight (instead of making the left turn) takes you on a narrow track to the river. From there, it’s just a matter of following the tire tracks left by other vehicles.

Slot CanyonWe made a few brief stops. Box Canyon was one of them. But there were motorcycles there with loud engines and we didn’t stay long. Instead, we continued upstream, into the narrow slot canyon. The water flowed from wall to wall within the canyon and I had the windshield wipers going as I slipped around in the soft sand. We stopped for a moment to take a photo of the way we’d come.

We passed through the first gate just short of Boyd Ranch, above the floodplain on our left. We passed through the second gate just before Fools Canyon. Right about there, a group of five sand rails (dune buggies) and a yellow Jeep caught up with us. (We weren’t rushing.) We pulled over to let them pass.

In many places, four wheel drive was required. So was high clearance. So unless you have a Jeep or similar vehicle or an ATV, this isn’t the kind of drive you’d want to make. You’re driving in the river, with water splashing up all around you, in many places. There’s quicksand there, so you want to keep moving anywhere the sand is soft. Gnarly tires are definitely a plus.

Desert Meets StreamWe passed many interesting spots where Sonoran desert meets year-round stream. The variations in the rock were amazing. I took quite a few photos. Some of them are in my Photo Gallery.

We were about two miles past Fools Canyon when the group that had passed us came back. One of the drivers stopped to report. “You can’t go much farther,” he said, “but it’s worth it. There are some old foundations up there.”

Mine SiteWe continued on. The river was flowing through a canyon, but the way was still passable. We soon saw the remains of a mine site on the right side of the hill. We turned the Jeep into a promising canyon where other vehicles had driven but soon reached a dead end where rocks blocked our way. We parked, got out, and hiked up the hill.

It was an interesting mine site, with some seriously heavy-duty foundations. I don’t know much about mining, but I do know that they used gravity to process the ore. That’s what most of the “foundations” were for.

TunnelFollowing a narrow path for a better view down into the river, I came across a tunnel carved into the solid granite at the side of the hill. We passed through and continued onto the other side.

Mine RuinsA bit farther down the pathway, we found the remains of a wooden mining structure, as well as some partially buried railroad steel. Evidently, the path and tunnel had been used by ore carts or some similar conveyance. Most of the steel had been removed; the one piece we saw had been buried under a rockslide.

Truck in the RiverAs we admired the view, we heard the sound of a vehicle. Down in the riverbed, a truck was driving downstream. It stopped only long enough for the driver to point out a mine shaft to his passenger, then continued on down the river. I don’t think they saw us or our Jeep.

We left a while later and spent a short time exploring the severely vandalized remains of a home across the river. Then we headed back, stopping long enough to take a few photos along the way.

We were gone about five hours and had covered about 40 miles roundtrip. We took Scenic Loop from just past Fools Canyon on the way back, minimizing our time in the riverbed.

I checked all the maps I have for the area and the mine does not appear on any of them, so I don’t know it’s name. I do know it well, however; I fly over it every time I take a tour up the Hassayampa River in my helicopter. It’s nice to know what it looks like close up.

PhotoJeeping: Fisheye Cable

Posted on by
2

Another fisheye view.

CableI shot this closeup photo of the cable for the old mine hoist at Monte Cristo Mine near Wickenburg, AZ.

The Monte Cristo is one of two relatively well-preserved mine sites on Constellation Road. This cable can be found in the hoist building beside the mine’s tower.

Photo Info:
Camera: Nikon D80
Focal Length: 10.5mm
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/60
Lat/Lon:
34.0646° / -112.5836°

PhotoJeeping: Off Constellation Road

Posted on by
Comment

Covering more miles of dirt and desert.

Yesterday, Jack the Dog and I took my Jeep out on Constellation Road. It’s a dirt road that winds into the desert northeast of Wickenburg, past numerous mining sites. It was named for the town of Constellation, which is on many maps. But I’d driven and flown the area extensively and cannot find a trace of the town where it is supposed to be.

Off Constellation RoadPhotoJeeping is like photowalking, but done in a Jeep. Sure, you get out and do some hiking now and then, but most transportation is by Jeep or other 4WD vehicle. I covered 40 miles yesterday, roundtrip, in about five hours. I made stops at a number of mining sites and more than a few “scenic” areas near the road. And, for the first time ever, I drove all the way out to the Williams Family Ranch on the Hassayampa River.

Along the way, I took plenty of photos — more than 150, in fact — and a bit of video.

This is one of the last photos I took on the way back. The light was getting good but I was exhausted. I really didn’t think I’d get back as quick as I did, but wasn’t interesting in hanging around for the light to get even better. This spot is about 8 miles out of Wickenburg, right at the beginning of the hills.

Photo Info:
Camera: Nikon D80
Focal Length: 35mm
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/160
Lat/Lon: 43.04841° / -112.6031767°

Decorating with MY Art

Posted on by
5

Because everyone — even me — has some artistic ability.

One of the things that’s challenging me lately is the collection of blank walls at our Phoenix apartment (code-named “Rear Window”). It’s a challenge because I’m determined to decorate them with artwork — which I’ve never been very good at doing.

Why We Don’t Hang Art

I should explain. Our first house, in New Jersey, was made of reinforced poured concrete. Built in 1926, it was one of several in town that was formed with reinforcement mesh, concrete forms, and poured concrete. The walls, floors, and ceilings were all poured concrete. To say our house was solid is an understatement. It will survive earthquakes, floods, and nuclear explosions.

One of the problems of having a house like that is hanging pictures. A masonry nail (at the very least) was required to hang anything on the wall — whether it was a spice rack, framed poster, or paper calendar. As a result, we always thought twice or three times or more before hanging anything. We didn’t want to put unnecessary holes in the walls — holes we might later regret putting there.

So we hung very few items on the walls.

We lived there eleven years. The hesitancy of hanging anything on the walls became part of our mentality. To this day, after twelve years in our current home, we’re still hesitant to hang anything on the walls.

But there’s no excuse not to hang art on these plain, pale colored walls in Phoenix. So we’re going to do it.

My Art

I’ve been an amateur photographer since my college days, although I stopped taking photos for a bunch of years and only got involved again about three years ago. Like so many people, I’ve discovered that digital photography makes photography more affordable, more convenient, and more fun. I make a conscious effort these days to go to interesting places and take interesting photos. And since it costs the same to shoot one photo as it does to shoot 20, I experiment a lot. And although I’ll never quit my “day job” (whatever that is) to become a professional photographer, I’ve collected enough good shots to feel proud of my efforts and want to show them off.

So I’ve decided to draw upon my portfolio of photos to decorate the walls at Rear Window. Why buy someone else’s photos when I can show off some of my own?

(My apologies to the professional photographers out there trying to sell your work. There is a market for it. That market just isn’t with me.)

ribba.jpgI found some very basic frames that included bevel cut mats at Ikea. (Although Aaron Brothers is having their big 1¢ sale right now, getting a large mat cut would cost me about $95 and I’m not interested in spending more on a mat than the frame and enlarged photo combined.) The frame comes several colors, although I’ve chosen black. It’s also available in a wide variety of sizes, some of which have mat cutouts for multiple photos. So I have a lot of flexibility here to hang all kinds of photos in a number of sizes.

To get things started, I ordered enlargements of two of my favorite photos made last year:

  • North to the FutureNorth to the Future was taken in Alaska in March 2008 at Girdwood Airport, a small dirt strip (snowcovered that day) about 40 miles south of Anchorage. I’d been flying the day before as a passenger on three incredible helicopter flights but did not have my camera aboard. (Don’t ask.) The next day, I had my camera handy and snapped this photo on my way into Alpine Air’s office at the airport. The clouds were caught up in the snow-covered mountains all around the airport, the sky was an amazing blue beyond it, and the bright red and yellow of the airplane really called out to me. The title of this photo comes from Alaska’s state motto. The photo was entered into a photo contest but did not win.
  • Lake Powell from Romana MesaLake Powell from Romana Mesa was shot in August 2008. I’d made the 2-hour drive from Page, AZ around the northwest end of the lake to the top of Romana Mesa in Mike’s pickup truck. Suffering with a bad back and concerned that I wouldn’t get back to Page before it got dark, I didn’t stay long or spend much time exploring. But the late afternoon light was great and there were just enough clouds in the sky to make it interesting. I took about 80 shots on that little excursion and this is one of my favorites.

I ordered 20 x 30 enlargements of each of these. They should be arriving by mail any day now. Later today, I’ll head down to Ikea to pick up the frames. This weekend, I’ll put them all together.

I’ll hang them at Rear Window the next time I’m in Phoenix. The airplane photo will be perfect centered over our new red sofa. The Lake Powell photo will go over the fireplace — until I can find the giant clock with Arabic numerals (not Roman numerals!) that I really want there. Then I’ll likely shift it to one of the walls in the dining room.

If I like the way they look, I’ll choose more photos and have them printed in other sizes. I’ll buy other frames. Little by little, I’ll cover the walls with souvenirs of our travels.

I’m really looking forward to this. It’ll be great to have these pictures reside somewhere other than on my hard drive.

Got photos you’re proud of? Don’t keep them cooped up on your computer’s hard disk. Make a place for them in your home. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.