Well I did have big plans for the weekend but they got washed away. We’ve had some crazy storms roll through Arizona as of late and they have produced some nice snow at the higher elevations. People don’t usually think of Arizona as having snow but it does, quite a lot if you go to the right places. The Arizona Snowbowl ski area in Flagstaff is reporting 286″ so far this season!
On the way to 4 Peaks
So my idea was to load up the quad with gear and head up into the mountains for some landscapes but instead we got heavy rains. Saturday night we got a 1/2″ and Sunday it continued to pour. In between the breaks of pouring it was dark and grey so I stayed home. Here is a shot of the road heading up towards the mountains on a dry day. Once you hit the dirt road it takes about 45 minutes to get to the top, depending on road conditions and how fast you can go. The top is at 7600 feet and once you get above 5000 you start to see a big difference in the landscape so you can shoot all sorts of terrain.
They are calling for more rain today and Tuesday which will mean more snow on the mountains. This will probably be the last opportunity of the season for me to get some snow shots so I hope to head up later in the week. Snow in the desert can make for some really nice photos so gotta take advantage!
In the meantime I wanted to pass on a really cool website I’ve started following, it’s called The Still Image with Crash Taylor. Taylor regularly picks an image and gets info from the photographer that took it like camera and setting info, the concept for the shot, lighting etc. Really cool stuff and you can check it out here.
I think this is the one! Over the years the web has developed and I have tried to keep pace with it. Each year I make little tweaks to the website and tried to get everything integrated between my blog, portfolio and photo galleries but it hasn’t been easy, until now. This new site allows me to do it all seamlessly. In the past I let the blog go because in order to see it you had to click away from my main site to get over to it which I never liked. My main site never really had proper portfolios to show off my work so I let that go. The galleries are the only thing I have updated consistently after each race. But now all of this works together and for me it’s very exciting!
If you click around you’ll notice a new section called multimedia. That’s the way things are heading these days and I am anxious to be a part of it. Last year I tried out working with some helmet cam video and had a blast. It gives people a unique look into the world of high performance cycling and what I have to do to shoot it. This year I will go further with that and work towards having videos posted from each big race. I’ll also do some behind the scenes stuff like in the press room, recaps of the day and maybe even show a bit of the editing process I go through at the end of a 16 hour day with 1500 photos to get through and everyone wants everything yesterday.
Beyond the new multimedia section I’m going to talk about some tech things and new equipment. I always get asked about what gear I’m using, what software etc. Sometimes I find something that is a cool new piece of equipment or new way of doing things and I’ll show that here. I also get to meet different people throughout my travels and different photographers and many times pick up a good tip so through the new site I’ll pass along the info.
As always my race galleries will be updated regularly with current photos. Clients or potential clients can log in and create light boxes to help figure out what they need. Fans can order prints. Newly offered for this year are metallic prints and canvas gallery wraps. Both of those offer that extra special punch for spectacular scenics or favorite riders shots. If your not sure which way to go with those just send me a message and I’ll be glad to help you out.
So there you go….my big plans for the new site and the new season! I hope you enjoy everything and feedback is always welcome.
Moto driver Chris Monroe and I worked together using his GoPro helmet cam to gather video during the 2009 Tour of Missouri. Look for many more videos to come throughout the 2010 season!
OK I know this wasn’t Arizona or a bike race but it was a beautiful place to shoot so I wanted to show it. This was on the island of St. John in the USVI. I’d been running all over the island trying to find some nice light on my last day there and this was the last place I stopped. I was balancing on the top of a stone wall with a tripod to try and get the thick foliage from covering the bottom 1/3 of the frame.
1Ds Mark III with an 24-70 2.8L lens. 2.5″ at F5, ISO 800.
Each year the eagles come in and nest by the river to raise there young.
At several locations outside of Phoenix, eagles have made it a yearly ritual to come in and raise their young. This pair hung out here together for a long time. One morning I even saw the chick squawking around above there heads. Several different types of raptors can be seen in this area.
A slow moving desert tortoise makes his way across the trail.
Just one of the animals that can be seen while adventuring in the Sonoran Desert. These little guys are on the endangered species list and always fun to see.
Ricky Quinn works his magic during one of his fall horsemanship clinics.
Arizona is definitely horse country! In several places wild horses can be found or we get lucky and have a chance to shoot a scene like this. Ricky Quinn is one of the countries top teachers of natural horsemanship and its always exciting to get to see him work and especially to photograph it.
4 Peaks lies framed by giant saguaro cacti as the sun sets.
The desert turns to gold as the sun goes down on another clear Arizona day. This day I was playing with the Canon 24mm tilt/shift lens to go after something a little different.
Mexican poppies blanket the Arizona landscape in spring.
Fall monsoons bring spring colors to the lush desert landscape. For several weeks each spring, poppies cover the hillsides for as far as you can see. With them they also bring the blooming of cactus such as the saguaro, prickly pear and hedge hog.
Moto driver Chris Monroe and I worked together using his GoPro helmet cam to gather video during the 2009 Tour of Missouri. Look for many more videos to come throughout the 2010 season!
