Downtown Phoenix - Murals

Last Sunday our Photo Club took a trip to downtown Phoenix to take some shots of all the murals.  While Phoenix depends primarily on its system of roads and freeways for transportation they do have an excellent, if limited, light rail system and for $4.00 per day, $2.00 next year when I'll be 65, you can get from Mesa to downtown in about an hour with no worries about where to park the truck.   We did this trip last year and thought it was worth repeating and it was also a good excuse to grab lunch at one of the many sidewalk cafe's.  

Some of the area is pretty run down and you come across some interesting characters.  I wouldn't be walking down here at night however during the day and with a group we felt safe and saw some great murals.  You will notice that most of the pictures have telephone poles, garbage dumpsters and other distractions to the subject however given its street photography the "distractions" provide an element of grittiness and realism.  

Here we go. 

Feel like I just became lunch

The back of a restaurant with all their patio heaters and propane tanks

It was the middle of the day however I thought the picture
deserved a starry night. 

See what I mean about hydro lines

Lots of new apartments and offices in many different colours

Jerry defending his cheese

Don't think this semi-trailer has gone anywhere in a long time

This house was covered all around in graffiti
Not sure if it was occupied or not. 

This Harley was parked in the alley behind the restaurant we went to.  

Me taking a picture of Wendy taking a picture of John taking a
picture of Monica with her wings.
Jo was looking on providing posing advise.

Who knew the Bank of Montreal has a large office building in Phoenix

The side of a parkade.

Entrance to the parkade

This is a series of shipping containers stacked on top of each
other all fixed up for retail and apartments.
Pretty interesting concept. 

I started some of our renovations yesterday which involved removing a door and a screen wall.  Today I did the framing which wasn't all that difficult except I had to attach the wood framing to some of the remaining aluminum studs.  Seems to have worked out okay and tomorrow I am off to Lowes to order the patio door.  Hopefully they can deliver it in a day or two and I can get it installed before friday as we are hosting a patio party.

Thats it for today.

Photo Outing - Saguaro Lake

Since the beginning of January the GC Photography Group has been out on quite a few "shoots".   Last week we headed out to Saguaro Lake and Pebble Beach Recreation Area and found some natural beauty to capture.  

Not sure of the species, looks too big for a cactus wren.
Possibly a grackle
He was deep in the shadows and made for a great silhouette. 

Saguaro Cactus come in so many shapes and sizes.
This one reminded me of a finger puppet. 

Hmmm.  A Cordilleran Flycatcher perhaps.
To be honest I really have no idea.
I just Google Birds in Arizona and pick one that looks close.  

The sun was reflecting across the lake right into the lens.
Had to do a little work to bring this back but I like the results.
Looks like an evening shot but was actually mid afternoon. 

Some very pretty grasses growing along the lake shore. 

All twisted and gnarly

He let me know with a lot of chatter when I got too close.

Another gnarly old tree

We got to the Pebble Beach Rec Area and we heard a bunch of screaming.
Next thing we know this Osprey is flying by with his dinner gripped in his talons.
He was flying fast and low and I didn't quite get focus.

He found the nearest pole and proceeded to devour his catch. 

Great Blue Heron kept an eye on us from across the river bank.
About a mile down river there are some big old trees filled with Heron nests.
Late March should be a good time to visit and get some shots of them
and perhaps some of their young. 

In addition to the avian fishers there are some of the 2 legged variety as well.
Wonder if the Osprey stole this guys catch.

Some kind of Thrasher me thinks. 

The sunlight glistening off the water makes for a nice backdrop. 

Looks like something out of Jurassic Park.
I'm sure if we waited long enough a dinosaur would have made an appearance. 

Lots more nature shots coming plus some pictures from a Balloon Glow festival.  Thursday we head to St Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery with the Photo Group.  The rest of the week I have committed to my dear wife that I will start working on some of the reno projects.  What have I gotten myself into!

Later. 

A Room with a View

One of the main attractions of our new home was the view and the wash directly behind us. The wash affords us a little more privacy than most of the park models which usually have another unit directly behind with a shared back yard.  While some use the wash as a dog walking path, for the most part its deserted except for the native residents.  That being the quail, morning doves and cottontail rabbits.  Oh of course can't forget the odd sighting of the bobcat and we are told Javelena are also frequently sighted walking down the wash.  

I thought I would share some of the pictures I have taken so far of our view out back.  For the bird pictures I simply sit on the back patio, set up the tripod and attach the camera with the 200-600mm zoom lens.   For most of the day there isn't much action out back but the birds seem to have a schedule.  Every few hours about 20-30 quail and doves fly in or in the case of the quails come running down the top of the fence or along the bottom of the wash.  They are actually quite comical and they never fail to bring a smile to our face.  

Damm Doves.  Keep stealing my food.

A little staring contest to see who will vacate first. 

Catching them in flight provides some nice images

Coming in for a landing.  Make room guys. 

Getting up close and personal really shows the intricate
pattern made by the birds feathers. 

I do most of my editing in Luminar but spending a little time
in Topaz, above and below, creates some neat effects.  

Almost looks more like a painting than a photo. 

The Superstition Mountains provide for a great view every day.
Changing weather conditions provide a very different look.
Above, rain clouds roll in and hide the top half of the mountain.

The setting sun off to the left of the mountain provides a nice reflected glow.

Thats it for now but given the ease of shooting this location, literally right out our back door, expect more in the future.

Next up I will try to get you caught up on some of our activities plus some more shots from our various outings as well as our Photo Group shoots.  

Later.