Arizona Tag

matty_7.1.11_ 184 During my stay in Arizona, I spent time in both Flagstaff and Phoenix. I spent the first couple days catching-up with some distant family who live in Flagstaff. The McKone family were a big help for me, as I wanted to photograph some of the surrounding area, but aside from the Grand Canyon, I didn't have a clue on what was around, so I didn't know where to start. Luckily, Rod and Ann Marie, along with their two sons, Richie and Mike, knew plenty of locations to take me. First thing was first, we wanted to make a new family portrait for the troupe. So, after shortly after pulling into flagstaff after a 21-hour drive, we were back in the car headed for Sedona. I travel a quite a bit for my work, but the bulk is done all in Washington, so my environmental equilibrium never gets too rattled. Extreme environment, weather, temperature, altitude changes, and even sunrise and sunset times were all way off from the norm for me. Predictability of the photographic outcome was kinda non-existent, and it being my first day in the place, taking a family portrait, I had no idea what kind of photos we were going to walk away with. I didn't even know what the final location for the photos would be, what the background was going to be composed of, if the sun was going to be in front or behind the subjects. We packed the car up with people and gear and hit the road

matty_7.2.11_ 126 As fast as the trip arrived, it has gone just a quickly. The trip to Arizona for some work, some vaca time, and if other photo opportunities presented themselves I'd take them. But... when it's 110 degrees out, you aren't exactly hunting for them. Sitting inside of the hotel room, it's easy to say, "yes, let's go do a shoot!" The second you open the door of your A/C'd room, the heat smacks your body with the mind-changing power that takes photographic ambitions and melts them away, leaving the sole desire to jump in the pool. The heat consumes your mind just like when you have to go the bathroom really bad, with concentration lost, all you can think about is your body trying to escape it. That's pretty much how my time in Phoenix has gone. I'm guessing a lot of you heard or read about the haboob that blew through Phoenix. A haboob is a giant dust storm, and this one was a mile high and about 100 miles wide, so yeah... it was pretty crazy. People have lived here their whole lives and said they've never seen anything like it. I guess I'm just that lucky of a guy. We were out eating when it came in, and we and to try and drive home in it. The dust was so thick that I missed a couple turns back to the hotel.

matty_7.4.11_ 002 First day here in Phoenix, spending most of the day relaxing by the pool and trying to stay cool in the 100+ temps. How do you people handle these extreme temps for extended periods of time?! Did you get lost in the desert and just give up trying to find a way out? Anywho, it's nice for like... a week, max, and after that I'm done. So it's the fourth of July. If you could pick a couple locations where you can count on a nice, dry evening for a fireworks show, I bet Arizona would probably be on that list. Well, just so happens I'm in Arizona, Phoenix of all places, and we had an amazing lightning storm roll through. I couldn't imagine a fireworks show took place tonight, cause it was raining hardcore (think that's why they call it a monsoon). Restricted to the hotel room, all I could do was watch and listen as nature put on it's own fourth show. I tossed a camera on a tripod and attempted to capture some bolts of lightning off the back porch. It was a small window of the sky to capture, but I did get a couple captures. Nothing special, just something fun.

matty_7.2.11_ 132 A few days into my stay here in Arizona. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph the Grand Canyon. Talk about a giant hole in the ground. Really makes you appreciate time and how little humans have spent on this planet, looking at the gapping hole in the earth, a product of 17 million years of erosion by the Colorado River. Talk about perspective... Photo above of yours truly, snapping some photos from one of the viewpoints along the route. Little warm on the journey out, indicating 103 degrees during a pitstop. Completed a family portrait shoot the other day in Sedona. The background looks fake, in fact, I bet some people might just automatically assume the photos are photoshopped. It was scenic to say the least. Those photos are coming soon to the blog. I hoping to squeeze in some other portraits while I'm here if the opportunity arises. Stay tuned for more from Arizona.