Finalist!

What a huge surprise to find out that I am a finalist in two categories (Landscape and People) for the Arizona Highways Magazine Photo Contest!

The Landscape image was taken in Senoita, AZ and shows the dry, parched landscape in a picturesque way.

The People image is an Aztec dancer doing a ritual dance at the San Xavier Pow Wow.

You can view the finalist images here:
http://arizonahighways.com/static/index.cfm?contentID=1776

Or, if you are a fan of Arizona Highways on Facebook, you can select "like" for your favorite finalist image....hopefully mine!!


Landscape:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=168324&id=85397536851&ref=mf

People:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168708&id=85397536851&ref=nf#!/photo.php?pid=4338294&id=85397536851

Road Trip!

Just came back from a family vacation in Utah. Needless to say, we had an amazing time and Utah is one of the most stunning places I've seen. One bit of advice...don't rush it. We had limited time for Bryce Canyon and Zion...but I plan on visiting again and hiking further thru the hoodoos of Bryce and to the narrows of Zion.

I did however make my goal of seeing Wall Street in Bryce Canyon! Amazing place.

In all, we visited the Grand Canyon North Rim, Zion, Bryce, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Vermillion Cliffs, Lees Ferry and Marble Canyon, and a couple of local spots including Moqui Cave, Kanab, and dinosaur track site near the Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

The photos are uploaded on my website under the Utah Gallery...so take a peek. More to come!

Urban?!

I had to take a deep breath when a great gallery, named Gallery 801 asked me for framed "urban" images for the May show. I thought....."urban"?! My....well, not my best area in photography. Well, I framed 4 pictures and took them down. Ever since then (a few days later), I am literally obsessed with photographing urban scenes in Tucson. The barrios are my favorite with all the color and character. Now, I wish I spent more time in that area, because I found some extremely photogenic spots. I will have such a selection for the next show!

May 9 from 6-9 PM
Gallery 801
801 N Main
Local Artists Reception!

Gallery 801

I just found out I have a couple of days to get "Urban" images together-framed and matted for a art exhibition in Gallery 801 for the month of May.

Opening reception is May 9 from 6 to 9 PM for selected local artists and photographers. Gallery 801 is located at 801 N. Main in Tucson.

All works are for sale..so please stop by and take a peek. Everyone is welcome and we hope you can attend!

Insomniac

Now that the desert is blooming sooner than normal, I have the opportunity to capture the less noticed cactus flowers...less noticed because they bloom only at night (midnight or so) and die off by first sunlight.

My mom and I would "sneak" into neighbors yards at night and photograph them as they bloomed. Recently, I purchased a couple Trichocereus hybrids to put in my own yard, so that I could capture them without the chance of capturing trespassing charges too!

This is my first bloom and I have several other buds on the same cactus. The red/pink tones are SO difficult to photograph, especially with a flash. My normal setting for the white night blooming cactus, does not work well for the red. Something else I will need to practice on!

A Bit of Yellow

Our Sonoran Desert landscape is currently covered in a blanket of yellow. The numerous Palo Verde trees are in bloom. We welcome the beautiful color but can do without the allergies and the swarms of bees. In fact, I have seen several large groups of bees around lately. My children, their grandma, and I were at the park one day and were suddenly covered in a cloud of swarming bees....thousands of them. We had to run for the car. Scary...yes! Because all of the bees in Southern Arizona are now considered to be Africanized, and when provoked, can attack by the thousands.

I have a hard time deciding on which is my favorite season...fall or spring. Right now, I say spring because of all the color and wildlife.

Early Bloomers

We were told to expect a phenomenal sunset tonight, because of the ash from the Alaskan volcano circling the atmosphere. They were wrong. It was a very boring, bland, not so colorful show.

I did however find Ocotillo in bloom! Against the green saguaro, they were beautiful with their bright orange color. I just had to keep an eye out for rattlesnakes and bobcats. There have been a large number of rattlesnakes seen this year already. I have also heard that Tucson has had the highest number of rabies cases this year, compared to several years past.

Everything in the Sonoran Desert has bloomed well before its normal bloom time this year. Most cactus, including the saguaro are supposed to bloom during the summer. Many saguaro have buds on them and some were already in bloom. Now I am in a mad scramble to photograph them before they are done for the year....unless they have a second bloom time? Otherwise, it will be a very monochromatic summer in the desert.