Photography In The Desert
I'm finding that photography and the desert go hand in hand. I've had ample opportunity to check out the scenery around me, and more importantly, capture it on film. My photo gallery of Tucson is rapidly filling up.
During our previous assignments, I found that I had to put in some serious driving time to get around to different locales for photo shoots. I put a lot of miles on the Rav4 finding a good place to take pictures. Here in Tucson, it's been much different. First of all, we haven't really gotten out and explored the surrounding areas. Basically, we've made a trip to San Diego and another to Phoenix. This hasn't been entirely by choice, and hopefully will change, as we both love exploring the land around us. I'm hoping that I can even make a trip down to Tombstone and a couple of ghost towns near it this weekend, if possible. Also, Jess and I are heading up north of Phoenix to the Sedona / Grand Canyon / Flagstaff area this next week for four days, which will give us some excellent exploration opportunities.
At any rate, we have been a little slow about getting out to find new sights, but I've still managed to find plenty of interesting areas to explore. Most importantly, hiking is an essential Tucson experience, and one of the most interesting observations that I have made about Tucson is that each hike is essentially unique. Of course, it is all the Sonoran Desert, there are saguero cactus and rocks everywhere. Still, each hike we've take has its own surprises, its own unique differences. In particular, when you drive to different locations along the range that faces Tucson, you see larger differences in the environment. Of course, the higher that you climb into the mountains (they start out at 2500 feet and climb to 9100 in less than 20 miles), the more you see in environment changes. I've read that the difference between the Tucson environment and that of the the tops of the mountains is like going from Mexico to Canada, and I fully believe it.
We have also visited some of the more interesting attractions here in Tucson, which have yielded some interesting photos. We visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Musuem when my parents drove down from Colorado last week to visit us. Jess and I spent a day with some friends checking out that Pima Air and Space Museum, as well as going to the Tucson Rodeo one afternoon. Even taking a different perspective on this area has been good, as my friend Scott and I recently went out during a full moon into the desert and took some cool pictures.
Tucson and its surrounding desert environment can seem diminished at first, until you spend some time getting to know the area. It's not the most exciting city I've ever visited, but then again, it's kept my interest as well as my photography up since I arrived in the first week of January. That alone says a lot.
Until next time, be safe.
