Tag Archives: night photography

Catalina Mountains from Windy Point and the Wildfire

Last night a group of my former photography students and I went to Windy Point to photograph the skyline. We didn’t think we’d see the fire from there, just the smoke. In a matter of hours the fire had climbed over the next peak and was visible from our vantage point. As of 10:00 am today, people are being evacuated from the area at the base of the mountains. In this photo you can see the fire cresting the ridge (far right).

Here we are as a group earlier in the evening. You can see the smoke pluming behind us.

 

Breakers Water Park

One of the rewards of staying in touch with former students is that you get to be a part of their life even after they’ve graduated. This weekend one such former student, Caleb Trainor, arranged for me and a handful of my current photography students to do some night photography at Breakers Water Park.  Caleb had done some drone imagery of the park recently and the owner happened to see it, making a connection which led to official access of the grounds this weekend.

Originally constructed in 1982, Breakers Water Park provided the people of Tucson, AZ with cool, family fun for nearly 35 years. Today the park is officially closed, and while it is kept under lock and key awaiting a buyer, people still illegally enter to vandalize the property. The graffiti makes for neat photography, but I’m sure the owner does not appreciate it. As a former patron in my youth, it was very odd coming back to the park in its current state. Pangs of sadness were mixed with nerdy, photography exclamations like, “Oh! Those paint cans make an awesome picture!”

Remember trying to get up the ladder at the deep end of the wave pool? That was quite a feat! What are your favorite Breakers memories?

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Tucson Light Parade

Whoa! It’s seriously been since September since I last posted? My goodness! Being a teacher has really changed my day-to-day life, but in an awesome way! Sorry I’ve been gone for so long. Here are a few photos I took at a light parade in Tucson, AZ last weekend. Merry Christmas to you all!dsc_1512c dsc_1538c dsc_1540c

96 Ranch

I’m still going through my photos from last weekend’s photo walk. There are more to come, including my first Milky Way photos! In the meantime, I’m having a hard time deciding which of these I like better. I think in the end, I like them both for different reasons. Do you have a preference?

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96 Ranch

I went on my first photo walk with a group of outstanding Tucson photographers last weekend to the abandoned 96 Ranch, which is close to Florence, AZ. I was so excited to be invited to attend this private event but had never attempted to shoot stars before. So, I crash coursed myself with online tutorials before we hit the road. Thank goodness for Google! LOL! Here’s a shoot I took while waiting for the Milky Way to rise in the night sky.DSC_5050c

Ulleungdo, Korea’s Island Paradise

Dare I say a stay on this island is better than Jeju? I’ve been to both now, and while Jeju is unbelievably gorgeous, Ulleungdo will make you feel like you are a thousand miles away from the hustle of the “real world.”

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The stars on the map annotate places I’ve been.

The island is about 217 kilometers from the ferry port in Pohang (one of the terminals that services trips to Ulleungdo) and is located in the East Sea between Korea and Japan. From Pohang, expect a three-hour ferry ride out at 9:50am. This is the only departure time. Returns to Pohang are at 3:30pm daily.

We spent two nights and two days on Ulleungdo, just barely enough time to do everything we wanted to do. I suggest at least another day on the island if you can swing it. There is one road that goes almost all the way around tDSC_2951che island. It takes 1.5 hours to make it to the end of the road, but not because the island is large. The road is small and meanders through scenic scapes that even a man who likes to get from point A to point B will want to stop and soak in. Multiple one lane tunnels wind themselves through the volcanic rock; you’ll have to wait your turn to go through if traffic is coming from the opposite direction. But no worries, you’re on island time here. Continue reading Ulleungdo, Korea’s Island Paradise

Photo a Day Challenge: Day 26

#26. Can’t do without. (Night photography! Like probably most photographers just starting out, I’ve been photographing just about anything rather than honing in one particular type of photography. Over the last year or so I’ve gravitated more and more towards night and street photography and am loving it!)CJT_5143c


See Photo A Day Challenge #1 for a list of what to look forward to tomorrow!