Southern Arizona Photography Trip   
Southwest Arizona - November 15-23, 2003

The best-laid plans...
This trip started out as something a bit more ambitious.  I scaled it back in order to spend time with a friend.  This allowed me the opportunity to spend some additional (very productive) time in the areas around Tucson.

Fine Art Photographer's Summit
Saturday, November 15-16
This was the inaugural attempt at a workshop/seminar for photographers.  The summit was staffed by some of the most recognizable names in Landscape & Digital Photography: Alan Briot, Steve Cassak, Michael Richman, and Uwe Brinmere.  The summit was attended by about fifty people, and supported by CaptureOne, Gretag Macbeth, and Epson.  Thomas Knoll, creator of Photoshop, was also in attendance -- a nice bonus, considering the insights he provided on the inner-workings of the just-released Photoshop CS (v8).

For an inaugural event, it was quite successful.  The sessions were largely a re-tread of information the presenters had already made available on the web.  But the format allowed ample opportunity to ask questions, and provided additional background on the presenter's perspective.  The attendees were largely a mix of professional and advanced amateurs, with a few eager beginners also present.  Many of the attendees focused on landscape or nature photography, but others were also present.  The event allowed the good opportunity to interact with others.  The print review was very interesting.  I learned a lot by watching the critiques of others, and wish I would have brought some of my own work for review.

For the amateurs present...the amount of money these folks apply toward their hobby is mind-boggling.  After one day, I no longer felt guilty about the money I've spent.  But the end of the second day, I was contemplating a whole suite of new purchases... ;) 

At the end, I took-away two main points.  One, I MUST calibrate my monitor -- by purchasing a $250 colorimeter -- if I want reliable colors in my prints.  And two, that I should seriously consider making my own prints instead of sending them to the lab.  As I become more discerning about the quality of my work, this makes sense to me.  But I'm torn.  Buying the equipment is easy enough.  But proper color calibrations will require countless hours of pain-staking tests and refinements.  Every combination of ink and paper requires its own profiles to be created, tested, and refined.  There are labs with professional machines that will supply me with the profiles that match each lab's printers.  To get started, I think I stick with that. 

I'm looking forward to next year's summit.


Sedona with Alain Briot
Monday, November 17
On Monday, I participated in a field workshop conducted by Alain and Natalie Briot.  The focus was on "seeing photographically."  The beautiful surroundings were secondary.  I chose Alain's course due to his artistic background.  I can learn the technical details from books and trial and error.  But I needed some help to develop the aesthetic aspects of photography.  I learned a lot.  We started out at Montezuma's Castle.  The photographic opportunities there were very limited.  Unless you're interested in adobe cliff dwellings -- or Alain Briot is there to give instruction -- I suggest you skip this national park.

We then proceeded to a nearby canyon to photograph petriglyphs.  It was a treat to be taken to this location, because it wasn't on any map, and it is rare -- for fear of vandalism -- for anyone to reveal their locations.  This was an interesting destination, but rock art doesn't hold a lot of interest for me personally. 

From there, we proceeded through the town of Sedona, to a road-side stop at Bell Rock.  A short hike from the parking lot presented a number of good opportunities to photograph with some interesting vegetation for foreground interest.  It was here that Alain thoroughly schooled me in the good composition, spending mere seconds to eclipse my best-conceived compositions.  I learned a lot.

We ended the day with a shoot at Cathedral Rock.  I didn't invest a lot of time here.  The weather at sunset wasn't agreeable, the classic picture has already been taken by Alain and others, and my search for other compositions would have taken me into the frames of  other photographers.


Saguaro National and Tucson's Bario with Alain Briot
Tuesday, November 18
A very rewarding day of shooting.  We started the day with a drive to Tucson, by way of Phoenix's rush hour traffic.  Alain and Natalie tried to teach me about color, and it's presence in shaded/reflected light.  A lot of this lesson was lost on me.  Upon later reflection, I think I was just thinking too much.  The take-away was that shade isn't grey.  It has color.  Not identical to the color in full-sun, but still abundant color.  My images from that day emphasized this point.  I am quite happy with them.
The Bario  Our first stop for the day was "The Bario" -- Spanish slang for slum.  The Bario is most notable for its colorful buildings.  Many of the properties are dilapidated rental dwellings.  But some properties indicate impending gentrification.  The streets are dotted with an assortment of rust-laden Buicks and luxury SUV's.  The Bario is easy to find, and safe to walk on foot.  It is located on Meyer street, and straddles the downtown business district.  Most of the buildings are to the south.  Start at Cushing and Meyer.  A few blocks north of downtown, you can take a meal at the historic el Charo restaurant, and photograph a few more examples of the Bario on Meyer street on the block immediately north.  One of the hardest parts about photographing the Bario is the later realization that nothing is actually plumb and straight.  Doorways, window sills and rooflines all follow their own course.  I advise that you shoot wider, with the intention to crop.  This may allow a little extra room to resolve some inherent viewer discord.
Saguaro National Forest Western Side  The next stop on my journey was to work on composition and capture sunset in Saguaro National Park.  The western side is less-dense, and therefore allows better opportunities to compose shots without having to place your butt in a cactus.
Good compositions are available just about anywhere you care to stop the car and look.  We photographed sunset at Signal Hill.  This location has a nice view of the valley that lies to the west, but it will require alterations in Photoshop to remove the houses below.  The sunset also casts nice light on the mountains and saguaros to the west.  I found some additional spots on a return trip later in the week.


Sonoran Desert Museum, Center for Creative Photography and Bisbee
Wednesday, November 19
Photographically-speaking, this day was fairly unremarkable. 

Sonoran Desert Museum I started the day with a visit to the museum.  The museum is interesting, but didn't offer many photographic opportunities beyond the traditional zoo-like setting.  The facilities are nice, and the docents practically fall over themselves to tell you about the exhibits.  Worth a visit.

Center for Creative Photography  The center is located on the campus of Arizona State University.  The facilities are nice.  The gallery is free, but you have to pay for parking across the street.  The exhibit in this case -- an artist's aerial photography of changing endangered landscapes -- was unremarkable.  I hear they've had more interesting exhibits in the past.  Check the website before you go.  The bookstore has a decent selection of photography books -- better than what you'll find at most Borders locations.

Bisbee  I then proceed out of Tucson, and along a scenic highway to Bisbee.  The historic town didn't hold significant interest for me -- I was more interested in Chirichua that lay beyond -- but the scenic highway leading to it seemed more interesting than the interstate.   The drive was nice, but unremarkable.  Bisbee might be worth a visit, if your interests are so-aligned.  The historic-looking mining town holds a lot of western charm and is interestingly nestled along the cliffs of a steep canyon.  On the way to Bisbee, you'll also pass through the town of Tombstone, which provides similar interest.  I suspect that some decent shots of the town are possible from the main road.  Sunrise and sunset might provide a nice orange glow, but I can't say for certain whether the canyon walls prevent that light.


Coronodo National Forest and Chirichua National Monument
Thursday, November 20
This was a day of mildly photogenic -- but wildly enjoyable -- hikes.

Coronodo and Chirichua are adjacent to one another.  I entered them from the east, via a brief jaunt into New Mexico.  The road into Coronodo requires high clearance, and explicitly warns against passenger cars.  A sedan could have made it, but it would have required careful driving and a desperate hope there had been no recent rains.  Coronodo offered a number of hiking trails and camping opportunities, none of which I found in my research prior to the trip.  I suspect that a backcountry permit is required, though I never saw an office where one could be obtained.  There are some promising photographic opportunities, particularly within the first five miles of entering the area.  I intend to return to Coronodo.

Chiricaua is an undiscovered gem of the national parks service.  It is remarkable for is hundreds of balanced rocks, most of which best any formations that I've seen in any other park.  The park consists of one eight-mile paved road, surrounded by 12 000 acres of backcountry that is explicitly off-limits. 

Chiricahua Photography  The photographic opportunities from the parking lots are decent, but the trails are even better.  Most of the parking areas -- are situated high along a ridge.  The main views are to the west.  The balanced rocks lie to the west, about 1 000 feet below, which makes both silhouettes and afternoon light difficult to capture.  There is a nice valley floor beyond, and some distant mountains that silhouette well.  Looking outside the monument to the east, expansive valley and mountain views abound to the distant horizon.  Sunrise on the monument is mostly obscured by the ridgeline, but is worth a shot.  It seems that the best opportunity would be a sunset from about three miles into the trail system (at Inspiration Point, perhaps) might be very nice.  However, this would require a three mile return that descends 1000 feet into a canyon, and then regains it on the opposing side -- difficult in the dark, and the monument does not allow camping.  Along the hiking trails, Inspiration point provides nice panoramic views.  Heart of Rocks allows some up-close views of balanced rocks and lizards.  The road outside the park -- particularly as it heads north to Willcox -- offers some opportunities.  The road runs along the eastern edge of the valley floor, offering brilliant colors at sunset, and silhouettes of mountains and desert plants.

Chiricahua Hiking  I loved the trails.  I hiked all twelve miles they had.  There is a detailed trail guide available for 25¢ at the visitor's station, but it doesn't show any more trails than the glossy map. The trails are demanding physically, with nice altitude gains and some challenging terrain.  The hardest part can be finding when the trails start.  From the parking lot at Echo Canyon, walk past the restrooms as if you were going to head straight to Massai Point.  Ignore the side trails.  You should find the trail markers within twenty yards.  Heart of Rocks has unusual terrain and is purported to be the most difficult.  It's not well-traveled, so it does require some concentration to stay with the trail -- but the entire loop is under two miles, so there is a limit to how lost you could get.  The park offers an 8am shuttle service, that allows hikers to trek downhill back to their cars -- but what's the fun in that?!  

Chiricahua Accommodations  There is a nice campground within the park.  The nearest hotel is 50 miles away, in Willcox.  There, you'll find a few major hotel chains and some fast food restaurants that line the interstate, but there isn't must else of interest.  There is a movie theater and some kind of historic railroad car.  Coronado seems like a good place to try and squat-camp for the night.  There is a road into it just a mile or two south of the Chiricahua entrance.  Good sites are readily visible within the first three miles.


Return to Tucson and Trip to Old Mexico
Friday, November 21
Nogales makes for an interesting trip, but is decidedly un-photogenic.  But who can resist the lure of bargain-priced textiles, and the look on your friends' faces as they try to find a place for their fluorescent woven goods within their homes.   I would also question the wisdom of taking your camera across the border.


Return to Saguaro National (Western Part)
Saturday, November 22
I managed to capture my best photograph before the sun had even risen.  The park opens at 6am.  Most people access the park via the highway from the southeast.  My advice is to enter from the northeast, and take the gravel road that leads south into the park (instead of continuing on, where the westerly highway will eventually curve south).  This provides the most-expedient route to the best photographic points, and allows some opportunities to stop along the way when a good composition presents itself.  I captured my best photo shortly before sunrise, just after the crescent moon had risen above the mountains.  To get this photograph, I had to battle with nature a bit.  On one hand I had the interesting crescent moon, and clouds that would reflect the hues of the morning sun.  On the other hand, clouds obviously obscure the moon.  I owe my best photo to a dash of preparation, two parts patience, and a whole lotta good fortune. 

The hikes within Saguaro National are nice.  There are a number of promising photographic opportunities along the way.  Capturing them at sunset or sunrise would require a two-mile hike in the dark.  The hike itself is along a strenuous, but easily traceable, route.  The roads in the park have gates posting the hours (6am to sunset).  I'm not sure how the Park Rangers would react to a late hiker.  You might be able to park at the Visitor's Center and hike in/out from there, but that will add another couple of miles.  I think it may also be closed at that time, but I don't recall any gates.

If you make the trip, send me a postcard!