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Published: January 26th 2006
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At seven a.m. on Monday morning I loaded myself, my camera gear, two days of food, and my bike in my mom’s car and took off to put my photographic interpretation on the red towering rocks of North Central Arizona. First stop: the rising sun over the historic mining town of Jerome, and then onto Sedona.
The best time to photograph is early in the morning or late in the day when the sun is low and the light is warm and constantly changing. To have a chance of capturing a zinger of a nature photograph you have to get your ass out of bed much earlier then you would like, position yourself in a spot you think has potential and hope for the best.
Dressed in layers I headed into a desert gully in the hills above Jerome, less then an hour from my mother’s house. I was a little late for the real sunrise, but by being down in a gully behind a hill I could catch the sun’s second coming. The dry-dead wood of ancient trees, the odd shapes of various cacti, and the sun striking stiff evergreen leaves from behind offered the opportunity to shoot
several rolls of color and black and white.
Disclaimer: The photos here are only a representation of the experience taken with a little point a shoot. The main show will have to wait till the film is developed.
After a few hours of that I headed into Jerome, a 130 year old mining town turned tourist stop clinging to the hillside among a windy highway 89A. Sitting in the warm sun enjoying a gluten free PB&J sandwich I had a revelation. Watching groups of women lead bored men around window shopping and saying things like “lets go in here and get a little local color,” and “push the shutter button, no, the big one on top,”; traveling alone has its advantages. (Though if there are any women who think getting up before dawn to shiver in a gully in the middle of nowhere is your idea of a great vacation feel free to drop me a line.)
While in Jerome I had a long talk with a photographer who runs the local gallery as a retirement job. He had a lot of tips on what it takes to be a successful photographer and make “a six figure
income”. He offered his business to me… Hummmmmmmm.
Off to Sedona. Oh my, Sedona. Hold me back… Red rock spires must be A) of little economic value to anyone, B) very hard to build on, or C) just too amazingly beautiful for even man to screw up. Either way, they are tuely a testament to the beauty of creation. The town of Sedona has taken their location seriously and from aerial photos it looks less developed today then it did in the 1960’s. It also has this aura of Disneyland; the houses are in perfect shape and huge, the shops are attractive and well designed - and geared towards the visitor, and there are all these rock formations that are larger then life. The rocks of this area are the motivation for a lot of painted concrete at the entrances to super-subdivisions all over America.
I stayed in the cheapest motel in town and shot sunset pictures on Monday and Tuesday night and sunrise pictures on Tuesday Morning.
Up at six am on Tuesday I was off to get into position. I hopped on my bike and by the dim glow of four LCD lights I peddled
Bryan Butte Head
Do I look Like I am having fun? You Bet! in the dark for just over a mile to find a spot to take pictures. As I bumped my way over the red clay and stone path I began to feel the height of the altitude in my barely awake lungs. Ah, the joy of being groggy, cold, invigorated and sweaty all at the same time.
Coming to a small rise the trail I was surrounded by short evergreens and the warn twisted remnants of trees past. It was like riding through the set of a Star Trek episode with the light turned off.
I found a spot that gave me several vantages for framed shots of Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock, two towering earth formations I had photographed briefly at Thanksgiving a year ago.
Once in position, before the sun begins to rise the anticipation can be distracting. I have no idea whether I have picked a good spot and begin to second guess myself. As things begin to heat up I am nonetheless unimpressed and begin to believe it will all fall apart. Then the magic begins, and I had better have everything ready to go, because the light changes quickly and does not last
long. Just when I think you got it right, things get even better. Time looses meaning, all previous doubt and worry melts away. Shooting away with abandon, lost in ecstasy, the possibilities are endless.
Then I am spent. All the creative juice is drained. I am tired, cold and hungry. I don’t care if the Mona Lisa of nature shots presented it self, I could not be less interested. Time to take a nap.
The middle part of the day on a photo expedition is for everyday logistics, like eating, and planning the next adventure. I had lunch in a court yard of Tlaquepaque, the best designed shopping center I have ever come across, by far. If more places where designed like this I might even be convinced to shop like a girl.
After a midday of rest I am at it again. This time barreling headlong into sunset on a dirt Forest Service road. Shoulders hunched, hands gripping the steering wheel at 11 and 1, only the small of my back touching the seat behind me I am off on my next assignment. I am a worrier. A photographic solder charging off to do battle with
Case Closed
So ends another adventure. mediocrity, to secure the values of aesthetics and beauty for the betterment of man kind. The field of battle is the ever changing elements of light and shadow, of rock and trees. To capture is to concur. I feel I am on top of the world.
You know, if you think about it such an experience is like a good night of sex. Think about it. There is a hotel room involved. You spend a lot of time thinking about it ahead of time. A lot of time. Trying to make sure the lighting, the mood, is just right. Positioning your self. Once you are there the lead up can be torture. Then the magic starts. If you’re lucky you get 30 minutes. In reality you usually only get just a few. It all ends in a climax of heat and light and then you are done, you have shot your load… of film that is. Then, all you can think about is a nap…
“Hummmmmmm… maybe someone need a little less photography and a little more sex on this trip.”
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Kitty
non-member comment
Hmmm
Just don't even know what to say to that - except i really like the photo of the butte and the door photo. Hope you get some soon - hehe!