Phoenix

Stuck In the Heat – Trey Ratcliff’s Phoenix Photo Walk

Jeff

 

Picture Courtesy of Trey’s Website http://tour.treyratcliff.com/

On this very hot day, it was a cool thing to do! Trey Ratcliff, known world wide as the father of modern High Dynamic Range photography, was going to be in my town, Phoenix, Arizona. His Photo Walk Across the USA had made it to the west.

Of course most people don’t come this way during the heat of August, but Trey is a trooper as is the rest of his crew. They were making their way through several major cities to publicize a number of things and to give fans a chance to do a photo walk with them.

The Phoenix photo walk began at the Irish Cultural Center. I never knew there was such an organization until I needed to find the location. As you can see, it is a beautiful building.

Trey likes to refer to his tour bus as a megabus and it was!

For someone who has earned quite a bit of celebrity, Trey is very approachable. You can imagine how uncomfortable it was in the heat of the desert in a paved parking lot, but he continued to meet and greet people and take photos with them for way more than an hour.

Here I am (wearing the light cap) with others talking to Trey.

Picture Courtesy of a screen grab of Trey’s footage of the Walk – http://tour.treyratcliff.com/

My wife came along, but tended to stay in the background. She likes photography, but isn’t a picture taker. The yellow arrow points to wife Mary and the green arrow is me again (sorry).

Picture Courtesy of a screen grab of Trey’s footage of the Walk – http://tour.treyratcliff.com/

I guess you can call Curtis Trey’s right hand man. He can be seen on videos and webinar type experiences offered through the Stuck In Customs website. He provided some helpful hints and guidelines prior to the walk.

As time approached for the walking tour to begin, the crowd began to form.

Trey was wearing some amazing Nikes

But he wasn’t the only one!

A note needed here – I don’t own a camera that is able to take quality pictures in low light. The best I could do was with my trusty iPad and my Canon PowerShot A590. So…many of the shots that remain will be grainy, but I think they still offer a good “feel” for how the night unfolded.

As we began to walk around downtown and without knowing where the tour would lead, the sun began to set. One of the first photo opportunities was a church that was barely lit, but had a nice courtyard.

Trey was using the new Sony a7R Mark II which has great low light abilities as well as being at the top if its class and, according to the initial reviews, surpasses many of those in other classes as well. Do you detect camera envy?!

After another brisk walk, we stopped at this street corner. Trey explained that he liked the mix of the mural on the wall and the building lights.

One of the best things about the photo walk was that the participants could ask questions which TR was glad to answer. He discussed the composition and the details indicating why he thought each shot would make a good picture.

Trey wasn’t taking single shots either. He was taking HDR photos which call for a series of three exposures; one properly exposed, one two stops over and the other two stops under. These are later combined to yield the HDR picture bringing a high dynamic range to the photo with details in shadow areas as well as those that are strongly lit.

As the traffic light was changing, other photogs were asking questions; a walk and talk kind of experience.

There was another picture opportunity at a concert in the park where this modern structure made of optical cable or wire was being illuminated by changing lights. (I will provide a link to better pictures at the end of this post) so you can appreciate the full effect.

At this stop (below) trey provided another “Mind Vitamin” (something to think about) as he pointed out how converging lines help give depth to a picture and offer the viewer somewhat more than a two dimensional experience.

He stated that he loved the green trees, i.e.Palo Verdes.

Others took the opportunity look at his camera (as he had it set up to take the pictures on a time delay) so they could examine the settings, etc.

One of the AV crew members was wearing this shirt which I thought had a slightly ironic twist.

Trey was toting his “ultimate camera bag” that he and Peak Design worked on together. At least his gear was on the light side.

Trey selected this shot because of the pattern of light and dark and the reflections. This picture doesn’t do it justice, but I think you get the idea.

Once again, Trey stopped to discuss scenes that cried out to be photographed.

Another example of converging lines drawing the eye into the picture.

This was one of the last stops of the tour before the after party so we headed back to the car since we had a long ride home.

On the way back to the car (a nearly two mile trek) through downtown Phoenix, we came across this scene. I know it is just a water fountain, but it struck a responsive chord with me especially after reading the sign (The Little Fountain That Could).

To see the best pictures of the Phoenix photo walk, go to the Google+ page Best of: Trey’s Phoenix Photo Walk

You can watch the Phoenix Photo Walk Video:



This is the general site for the Photo Walk Across the USA

If you want to learn more about HDR photography and the story behind Trey Ratcliff’s photography experience, you can check my former blog post,Founding Father of HDR Photography – Trey Ratcliff, which includes a link to Trey’s inspirational TED talk!

iPhone 6 Makes Picture Taking a Snap!

Jeff

Apple has set up what they are calling a “World Gallery” of photographs taken using the iPhone 6. The wonderful picture capabilities of the iPhones have been touted for a number of years and with each iteration, Apple seems to be able to raise the bar even higher. To demonstrate how versatile and creative the iPhone 6 can be, this page titled “Shot on iPhone 6” provides a great number of examples. I selected five of my favorites below. Visit the website to see more images in their larger sizes.

NOTE – Some of the pictures were taken with Apps other than the Apple Camera App. This information is noted under the pictures on display at the linked website.


Let me know which images you find most compelling, beautiful or interesting.

Shot by Andrew P. in Phoenix, AZ

This desert shot takes full advantage of the warm reds and oranges of sunset, capturing a beautiful range of tones with a limited color palette.

Since I live in this area, this picture caught my eye. I have taken similar pictures with my camera. One thing I try to impress upon visitors and people who live out-of-state is the wonderful colors the sun creates at various times of the day in the Sonoran Desert.

Sonoran Desert Scene - iPhone6

Shot by Brendan Ó. in Copenhagen, Denmark

Shooting from an unexpected angle can add an interesting twist. Here, it creates contours in the lines that convey a sense of movement to the viewer.

I found the lines on this pavement particularly interesting. I wonder if these are bicycle lanes or do these markings serve some other purpose? Are these lines curvy for artistic reasons or do the shapes provide a necessary shift?

Street/Park Scene, Copenhagen Denmark - iPhone6

Shot by Hyeong Jun K. in Seoul, South Korea
The exaggerated scale of a shadow, like the one cast by the tree, can add an element of interest to a stark landscape.

I am a sucker for trees especially when they are standing alone. While there are others around, the isolation of the main tree feels palpable to me.

Lonesome Tree - iPhone6

Shot by Noah W. in Marina Del Rey, CA

Use naturally occurring shadows to your advantage. In this photo, the solid silhouette of the dog interrupts the stripes cast across the sidewalk.

I enjoy a good animal picture and this is no exception. In addition to the notation above, this photograph would have been so ordinary without the shadows. The dog almost looks zebra-ish and much more interesting with the shadowed lines.

Dog Marked by Linear Shadows - iPhone6

Shot by Austin M. in Steamboat Springs, CO

Photos featuring just one color family can be brought to life with a subtle hint of a contrasting color. Here, the pop of blue in the sky adds a surprising element.

I love the subtle colors in this photo as noted above. While this is a very good photo, IMHO it would have been even better had the ski lift (upper right) been cropped out. In any event, the feeling evoked by this snow scene is “cool” indeed!

On the Slopes - iPhone6

Taming the desert rain!

Jeff

After our 2007 relocation from the east coast to the Phoenix Valley, we were surprised to learn that we were in a flood plain! This was soon apparent within a few months when a monsoon storm hit, and a large portion of our “top soil” (aka “sand”) ended up in the adjacent property. We decided to construct a “wadi” (a gully or streambed in northern Africa and southwest Asia that remains dry except during the rainy season) and ordered approximately six tons of “rip rap” (fist sized stone) from a local rock yard. Landscape cloth and pins were used as a weed barrier, and then each rock was carefully laid over a period of several weeks. The wadi is approximately 70 feet by 10 feet (average) and runs diagonally across the southeast corner of our 1.5 acre parcel. It has dramatically decreased soil (sand!) loss. A year after installation, we opted to construct a wall at the wadi’s headwaters comprised of eight large boulders that have served to further diminish the rapid flow of monsoon rains. Occasionally, debris must be removed from the rocks, and it is interesting to speculate on the origin of plastic wrappers and plush pet toys that meander downstream with the rains!


Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert
This is the corner that was washed out after the first heavy rain

Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert

We started constructing the wadi by the base of the trees where the water first enters our property.

Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert
On the right-hand side are several boulders we purchased to add interest and further slow the flow of water.

Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert
The project moved along as we developed the protocol for laying the weed barrier, sandy gravel and the rocks.
Building a Wadi in the Sonoran Desert
Here is an approximately east-west view near completion of the project.