Shutter Mike Photography

A hike up the Echo Canyon side of Camelback Mountain offers some amazing Phoenix photography opportunities.  The views of the city of Phoenix to the south and west, Paradise Valley to the north and east and the red rocks of the mountain itself are spectacular.  However, you are not going to get those amazing shots without a little work.  This is not a hike for the faint of heart.  The trails are very well maintained, “stairs,” railings and fencing have all been installed.  But the stairs are sometimes steep and you need the railing to pull yourself up (and back down) some very steep inclines.  So start early, take plenty of water and make sure you have enough time to enjoy (and photograph) the views.  It is well worth the strain you may put on your calves and lungs.

This piece of public art had some controversy surrounding it when it was first installed in early 2009 as do many public art works.  The issues ranged from the spending of taxpayer money to “what is it supposed to be?”  The artist, Janet Echelman, said in a Newsweek article about the piece:

“It’s good for art to make us think, to give us a shared experience that creates a dialogue, makes us talk to each other, including strangers.”

Here are the details of the sculpture:

Total cost: $2.5 million

Dimensions: 145’ height x 353’ width x 289’ depth

Materials: Painted galvanized steel, high-tenacity polyester braided twine netting, and color lighting

I will be going into details about Las Vegas’ vintage signs in an upcoming post.  There is a whole CIA-like clandestine world around them that most visitors to Vegas never discover.  This particular sign is out there high up above Fremont St. for all to see.  It is one of the restored classic Vegas signs.  To find this particular sign head off the strip going north on Las Vegas Blvd until you get to the old downtown area and Fremont St.  It is east on Fremont between Las Vegas Blvd. and 6th St. (Note that it is probably best to go during the day as the area is a little “rough.”)

This is post number three in the series of Phoenix area sign photographs.  You can go back and see part I and part II if you need to catch up.  Although there is no need to view them in any particular order.

Mesa’s Main St. has a good number of signs so I had to split the Main St. post into two.  These are a continuation of the vintage and vintage-like signs along Main St. in Mesa, AZ between Lindsey Rd. and Dobson Rd.  I created a Google map to pin point the exact locations of the signs in this post.  You can view that here.

The El Captain Lodge is not technically on Main St.  But it is only a few feet down a  side street and the glow of its neon sign can easily be seen from Main, so I’m making an exception.  One thing I really like about this sign is that it specifically points out that the motel has TV.  Today it would be very odd to find a motel without a TV, even the most budget among them.  But I imagine in the 1950s when this motel was flourishing, TV was a big selling point that may have set them apart from the dozens of other Lodge’s that dotted the highways.

Very near to the El Captain Lodge is the Hiway Host Motel.  Its sign features the classic “space age” look of the 1950s with the blue star burst above the glowing orange Hiway Host name.  In the daylight the turquoise blue of the sign is very reminiscent of the motel’s heyday 50 to 60 years ago.  Like the El captain above this sign makes mention of the special features of the motel, in particular “phones.”

Unfortunately, the Kiva Lodge’s Indian chief head sign was not lit up the night I set out to photograph.  I do not recall ever seeing it lit in fact, so I am not sure it is operational anymore.  But this is one sign, almost more than any of the others I have featured here, that really speaks to the period.  Arizona was still the “wild west,” especially to visitors coming from the Eastern United States.  “Cowboys and Indians” were a big draw.  Although the sign might be deemed a little offensive by some today, I think it is a classic and even without being lit up, I am glad it is still in good repair.  Note the “refrigerated” above the word kiva.  At the time, refrigeration, or air conditioning, was a very important feature in that would draw in weary travelers crossing AZ in the summer heat.

The sign for the El Rancho Motel is rather simple compared to the others along Main St.  In fact, I am not certain of its age and therefore its “authenticity” as a vintage motel sign. However, like the Hambone Bar and Grill and Bill Johnson’s Big Apple Steakhouse, even if they are not true “period” pieces they went to the extra effort to make the sign fit the theme of Main St.  And for a rather low budget motel, that deserves some extra props in my book.

Main St. in Mesa, AZ may not be the best neighborhood (or parts of it anyway) anymore.  But it is a little bit like a trip back in time with its classic neon roadside motel  signs glowing in the night.  It is a great spot to practice your night time photography.  You will have to play around with things like shutter speed, aperture and ISO to capture the signs at their best at night.  The dozen or so signs are an awesome subject for night time photography in Phoenix.  But don’t forget about them in the day as well.  They take on a whole different look.

Up next is the Melrose District in central Phoenix.  This is a short strip of 7th Ave between Camelback Rd and Indian School Rd. that features a great assortment of classic signs.

I tried adjusting the ISO on this photograph of the Eiffel Tower (Vegas’s version that is).  Because I did not have a tripod with me when walking around the Vegas strip at night I could not use too long of a shutter speed.  Even with the Sony Alpha’s image stabilization I would not have been able to hold the camera steady.  So one option is to increase your ISO.  Remember from my post on ISO that the higher the ISO the more sensitive to light the senor will be.  This allows you to speed up your shutter speed in order to compensate for a lack of a tripod.   One drawback however, is an increase in digital noise (grain in film photography) when the ISO gets higher.  At ISO 800 as this photo was shot at, and the relatively small size of the photo, the noise is not too noticeable.  If I were to blow it up for printing, you would see the noise much more.

This is part 2 of my posts on “vintage” signs that are worth photographing in the Phoenix area.  Part one focused on Grand Ave from downtown Phoenix to Glendale.  Part 2 heads out to the East Valley in Mesa, AZ.  It is appropriate that all of the signs in this post are on Main St. given the “All-Americaness” of a Main St. in the US and the truly American invention of the roadside motel and neon sign.  Mesa’s Main St. is dotted with several classic roadside motels from the middle of the last century when a family road trip was the ideal summer vacation.  There are several other businesses along this stretch of Mesa that followed suit with the classic neon signs of their motel neighbors.  That makes for a great photography outing in Mesa day or night (although I shot all of these signs when they are at their best – glowing at night).

When heading out to Mesa if you stick to Main St. between Lindsey Rd. and Dobson Rd. you will be able to capture most of the better signs that are still actively maintained and lit most nights.  Check out my Photography Guide Google map that pin points each of the signs in this post.

Also, if you are going to attempt the night shots be sure to refer to my posts on improving night photography and ISO.  Keep those tips in mind so that you get the best photos possible.

Click on any of the images to see a larger version.

This sign is one of my absolute favorite.  It is also the first one you will come to if you start at the east end of the route at Lindsey Rd (see Map Guide).  It belongs to the Starlite Motel and features a woman diving into a swimming pool.  The sign lights up in four stages starting with the woman at the top jumping off, then she is in mid dive, and finally hitting the water (the 4th light is the water at the bottom that lights up when she hits it).

Here are a few tips to help you photograph this vintage neon sign:

There is a parking lot to the west of the motel on Main St. that for me, was the ideal spot to shoot.

If you want to capture all of the steps lit up at once make sure your shutter speed is slow enough.

Play around with different shutter speeds, apertures and ISO to get the ideal shot.

A little post processing editing may be necessary to get the coloring and balance just right.

Am I allowed two favorites?  The Pat’s Bicycle Shop sign features an in-motion arrow and a classic bike with the word “Schwinn” next to it.  I also photographed this particular sign during the day and posted it as a Photo of the Day a while back.

The same general night time photography tips for the Starlite above apply to photographing the Pat’s sign as well.  The parking lot in front of the store is ideal for capturing the sign.  If you want to get more than the sign itself try from across the street with a telephoto lens.

The Ham Bone Bar and Grill sign is next door to Pat’s Bicycle Shop.  It is a combination of neon and the more common lighted panel so it strays a bit from the “vintage” concept of the other signs in this post.  But it is representative of a business that is trying to maintain the look and feel of the area with a classic style sign.

The Sally’s Fabrics sign is not what you would expect for a fabric store.  It is rather large and of course neon and has been described as a “Vegas style sign.”  Although it might be a bit subdued for Vegas.  I was not able to find anything on its history, but the store itself has been around for quite some time.  So even if the sign is not technically vintage, I give Sally’s Fabrics props for maintaining the look and feel of its Main St. neighbors.

Bill Johnson’s Big Apple Steakhouse has been part of the Phoenix area for about 45 years.  The signage on Main St. just west of Stapley in Mesa doesn’t seem to date back quite that far, but the steakhouse has gone with the neon theme of Main St.  The steer in the middle is more contemporary in its design, but you still get the overall effect.  The “Let’s Eat” sign at the left is not the restaurant’s main sign, but as I was photographing from across the street in the Sally’s Fabrics parking lot I was not able to get a  good shot of the main sign.  You win some, you lose some.

Stay tuned for the next installment in the classic signs posts in the Phoenix area which will have more from Main St. in Mesa.

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities, especially for photography.  The possibilities for photo worthy subjects seems endless.  The Golden Gate Bridge is probably one of the most photographed icons of America and certainly of San Francisco.  But there are always new angles to explore and details that are worth a new look.  That is the case with most any subject.  Thousands may have photographed it before you, but not with your perspective.

I don’t know the exact name of this building (although it looks like it may have been part parking garage).  But it is on Las Vegas Blvd., a good drive north of the infamous Strip, just south of Fremont St.  I love the repeating lines and the mid-century modern styling of the facade.  Stay tuned for more Vegas photographs.

This might seem like a peculiar “best” list – signs?  But if you really look around, you will start to notice things that are just part of everyday life that are really worth taking a  second look at through your camera lens.  I personally think signs, older signs in particular, are often works of art.  Most modern signs seem to have been  made at the quickie sign shop and are void of personality.  But vintage signs made a statement about the business they represented.  I think that makes those that have been preserved, which unfortunately are far too few, a very interesting subject for some creative photography.

Phoenix as a city is relatively new.  It has seen a growth spurt in the last few decades.  As seems to often be the case, metropolitan growth in the Phoenix area put progress before preservation in many instances.  As far as signs go that means many were lost and some were “modernized” and just lost their original character.  But if you appreciate things a little vintage and want to capture some photographs of signage in the Phoenix area you are not completely out of luck.

The signs in this first post are all along Grand Ave from the downtown Phoenix area at 7th Ave. and Van Buren St. through to Glendale at 75th Ave. and Olive Ave.  (Note that Grand Ave. cuts across the city diagonally)  Check out the Google Map I have set up for details on the locations of each of these signs.

Depending on where you are in the valley you may want to start at whichever end of Grand Ave. that is closer to you.  But for the sake of this “tour” we will start downtown at the three-way intersection of Grand, 7th Ave, and Van Buren.   The Best West Inn looks like it has seen better days and the neighborhood is one you might want to avoid after dark.  But the signage on the roof for the City Center Motel, as the Best West Inn was once known, is an awesome classic space-age sign.  The motel itself also boasts some great mid-century modern roadside motel architecture.

Also check out the Friendship Inn Motel across the street.  The sign is not as interesting and I suspect not the original.  But the building is a nice find if you are into classic motels.

Heading northwest up Grand Ave. (remember it cuts through Phoenix at a diagonal) to Fillmore St. you come to Smith Radiator Exchange, or what used to be Smith.  I believe the building now has another purpose, but the old neon sign still sits atop the roof.  The rusting metal adds character to this vintage sign and presents some good photo opportunities.  I only have a close up of the sign here, but getting it in the context of its neighborhood could add more to the photographic story of this old sign.

Grand Ave. has a lot of character if you take the time to search it out and really see beyond the surface.  What may seem like another run down part of town has some gems for a photographer.  I am only highlighting what you might find here.  But keep an eye out for a lot more.

Next on my list is Mel’s Diner at Culver St.  Although it was not filmed here, it is said that this was the inspiration for the late 70’s TV sitcom Alice which took place in Phoenix.  The diner only became Mel’s in name long after the show ended however.  Reviews of the food at the diner are mixed, but you don’t need to order up any eggs and grits to capture the classic diner sign out in the parking lot.  If you’re brave stick around until dark to see how the setting sun and night lights change the sign.

Cross I-17 and you will come to one of my favorite Grand Ave. signs, Mr. Lucky’s on the north side of the street just past 35th Ave.  I came across this one by chance, not knowing it was there before heading out on my Grand Ave. tour.  I am still not exactly sure what Mr. Lucky’s is, a bar or nightclub it seems.  But the sign looks like a vintage Vegas casino and it is just a fun classic sign that has a lot of photographic potential.  The colors are vibrant (although they were undoubtedly much more vibrant before years in the harsh Phoenix sun) and the grand scale of the size set it apart from some of the other signs I have listed.

After Mr. Lucky’s we have two more classic roadside motels.  Back in the 1950’s and 60’s, before the freeway system cut back and forth across Phoenix, Grand Ave was a major travel thoroughfare with motels, inns and motor lodges up and down its diagonal stretch through the city.  Today most of those have fallen on hard times and few are operating motels anymore.  Or at least not the kind of motel you would want to spend too much vacation time in.  But they have manged to hang on to their classic signs, vacancy add on and all.  The first you will come to is the Crystal Motel. It even boasts a rare amenity in those days, refrigerated, i.e air conditioning.

Finally (at least as far as this list goes) is the Two Palms Motel just before you hit Olive Ave.  This sign is in pretty good repair and would probably be worth a trip out at night to see if it looks as good lit up as it does in the day light.

Don’t limit yourself to just the signs I list here, or even to just signs for that matter.  Take some time to really explore areas like Grand Ave that you might otherwise have driven past without noticing.  Notice it through your camera lens and it can be a whole different world.

Check back soon for Part II of my vintage signs posts for another area of Phoenix that you may not have noticed before.