Shutter Mike Photography

Museum number two on my list of the top 5 museums worth photographing in Phoenix is the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA).  Located in the Scottsdale Civic Plaza near the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts SMoCA is a bit of an eclectic building from an architectural standpoint.  It incorporates several materials into the buildings facade including glass, concrete, corrugated steel, and mirrored surfaces.

I shot this museum twice, once in mid-afternoon and once at the “magic hour.”  It shows much better in very late afternoon as the sun is beginning to set.  The various surfaces of the museum’s exterior reflect and play with the setting sun light very well.

One thing to note on this museum is that they forbid photography in the interior spaces.

Phoenix has pockets of mid-century modern architecture scattered throughout the Valley, both commercial and residential.  This makes sense as the city began to grow significantly after World War II and into the 1950s and 60s.  Tourists from the Midwest and East Coast came in droves and many returned for a permanent stay.  The climate and growth were attractive to influxes of new residents and more people meant more housing was necessary.  At a time when homes were still designed by architects, rather than assembly line cookie-cutters of every other house, there were several Phoenix architects that took up the task of designing homes for Phoenix’s growing population and they incorporated the design aesthetic of the era into these houses.  Among some of the better known were Ralph Haver, Alfred Beadle and Calvin Straub.

As with most things, the value of this architecture was not realized until it was too late in some cases.  But there are fantastic examples of preserved and restored Mid-Century Modern architecture throughout Phoenix.  And a dedicated and enthusiastic “fan club” of sorts is working to keep the style alive and remembered.   Modernphoenix.net is leading the charge and presents a very well done home tour every spring.  These images are from the 2010 tour that focused on the Paradise Gardens neighborhood in North Central Phoenix.

Some of the best shots require a little extra effort.  Getting up before the sun on a Sunday morning and racing against it to capture your shots before it is too high in the sky and too bright takes a little extra effort.  But sometimes things just fall in place unexpectedly as well.  This building was not the image I set out to capture this morning.  But I noticed the rising sun reflecting in the copper colored glass of the Viad Tower and voila.

In my list of the top 5 museums worth photographing in Phoenix I included Arizona State University Art Museum among them. As I mentioned, the museums in my list are there primarily because I feel they are photographic from an architectural standpoint rather than because of their collections and exhibits.  However, depending on your photography style and likes and dislikes, you may find the contents of the museum more to your liking.  Or you may want to take some shots of the architectural elements and then visit the art as a bonus.  Either way the ASU Art Museum will not disappoint.  The giant pink and gray concrete structure begs to be photographed and explored.  Its architectural details play with the light and shadows making for an image possibility around every corner.

Plan on spending at least an hour shooting the exterior before you head in to explore the exhibits.  Also keep in mind the mid-day Arizona sun can be harsh especially with vast expanses of gray concrete.  So you are better off arriving very early or waiting until that “magic hour” before the sun sets to photograph this museum.

Arizona State University Art Museum – Southern Facade

Arizona State University Art Museum Architectural Detail

f/5.6 – 1/100 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 28 mm           

ASU Art Museum Architecture Element

There are some great Phoenix Arizona photography spots.  From desert landscapes and nature to architecture and culture to ordinary urban life; Phoenix has something to interest most any photographer be it professional, amateur or tourist.

With a metro area population of close to 4.5 million people Phoenix and its suburbs have attracted a fair share of culture.  That includes some great museums.  My photographic genre preference leans more towards photographing the museum buildings themselves rather than the contents, as I love architectural photography.  So the museums on this list are based on the photogenic properties of the museum architecture.  But, as a whole, these Phoenix area museums are stocked full of beautiful art, artifacts and in some cases hands on exhibits and are well worth visiting more than just the building exteriors.

Just keep in mind when bringing your camera to the museum that rules on photography in the exhibit spaces themselves vary from museum to museum and from exhibit to exhibit.

1) Phoenix Museum of Art

2) Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (aka SMOCA)

3) Heard Museum

4) ASU Art Museum

5) Arizona Science Center

Check back for individual post with more images from each of these five museums soon.