Photography & More by Mike Small

Archives for Arizona Photography category

Photo of the Encanto golf course in Phoenix
On Course
Encanto Golf Course – Phoenix, AZ
f/5.0 – 1/1000 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 35 mm
Photo of train cars with grafitti at sunsetSunset on the Trains
f/5.6 – 1/250 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 28 mm
Close up photo of train tracks
At Track Level
f/5.6 – 1/40 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 28 mm

Photo of giant springs

Train Springs
f/5.6 – 1/30 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 110 mm

Photo of a sterring wheel on a train car

Steering
f/5.6 – 1/80 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 28 mm

Photo of grafitti tagged train cars

Tagged
f/5.6 – 1/80 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 28 mm

Photo of a train car steering wheel

Wheel Silhouette
f/5.6 – 1/400 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 200 mm

Detail photo of a train car

Treads
f/5.6 – 1/30 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 80 mm

Photo of a brick wall in Phoenix

Cubby Holes
f/9.0 – 1/80 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 55 mm

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Grady Gammage Auditorium sits on the campus of Arizona State University.  Although neither Wright nor Gammage lived to see the building constructed it was their partnership that brought the auditorium to life.  Originally designed as an opera house for Baghdad, Iraq, Wright adapted it to the campus of ASU as part of Gammage’s vision to create a university auditorium that stood out from all others.  It was Wright’s only public building in Arizona, the home of the western campus of his Taliesin School of Architecture.

The building reaches the height of an 8 story building and can seat over 3,000 people.  It has become Arizona State’s iconic structure with its prominent location at the intersections of Apache Blvd. and Mill Ave.  Today the auditorium plays host to everything from Broadway musicals to symphonic concerts to lectures and solo performances.

Above all else, Gammage Auditorium stands out to me because of its architecture, both exterior and interior.  From the repeated use of circles to the copper and pink tones that show their best in the setting sun this is a classic Wright design.

Photo of Gammage Auditorium, Tempe, AZf/4.0 – 1/500 sec – ISO 400 – Focal Length 50 mm

Photo of a Gammage Auditorium Light Fixture Detail

f/4.0 – 1/640 sec – ISO 400 – Focal Length 50 mm

Photo of a Gammage Auditorium Pedestriam Walkway

f/4.0 – 1/640 sec – ISO 400 – Focal Length 50 mm

Photo of Gammage Auditorium

f/4.0 – 1/125 sec – ISO 400 – Focal Length 50 mm

Photo of Gammage Auditorium

f/4.0 – 1/800 sec – ISO 400 – Focal Length 50 mm

Photo of a brick wall with electrical panels and conduit.

The Back Side
MacAlpine Coffee Shoppe – Phoenix, AZ
f/9.0 – 1/80 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 55 mm
Photo of fourth of july fireworks
f/8.0 – 6 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90 mm
Photo of fourth of july fireworks
f/8.0 – 3 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90 mm

Photo of fourth of july fireworks

f/8.0 – 3 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90 mm

Photo of fourth of july fireworks

f/8.0 – 7 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90 mm

Photo of fourth of july fireworks

f/8.0 – 6 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90 mm

Photo of fourth of july fireworks

f/8.0 – 6 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90 mm
PhotoShop filter applied

Photo of a twilight sky.

Twilight (sorry, not THAT twilight)
f/8.0 – 1 sec -ISO 100 – Focal Length 28 mm
Photo of red, white and blue fireworks
Red, White and Blue
f/8.0 – 4 sec (bulb setting) – ISO 100 – Focal Length 90 mm

I came up with a few more tips for photographing fireworks while shooting the fireworks show last night.

  • Use manual focus rather than auto focus.  Set it once and then leave it alone.
  • Don’t fuss with the aperture setting.  An f-stop in the neighborhood of 8.0 worked really well for me.  I set it and forget it.
  • Leave your ISO pretty low.  I kept it on 100.
  • Manage your exposure using the shutter speed.  If your camera has a bulb setting that is the ideal way to go.  Just remember that too long of an exposure will over expose.  It may be night, but fireworks give off a lot of light.

Detail photo of eye hooks and tension cables in a parking garage

The Eyes Have It
Downtown Chandler, AZ parking garage
f/5.6 – 1/20 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 80 mm
Black & White post processing in Photoshop CS4

Photo of Gammage Auditorium reflecting into a fountain

Reflections
Gammage Auditorium – Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ
f/4.0 – 1/80 sec – ISO 400 – Focal Length 50 mm