Shutter Mike Photography

The Arizona chapter of the American Institute of Architects holds an annual home tour in the Phoenix area.  The tour features some beautifully designed homes that respect their desert environment through their use of materials and relationship to their sites.  Each home on this year’s tour maintains a modern aesthetic as well as the uniqueness of Arizona.

These images are from a home in Northeast Scottsdale that epitomizes the blending of the built and natural environments.  As you can see form the first photograph the house is only slightly visible against its desert mountain site.  The rock from the desert is incorporated through out the home as is a desert color pallet.

Check back for parts II, III, and IV of my AIA Home Tour Photographs.

The La Siesta Motel is a roadside motel from a time gone by.  It sits on what was once the main thoroughfare between Tucson and Phoenix.  Today it is being well maintained as a bit of a kitsch throwback to a simpler time.

The Phoenix Art Museum is number 3 in my list of the top 5 museums worth photographing in Phoenix.  The museum is located in the heart of Phoenix at McDowell Rd and Central Ave.  It is one of the largest museums on my list and has quite a bit to see and photograph on the grounds.  Aside from the architecture of the museum there is a sculpture garden, theaters, a cafe and thousands of square feet of exhibit space on several levels of awesome architecture.  The architecture of the museum is very modern for the most part.  Concrete, glass, and steel predominate the building which was built in 1959 and expanded on several times since.

The Phoenix Art Museum also encourages photography, as I think any organization dedicated to art should.  There are, of course, some limitations and you should review their photography policy before you head over to take some shots to be sure you are not violating anything.

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.