Shutter Mike Photography

Hippie Gypsy is a “smoke shop” on 4th Ave. in Tucson, AZ.  The building is covered in murals featuring “Hippie” counter culture icons such as Jim Morrison and the Beatles.

I posted an image of the Wings of Phoenix Sculpture at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix, AZ from a different angle in a past Photo of the Day.  But from this angle the red flowers at the base of the statue really look like flames.  So the story of the mythical bird rising out of the flames comes to life.

If you have any interest in photography you undoubtedly know who Ansel Adams is.  His landscape photography, particularly of the Southwestern US, is world renowned.  So if you are in the Southwest between now and February 14, 2010 you have a great opportunity to check out an exhibit at the Tucson Museum of Art featuring more than 100 of his photographs.

Ansel Adams has ties to Tucson through the Center for Creative Photography that he co-founded at the University of Arizona in 1975.  A trip to Tucson to see the exhibit and then take in the Center for Creative Photography would be well worth it.  If you have extra time to spend in Tucson bring your camera and check out some of these top spots for photography in Tucson.

Phoenix may not be the first place you think of for Chinese American culture.  In fact, you might be hard pressed to find much beyond the typical restaurant.  There is however, a small oasis of Chinese culture in the desert.  The Chinese Cultural Center at 44th St. and the 202 Red Mountain Freeway is made up of several Chinese restaurants and shops as well as a garden.  The architecture of the center is classic Chinese – picture San Francisco’s China Town.  The garden is nicely laid out with statues, replica temples, ponds and paths.  For being on a busy Phoenix street, it is even rather tranquil.

As a follow up to my post yesterday about Phoenix area desert parks for photography I should point out that the 8 desert parks I mention just scratch the surface.  I have lived here a long time, but have not even gotten close to getting to all the parks we have in the greater Phoenix area.  Dawna from the Maricopa Parks Department pointed out that their newest park, Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, is another great spot to photograph the Arizona desert.  I have not been to this park yet, but the description on the County’s site is very enticing.  It seems to have all the great photographic elements: archaeology sites, riparian areas, wildflowers in spring, tons of vegetation, and more.  I have added this park to my “spots to photograph” list and will post once I make my way up there.

Check out the Maricopa County Parks site and let me know if there are any other parks you recommend.

I am always looking for spots to photograph in Phoenix and the surrounding metro area.  Since my photographic style is rather diverse, everything from architecture to nature to signs, I can generally find something worth shooting. So I figured I would share some of my favorite nature and landscape photography spots in Phoenix.

View Top Desert Parks in the Phoenix Area for Photographing in a larger map

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is in North Scottsdale.  Take the 101 (Pima) freeway north, exit on Shea Blvd and head east to 124th St.  This will get you to the Lost Dog Wash Access Area.

The Preserve offers an extensive network of hiking trails (mountain biking and horseback riding too).  You basically can’t go wrong with any of them as they all offer awesome photograph opportunities.  This park is very well laid out and is the Sonoran Desert at its best.  Wide angle desert landscape and close up details of desert vegetation are just some of the photographs you can capture.

Papago Park

Papago Park is very centrally located where Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale meet.  Take the 202 freeway to the 52nd St/Van Buren exit and head east on Van Buren.  Turn north on Galvin Parkway and the park will be on your right.

Papago Park is made up of the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo in addition to some great red rock formations.  The red rocks are beautiful at sunset but just as great to photograph in early morning.  Mountain bikers and rock climbers frequent Papago as well.  So if you are up for some action sports photography with a desert backdrop this may be the spot for you.

Usery Mountain Regional Park

Usery Mountain Regional Park is east of Phoenix in Mesa.  Take the 202 or US 60 east to Ellsworth then head north to Usery Pass Rd.  The park will be on your right and there is small entrance fee required.

This vast desert park is ripe with photograph opportunities.  Hiking and equestrian trails are plentiful and with so much space it is a great park for some solitary photography.  I especially like the landscapes.  There are spans of desert vegetation, rock formations, and on a good day deep blue skies.

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

Head way out east and way south for San Tan Mountain Regional Park.  If you made it to Tucson you went too far south.  Easiest way to get to the San Tans is to take the southern 202 freeway (San Tan Freeway) to the Warner exit.  Take Warner east to Ellsworth, Ellsworth south to the Hunt Highway, and the Hunt to Thompson Rd south.  Follow the signs from there.

With over 10,000 acres of land in the San Tan Mountain Regional Park most everyone can find something to do here. You are unlikely to come out of this park without having found something to photograph.  Be it wildlife, cacti, or more of those great Arizona desert landscapes.

South Mountain Park and Preserve

The main entrance to South Mountain Park can be found off of Central Ave.  Take the baseline exit off of I-10 and head west to Central.  Turn left and Central will take you right to the entrance of the park.

If hiking on foot is not your thing, the Central Ave. side of South Mountain Park has easy vehicle access to some very good spots for nature and landscape photography.  But no worries, the hiking trails are awesome as well.  And be sure to check out the entrance from Ahwatukee as well.  This is a popular park, but has enough space to let you spread out and focus on capturing your best shots.  There are also several stone structure near the entrance that are worth exploring with your camera.

Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area

This is an urban oasis just south of downtown Phoenix.   You can either take the 7th Ave. exit off I-10 and head south through downtown or avoid downtown and exit at Baseline and head west as you would for South Mountain Park, but turn North on Central Ave this time to the park.

You will definitely know you are still in the city when at the Rio Salado Habitat, yet you are removed from it all too. The park is on land that used to be a dump in the river bed.  The juxtaposition of nature and the urban environment are a great photographic subject in this park.  Such as in this photo of concrete columns left standing from some long since gone structure in the morning sun with a Palo Verde growing up around them. The water features have also resulted in the park being a habitat for water fowl.  So if you are into photographing birds, give this park a try.

Camelback Mountain

Camelback is the mountain right in the middle of Phoenix (or pretty close to the middle).  You can basically find it by sight by just driving in the direction of what looks like a giant camel lying down in the desert.  But if you need some more specifics, exit from the 202 freeway (Red Mountain) at 44th St. and head north.  Camelback will eventually be on your right as you follow 44th St . around the west side of the mountain.  Keep going around to McDonald and the entrance to the Echo Canyon side will be on your right.

Camelback Mountain is a very well known hiking spot in Phoenix.  It offers some challenging hiking trails (hand rails and stirs built in) as well as spectacular views of Phoenix and Paradise Valley.  The red rock formations are similar to those in nearby Papago Park and they play well with the light in both the early morning and at sunset.

North Mountain Park

Since we have a South Mountain we have to have a North Mountain.  And, as you would imagine, it is on the northern end of Phoenix.  Take the 51 freeway north to Thunderbird Rd.  Then head west to 7th St.  Turn south on 7th to the park entrance.

North Mountain Park is a vast expanse of land with diverse hiking trails and many potential photograph subjects.  The good thing about this park is that it is within easy access if you are staying on the north or west sides of town.  It is another one of those in the middle of it all parks yet you would never know it given the tranquil desert setting.

Part IV of the best signs to photograph in Phoenix, AZ focuses on the Melrose District in central Phoenix.  All of these signs can easily be accessed from 7th Ave. between Indian School and Camelback.  The signs in Mesa and Phoenix from past posts can be found in part I, part II and part III if you care to review other spots to try out.  To help you out on this photo outing I have a Google Map that marks each of the signs in this post.

Unlike the signs on Main St. in Mesa which were exclusively neon and the signs on Grand Ave. in Phoenix which are mostly neon but not in as good condition as Mesa, the 7th Ave. signs are more of a mix of styles.  They also, for the most part, are not as old as those in past posts, but they still have character and colors that are worth photographing.

The Wagon Wheel Bar (with Free Parking) is no longer a bar.  Last I was inside it was an antiques and collectibles store.  But they have kept the original sign in front of the building, albeit the elements have take a bit of a toll, but that does add some character and make for a more interesting subject.  The building behind the sign, by the way, is a small but rather old strip mall consisting of about 4 small stores.

In the same strip mall is the Melrose Pharmacy.  The sign for the pharmacy along with the Wagon Wheel Bar are, in my view, the two best one’s along 7th Ave.  They are probably the oldest and most photogenic of the Melrose signs (although it is worth taking a walk down 7th Ave to check out the others as well).

Pretty fancy sign for a dry cleaner.  But it is a great neon sign that makes the Paris Laundry and Dry Cleaning stand out on 7th Ave.  It is almost “Vegas-esque” with the bright blue backboard in a non-conventional shape and white neon letters.  Getting the perfect shot of this sign was a little difficult however.  This photograph was taken looking north and because I was so close I was not able to crop the roof line of the dry cleaning drive-thru out of the shot.  But even though the sign is the same from the other side, the roof line was even more prominent from a close angle.  Taking the photo from further away with a telephoto lens would have helped.

The thing that makes this rather ordinary sign for Diamonds Chinese Food Restaurant stand out is the ornamentation.  Both the roof line of the restaurant itself in a “traditional” Chinese temple style and the decoration down the sign post are what make this sign different.  Unlike the Paris Dry Cleaning sign above you probably don’t want to try to crop these things out of  your photograph as they tend to make the sign more interesting.

Also, as with the Wagon Wheel Bar sign, don’t discount a particular sign as not photo worthy because of wear and tear.  The less than perfect condition of the lower portion of this sign adds something to the overall story.  The “Chinese” part of “Chinese American Restaurant” has almost faded completely away, making Diamonds Chinese Food an American Restaurant.

With “vintage” right in its name, the sign for the Melrose Vintage shop can’t be overlooked.  This sign has the same roof line cropping issue as the Paris.  Again, another lens and alternate distances from the sign itself could probably have resolved this.  But that aside, I think the muted tones of the arrow and the main oval make for an interesting contrast with the “flashiness” of a neon sign with a giant lighted arrow.

As I mentioned in today’s Photo of the Day post, Camelback Mountain offers some great photo opportunities.  So if you live in or are visiting the Phoenix area, be sure to check this Phoenix Photography Spot out.  Here are a few more photographs of the views from Camelback Mountain.

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.