Shutter Mike Photography

These are 10 of my favorite places in the Phoenix area to take photographs.  Notice I did said “10 Top” and not “Top 10.”  That is just because there are so many spots I wasn’t able to rank them.  So here are 10 random good spots to take some interesting photographs.  No particular order.

1. Taliesin West – North Scottsdale

I love the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and I have been to Taliesin several times.  It is one of my all time favorite photo sites in Phoenix.  The architecture and surrounding landscape are very photogenic.

2. Desert Botanical Garden – Phoenix

This is one of my favorite places in Phoenix in general, photographs or not.  But for taking some great photos of desert vegetation the garden is ideal.  They also have exhibits such as the current Chihuly glass, and events such as Dias de los Muertos in November, that make for some very interesting shots.

3. Mesa Arts Center – Mesa

This is another architectural site that I really like photographing.  The combination of materials and textures and the modern feel allow for some great images.

4. Arizona Biltmore Resort – Phoenix

Frank Lloyd Wright and architecture again here.   The buildings and grounds offer some very camera-friendly set ups to shoot.  In my opinion you can’t go wrong with a Wright building anyway. (Note 5-16-10: Wright did not actually design the Biltmore.  the architect is Albert Chase McArthur.  Wright acted as a consultant and the famous concrete blocks that make up much of the Biltmore were his design.)

5. Arizona Falls – Phoenix

This is the SRP canal at 56th St and Indian School in Phoenix.  Might seem like an odd place to photograph, but it has been constructed with contrasting materials of stone and corrugated metal which make great images.  The water adds another element of interest.

6. Downtown Phoenix

This encompasses a lot of area.  I might need to break this one down into 10 spots in downtown Phoenix to photograph.  But just the fact that there are so many options here puts it on my list.

7. Arizona State University – Tempe

There is a lot going on at ASU as well.  Granted it is not as nice of a place to get great shots as the U of A, but I may be a bit biased.  It does have some great buildings such as Gammage Auditorium and the newer Coor Building.  (The “Explore” photo in my header is from the Coor Building)

8. Scottsdale Civic Center

If you haven’t noticed a theme here yet, most of my top sites are architectural.  The Scottsdale Civic Center follows along those lines.  Although they do have several large scale sculptures that you can get some unique shots of as well.  Such as the Love sculpture by Robert Indiana.

9. Uptown Phoenix

Like downtown Phoenix, uptown has a lot going on.  The Heard Museum, Phoenix Museum of Art, Japanese Friendship Garden and main Phoenix Library offer a lot of options for impressive photographs.

10. Hotel Valley Ho – Scottsdale

The trendiness and Scottsdale hot spotiness of this hotel aside, its mid-century modern architecture and tropical feel are cool and fun to photograph.

The Japanese Friendship Garden is in downtown Phoenix.  It is made up of streams, stone bridges, paths, a koi pond, and a large variety of vegetation on 3 1/2 acres.  Here are some photos from my trip there yesterday.

Click on each image to see a larger version.

The City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office published a pamphlet a while back titled Mid-Century Marvels: Modern Architecture in Phoenix that lists 25 post-war buildings that represent the city’s architectural heritage.  (Here is an online pdf version.)  A few months ago I set out to take my own photographs of some of these buildings.  Here are a few of them.

Click on each picture to view a full size version.

Click on each picture to view a full size version.

The Mesa Arts Center is a performing arts, visual arts, and arts education facility located in Mesa, AZ.   It has 4 theaters, 5 galleries, 14 classrooms, and outdoor gardens.   Architecturally it features jagged angles, canted walls, sloping roofs, glass walls, and regional colors and materials.  It is a very photogenic palce.

The first photo post.  This was taken about a year ago in downtown Phoenix, AZ.