Shutter Mike Photography

The Phoenix light rail system crosses the city starting in Mesa, passing through Tempe and then heads out towards central Phoenix ending near 19th Avenue.  It has its share of critics and complaints, but as a photography subject it does a great job.  These photos were taken from the north “beach” of the Tempe Town Lake (another controversial project in AZ).  They are of the light rail bridge as it crosses over the lake between the Mill Avenue (car) bridge and the regular railroad bridge.

Dancing Lights

This photo was a bit of an accident.  It is the reflection of the lights, both neon and regular, in the fountain.  Because the water was not still and I used a longer exposure, 1.3 seconds due to the night, the motion of the lights was captured.

The Tempe Center for the Arts sits on the shore of Tempe Town Lake and is a very photogenic work of art and architecture.  Night photography at the TCA is particularly cool.  The building is lit from within by neon signs as well as externally.  The use of glass, metal and water in the design of the center gives numerous textures and surfaces to photograph.

f/9.0 – 1.0 sec – ISO 200 – Focal Length 50 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.

f/4.0 – 1/500 sec – ISO 400 – Focal Length 50 mm