Shutter Mike Photography

I love the depth of field that my f/1.7 50 mm prime lens allows me to capture.  I have been using this lens almost exclusively since I bought it because it is such an excellent all purpose lens.  this particular image was taken in Tucson at St. Philips in the Hills Church.  I focused on the bougainvillea flowers in the foreground with a large aperture (4.0) giving me a shallow depth of field making the cross behind them blurred.

The Bicycle Church in Tucson’s Barrio Anita neighborhood has been touted as a public art project, a memorial to fallen bicyclists and a waste of the tax payer’s money.  The 12 foot by 12 foot structure was dedicated in August of this year.  It is constructed out of bicycle parts and painted all white.  The overall shape of the “sculpture” is of a classic church but it is much more a work of art than a religious structure.

Tucson’s historic El Presidio neighborhood is a photographer’s dream (at least this photographer). There is something worth exploring with your camera around every corner. Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to explore the neighborhood and get out of the car. Walking is key to discovering everything El Presidio has to offer.
The neighborhood is bounded on the north by 6th St., on the east by Church Ave., on the south by Alameda St., and on the west by I-10.  The map below highlights just a few of the many great photo opportunities in the El Presidio neighborhood as well as the locations of my photographs included in this post.

A simple everyday fire hydrant may not seem like a good photograph subject.  But I think it is all in how you look at it.  To me, photography is all about seeing things differently.  Not as everyday objects, but as photographic subjects.  So when I see a fire hydrant I think about how it might look from a less than ordinary perspective (such as from down below).  In this particular image I like the unique perspective as well as how the “newness” of the hydrant plays against the historic adobe building.

This photograph was taken at one of my favorite places to shoot in Tucson, AZ.  The DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun.  Ted DeGrazia’s art is iconic to the Sonoran Desert and his gallery and chapel in North Tucson is a very fitting setting for his work.  The roof of the chapel is open to the sky.  At the front is a an alter of sorts where people leave mementos and remembrances of their loved ones.  This small angel and cross is one of those.