Shutter Mike Photography

The Palo Verde branch of the Phoenix Public Library system is located in the Maryvale neighborhood in west Phoenix.  Designed by Wendell Burnette Architects the library mirrors the neighboring community center building and has a very modern look and feel.  The first floor’s walls of glass make the large steel box above appear to be floating above the ground.  The panels on the upper portion of the library and neighboring community center reflect the landscape integrating the building with its surroundings.

The Cesar Chavez library in Laveen, AZ (part of Phoenix) is a great architectural photography spot.  Architecturally, the library was designed by Tucson based Line and Space to be integrated with the site without significant negative impact on the site or the environment.  It boasts green features such as significant overhangs for shading the building, a rain water collection system for irrigation and it was partially built into the hillside and bermed with earth to help regulate the interior temperature.  These features were combined with a very aesthetic and photographic design.

If you decide to photograph this library keep a few things in mind; 1) make sure you cover all sides of the building, each one has some very unique angles and shots; 2) I was not able to get there at night, but if you can the lakeside facade looks great at night; 3) the library is located in the Cesar Chavez Park, so there can be a lot of people in addition to library patrons – if you want to focus just on the building without the “human element” after library hours will help cut down on the crowds.

The plaza in front of downtown Phoenix’s Orpheum Theater and the Phoenix City Hall is a great starting spot for a photography tour of downtown Phoenix.  This image was captured just as the sun was setting and the lights began coming on.

The Burton Barr Central Library is the first, and largest, library on my 10 Phoenix Public Libraries Worth Photographing list.  The architecture of this building, the central library of the Phoenix library system, sets it apart from your ordinary everyday library.  It is grand in scale and uses modern materials such as glass and steel as representations of Arizona’s canyons, landscape and climate.  The building is an excellent example of architecture responding to its environment.  A classic Greek or Roman style “traditional” library was not built, rather a work of art was designed.  The library’s site describes the architecture as:

Inspired by Monument Valley, the building’s shape resembles a curving copper mesa split by a stainless steel canyon. Focusing on light and illusion, the design features shade sails on north windows fashioned by sail makers in Maine, an entrance tunnel with one back-lit wall and another of blue Venetian plaster with splashes of brightly colored Venetian plaster throughout the building.

The Crystal Canyon, a five-story atrium, has nine skylights at the top to track the sun. The glass-enclosed elevators and grand staircase are surrounded by a black bottom pool which mirrors their images and that of the Crystal Canyon.

A 32-foot high “Floating Ceiling” is suspended by cables over the Great Reading Room of 43,000 square feet on the fifth floor. Six-inch-wide skylights run the entire 300 foot length of the east and west walls. Round skylights covered by lenses create an illusion of flames at noon on the summer solstice, June 21st.

The thought put into the design of the  Burton Barr Central Library makes it a great photography spot in Phoenix.  I went very early in the morning to get the best lighting and avoid car and pedestrian traffic in my images.  But late afternoon/early evening light can be ideal as well and photographing the library in use can add a different dimension to your images.

f/5.0 – 1/100 sec – ISO 100 – Focal Length 28 mm

For these libraries in the Phoenix metro area you will want to bring more than your library card. It has been tradition of sorts to make civic buildings such as public libraries and municipal complexes both functional and true architecture in the artistic sense of the word.  As municipal budgets are continually cut I wonder if we will see the designed aspect of civic buildings decline and they will fade into the strip mall-esque cookie cutter sameness.  I hope not.  But for now, the Phoenix area offers a bounty of well designed and beautiful public libraries.  Library architecture can be very photogenic so here are 10 14 of my favorite libraries in the Phoenix metro area worth photographing.  Check back from time to time (or everyday if you are so inclined) as I will be adding posts featuring architectural photographs from each of these photographic Phoenix libraries.

For a map of these libraries click here.

1) Burton Barr Central Library – Central Ave., Phoenix

2) Cesar Chavez Library – 35th Ave and Baseline, Phoenix

3) Palo Verde Library – 51st Ave., Maryvale

4)  Scottsdale Civic Center Library – Scottsdale

5) Southeast Regional Library – Guadalupe and Greenfield, Gilbert

6) Desert Broom – Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix

7) Agave Library – 36th Ave., Phoenix

8) Harmon Library – 5th Ave., Phoenix

9) Glendale Foothills Library

10) Mesquite Library – Paradise Valley

11) Juniper Library – Union Hills Rd., Phoenix

12) Sam Garcia Western Avenue Library – Avondale

13) Sunrise Mountain Library – 98th Ave., Peoria

14) Cholla Library- Metrocenter, Phoenix

Museum number four on my list of the top 5 museums worth photographing in Phoenix is the Heard Museum in Central Phoenix.  Whereas the museums I featured so far, the ASU Museum of Art, The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Phoenix Art Museum, are much more modern in their architectural styles, the Heard is more what I would call traditional Southwest or Spanish style.

The Heard houses a vast collection of American Indian art and cultural artifacts and has a history in Phoenix since the 1920s.   For photographers the Heard has a lot to offer and it is worth taking some time exploring the museum grounds.  They are dotted with several sculptures by prominent American Indian artists in addition to the architecture and  landscaping.

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.

There are some great Phoenix Arizona photography spots.  From desert landscapes and nature to architecture and culture to ordinary urban life; Phoenix has something to interest most any photographer be it professional, amateur or tourist.

With a metro area population of close to 4.5 million people Phoenix and its suburbs have attracted a fair share of culture.  That includes some great museums.  My photographic genre preference leans more towards photographing the museum buildings themselves rather than the contents, as I love architectural photography.  So the museums on this list are based on the photogenic properties of the museum architecture.  But, as a whole, these Phoenix area museums are stocked full of beautiful art, artifacts and in some cases hands on exhibits and are well worth visiting more than just the building exteriors.

Just keep in mind when bringing your camera to the museum that rules on photography in the exhibit spaces themselves vary from museum to museum and from exhibit to exhibit.

1) Phoenix Museum of Art

2) Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (aka SMOCA)

3) Heard Museum

4) ASU Art Museum

5) Arizona Science Center

Check back for individual post with more images from each of these five museums soon.