The Sleepy Otter

The weather in Phoenix has been incredible lately so yesterday I decided that the location for teaching my DSLR Photography 101 Workshop to a new student would be the Phoenix Zoo.

The zoo is a great place for new photographers to test out their skills because each exhibit is so different from the previous when it comes to lighting, distance and overall surroundings that it makes the photographer work through their cameras settings in order to get a quality image.

I took this image of this sleepy otter about mid way through our two hour workshop.

The Jump Shot

Here is another shot from this past Saturday. Most call it the "Jump Shot" and it can be a fun shot to take to get everyone loosened up and feeling good.

Usually I have the person of focus stand without jumping and I also do this with bride and groom usually with them kissing and everyone being goofy around them.

Even if the shot doesn't work with a group it is still fun to see everyone doing this.

The shoe gods

Last evening the shoot was another quinceaneras or a sweet 15 celebration. This is a celebration for a Hispanic girl when she enters into womanhood.

One of the key shots for the event is when the dad removes her shoes representing her as a child (the airbrushed high tops) and replacing them with her adult shoes (shoes with heals).

I am not usually this lucky to have both shoes in this shot but last night the shoe gods were with me.

New Love

There is nothing like new love fresh and alive. This is Mike and Stephanie who wanted their engagement shots to be at sunset with the desert as their backdrop.

If you traveled down the old HWY 88 past Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flats the pavement eventually comes to an end. This was going to be our location and we were not disappointed by mother natures glory as the setting sun surrendered itself to the night.

The light was leaving us fast but I think we were able to capture the mood as in visioned.

Airport

Airport. This is one of my favorite lookouts in Sedona. As I have mentioned before I love Sedona and my wife and I try and get there both spring and fall. I will also try and get there in between for some R&R and shoot a few images.

I have been trying to make my way back up there since its been a few months but have been derailed each time.

Maybe next month.

1903

This week in the Phoenix area they are calling for rain almost all week. I think this is the first time in 22yrs that I have lived here that I have seen this. Most may know that Phoenix only gets like 9" of rain a year so to even have rain in the forecast for two or three days in a row is a big event. You will even see people standing outside when it rains just looking into the sky in wonder and amazement.

I decided today to take a little walk around ASU campus being it was a holiday and school was closed which meant plenty of parking would be available.

This church is a Catholic church which was built in 1903 right across from the original ASU building. In 1903 this place was still the wild west but you would never know it now with ASU being the biggest college in the country with over sixty thousand students.

I shot this at 18mm, ISO 320, f6.3 at 1/200 of a sec. I really love the textures and color of the old brick as it is flanked by these palms.

The palms of course not original to the desert but a great addition.