Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2012
May 15th, 2012For the third year in a row, I was the official photographer for the Tucson Folk Festival. Held Downtown Tucson, the Folk Festival treats thousands people to a free weekend of acoustic music on five stages.
One of this year's performers was Michael McGarrah, a singer/songwriter with a wickedly funny sense of humor...
You can view my 2012 Best of the Fest photos in this gallery. It includes images of:
- Russell Bartlett
- Kate Becker and Stuart Oliver
- Blue Desert Band
- Buffelgrass
- John Coinman
- Martha Gallagher
- Stefan George
- JC and Laney
- Michael McGarrah
- Neil McCallion and The Mighty Maxwells
- Lisa Otey and Diane Van Deurzen
- Puca
- RuffMixx
- Ernest Troost
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2010
- Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2008
- Event Photography: Tucson Folk Festival 2011
- Event Photography: Tucson Festival of Books 2010
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Photo Essay: Slacker Mesquite Tree
April 24th, 2012Welcome to my place, home of the slacker mesquite tree. This tree has the dubious distinction of being the last one on the block to bloom.
But when it comes to dropping leaves all over the place, my mesquite is a champ. I truly adore having to sweep the porch, over and over again...
Then came the rain. Perfect motivation for my slacker mesquite tree. And for me.
Because nothing screams "Photo Opportunity!" like big drops of water falling onto my plants. Here's a feathery senna, enjoying the drink...
Okay, so I just called my tree a slacker. I plead guilty to the same offense. See this pile of busted up concrete?
Said pile has been in my yard for many months. The plan is to build a patio for my potted plants. My excuse is that I'm waiting for a good rain to soften the ground so it isn't like digging into cement.
Onward to the white thorn acacias, which are proving to be even bigger slackers than the mesquite tree. Talk about slow bloomers...
Okay, looks like the rain has stopped. (We only got .07" rain out of this storm. Slacker weather.) Time to inspect the rest of the yard.
Since I'm following xeriscape principles, the plants that need the least water are on the edges of the yard. Like these budding and propagating cactus plants...
After the slacker non-stormy weather left town, the sun returned, and what's this? The mesquite tree is blooming!
The spring weather is proving quite motivational for my yard. All sorts of plants are fruiting and flowering. Let's start by admiring the fish hook barrel cactus...
The ocotillo's also getting into the act...
The rabbit ears cactus flowers need the morning sun on them before they open for another day...
That's more like it!
To the kicker who planted his or her shoe print on this Santa Rita Prickly Pear, you may not realize this, but you just got a nice collection of thorns in your sneaker...
And these aren't the easiest thorns to remove. Have fun after they work their way into the sole of your shoe. That'll make for some very painful walking.
Related Posts
- Photo Essay: Free Yard Mulch
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Event Photography: Spring 2012 Bicycle Swap Meet
April 17th, 2012This spring marks the debut of the Tucson Bicycle Swap Meet's new location. Now covering four city blocks instead of three, the new venue features a trolley track-free shopping experience.
Said trolley tracks are the reason for the swap meet's move. The Modern Streetcar construction project on 4th Avenue is underway -- and will be for quite some time.
Probably just as well. The swap was starting to feel a bit cramped on 4th Avenue. And those middle-of-the-street trolley tracks didn't make for a safe walking or biking experience.
Enough said about trolley tracks and construction projects. Let's enjoy one of the highlights of the Tucson Bicycle Swap Meet experience. That would be chatting with new and old friends...
You may be wondering about the wheel diameter on Keener's big bike. The answer is: 36 inches, and he's used this bike in several 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo endurance races.
Let's get a closer look at this built-by-Keener creation...
Keener's bike wasn't the only unique ride at the swap meet. Care for a self-powered, four-wheel experience? Get on board the quadracycle...
Tucson's popular Ordinary Bike Shop is right smack in the middle of the swap meet's new venue. So, why not open the store for a Sunday sale and invite the official shop dogs to participate?
One of the most interesting things about the bike swap is that it doesn't just attract people from Tucson. There was quite a contingent from Mexico and other U.S. states.
Speaking of visitors, here's a cross-country bicycle tourist who just had to check out the festivities...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Event Photography: Fall 2008 Bicycle Swap Meet
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- Event Photography: Bicycle Swap Meet
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Bicycle Photography: Riding with the Mayor
April 9th, 2012Well, here we are at the start of Bike to Work Week here in Tucson. And what's a work-at-home bike-tographer to do?
The answer is: Set the alarm for oh-dark-hundred, gather up the photo gear, then head over to the University of Arizona campus.
Sounds a lot like the seven years that I spent employed on said campus. When bicycle commuting was considered a bit odd, if not subversive. After all, I worked for the University of Arizona Foundation, where image was oh-so-important. How dare I show up on a beat-up Cannondale instead of a Cadillac?
The answer was: Because my job didn't pay very well, and I didn't want to go into debt just to keep up appearances. Then, as now, I have a certain fondness for being solvent.
Well, I'm here to tell you that said Cannondale is still my bike, it's even more beat up, but that didn't stop KOLD-TV 13 reporter David Gonzalez from borrowing it for his story...
David, me, and a lot of other people were at the UA campus for the Mayor's Ride. The star of the show was Tucson's recently elected mayor, Jonathan Rothschild.
There was a bit of a wait before the mayor arrived, and there was much speculation over the amount of riding that he actually does. I certainly hope he does ride often, but I hope he does so more safely than former Washington, DC mayor Adrian Fenty, who pitched over the handlebars of his time trial bike in July 2008.
Here's David Gonzalez again, interviewing Mayor Rothschild...
Channel 13 wasn't the only TV station on the story. Here's the mayor giving another interview to KVOA-TV 4...
The media attention directed at the mayor meant that the rest of us had plenty of time to hang out, talk to each other, and check out all the bikes. Hey, what's this? A bike that has even more stickers than mine! Amazing!
The combination of being ridden by a TV reporter, encountering another bike with even more stickers, and meeting the mayor's City Bike proved to be too much for my venerable old Cannondale. Poor thing just couldn't keep from swooning...
My ride report consisted of my finding that I'd mis-set my bike computer. The time I spent fiddling with it enabled the rest of the group to open a sizable lead. Which was made even bigger by the slowwww traffic light that stopped me at University Boulevard and Euclid Avenue.
Green light, and I'm off in a sprint through the West University Neighborhood! I finally catch the group as it's rolling downhill toward the intersection of 7th Avenue and 6th Street.
We safely arrive Downtown at City Hall, the mayor stays around to chat for a few minutes, and then he announces that it's time to go inside and get to work...
Jonathan Rothschild is certainly not the glad-handling schmoozer that his predecessor, Bob Walkup, was. And I think that's a good thing. This city needs a mayor who takes the "get to work" part of his job seriously.
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Bicycle Photography: Riding to the ADDY Awards
- Bicycle Photography: UA Criterium 2011
- Event Photography: Spring 2012 Bicycle Swap Meet
- Bicycle Photography: UA Criterium 2010
- Event Photography: Close-ups at the Bicycle Swap Meet
Photo Essay: Chester County Spring
March 20th, 2012During a recent visit to eastern Pennsylvania, I experienced something I hadn't seen since the late 1980s. That would be spring coming to the Northeast.
There were the signs of imminent spring like daffodils sprouting everywhere...
The rhododendron bushes were budding...
The moss was growing fresh and furry...
The streams weren't brimming over with snow melt -- eastern Pennsylvania had a pretty snow-free winter. But they were running high due to all the spring rainfall...
Amidst all of these signs of spring, there were the trees. Not quite ready to bud yet...
One day before I came back to Arizona, I went out to lunch with a former teacher-turned friend. After lunch, we took a walk and came upon this abandoned railroad track. This was once the Media-West Chester Line, and it took commuters to and from Philadelphia...
I don't think that a scenic line like this one should go to waste. Why not turn it into a rail trail? This could be an interesting project for the people of Chester and Delaware Counties to collaborate on. Not to mention Philadelphia. It might even create some jobs.
Update: In an earlier post, I showed a couple of very affectionate trees. I'm sorry to report that these two trees had diseased trunks and had to be cut down...
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Bicycle Photography: Riding to the ADDY Awards
February 21st, 2012Last month, I received word that my recently published bike-tography book had won an ADDY Award from the Tucson Advertising Federation. What kind of ADDY? A Gold, Silver, or Bronze? The notification e-mail didn't say.
But, since bike-tography is the act of combining bicycling with photography, I embarked on a bike-tographic expedition to the Fox Tucson Theatre. The goal: To uncover the type of ADDY being awarded...
In keeping with the minimalist, "use what you have on hand" philosophy of bike-tography, I traveled light. Just one camera and lens in that pack...
Since my ride to the ADDYs was a solo journey, I had to take my own photo. The bike's rear view mirror came in handy for such a shot...
Looks like it's starting to get dark, and the area around the Fox Tucson Theatre isn't the most hopping part of Downtown. So, what's up with the jam-packed bike rack?
I couldn't find a place to park on Congress Street to save my life. The bike ended up at one of the few racks on Stone Avenue near Congress.
Into the Fox I went. Found my book among all the other entries, and guess what? It won a Silver ADDY...
Related Posts
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Photo Essay: Mulching the Yard
February 9th, 2012Xeriscaping update: It only took 3 hours and 40 minutes to get the better part of that big pile of mulch into the front yard and spread around.
Amidst all the mulching, I also had to remove a pile of cut up mesquite branches from the yard's main water harvesting basin. Those branches were left here by The Pedaling Arborist, who trimmed my mesquite back in December.
Some of the branches are now sitting at the top of the driveway, awaiting their next assignment. Others have been deployed to the vegetable garden, where they're serving as a feral cat unwelcome mat.
The mulch I didn't use was taken away by a Watershed Management Group employee and her husband. Much of the credit for how my yard looks goes to the Watershed Management Group. I've been part of the WMG Co-op for four years, and I've hosted three Co-op workshops:
Another shout-out goes to Romeo Tree Service, which bestowed this mulch on me, free of charge.
Romeo's Veronica Kewitz says, "We deliver mulch mainly because we like helping the community, local schools, churches, garden clubs and the environment -- we all benefit by having this free service -- and of course we do save money by not going to landfill."
Moving from east to west, here's my freshly mulched front yard:
Related Posts
- Photo Essay: Free Yard Mulch
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Photo Essay: Free Yard Mulch
January 31st, 2012In the life of a xeriscaper, there are fewer questions sweeter than "Would you like some free mulch?"
Why the affection for ground up tree trunks, branches, and leaves? Because mulch holds moisture in the soil. It also builds the soil and controls weeds. In the arid Southwestern United States, we like such things. A lot.
Yesterday was free yard mulch day at my house. It came courtesy of Romeo Tree Service, which offers it at no charge. And that includes delivery. Romeo does this in order to avoid costly trips to the landfill. If you're in the tree business, those tipping fees can really add up.
Here's the Romeo crew, preparing to dump a truckload of fresh mesquite mulch on my driveway...
Here it comes!
Okay, so now I've got this big pile of free mulch in my driveway. In honor of this occasion, I got up bright and early to get some of it into the yard before work.
Since I don't have a wheelbarrow, I'm using a trio of five-gallon buckets to move the mulch. It's not difficult to push handfuls of mulch into the buckets, then haul them over to the piles I've created in the yard.
Matter of fact, it took only 40 minutes to reduce the driveway pile by a third. Only two more thirds to move, and then I've got some mulch raking to do.
Tip: Want some free mulch for your yard? Use the Romeo Tree Service request form.
Related Posts
- Photo Essay: Mulching the Yard
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Freelancer’s Guide to Starting a Successful Photography Business
January 27th, 2012While the Internet is full of advice on how to take better pictures, information on the business side of photography can be hard to come by.
To fill this void, I created the Freelancer's Guide to Starting a Successful Photography Business. It showcases more than 50 resources that will help freelancers learn professional business practices in photography, find photography buyers, and improve their photographic skills.
Every book, blog, or website in this Freelancer's Guide is one that I've found useful in my own photographic career. And, since I have a no-kickback policy, I recommend each of them freely. No one is paying me to say nice things about them.
Released as a downloadable file, the Freelancer’s Guide to Starting a Successful Photography Business is offered exclusively via the Envato Tuts+ Marketplace. The retail price is $15.00.
This is the second eBook in my Freelancer's Guide series. The first, the Freelancer's Guide to Finding Clients, shows how to find clients via cold calls, warm calls, and e-mails. It also is available via the Tuts+ Marketplace and retails for $15.00.
Learn more about the Freelancer’s Guide to Starting a Successful Photography Business.
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Bicycle Photography: UA Criterium 2012
January 23rd, 2012I'll admit to feeling sad while at a bicycling event. Why? Because we may have seen the last UA Criterium on Saturday.
The closed-course race around the University of Arizona never attracted huge numbers of spectators. But if you were into cycling, you just had to be there. No way could you miss it.
Several streets used by the UA Criterium course are going to become part of Tucson's Modern Streetcar route. And mixing racing bicyclists and streetcar tracks is never a good idea. Not to mention the race organizers. Several of them are about to graduate.
Such is the life of a collegiate bicycle race -- short, sweet, and fun while it lasted.
Here's a look at this year's event...
UA Criterium 2012 - Images by Martha Retallick
And here's a look back at my photos from races past:
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio and on this blog. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. I specialize in concerts, festivals, parades, political rallies, and sporting events. To check availability and to request a proposal, please e-mail me or call 520-690-1888.
Related Posts
- Bicycle Photography: UA Criterium 2011
- Bicycle Photography: UA Criterium 2010
- Bike-tography 110: Criterium Racing
- Bicycle Photography: Swapping and Racing
- Bicycle Photography: El Tour de Tucson 2010
