Construction Photography: Reducing Pollution

December 22nd, 2008

The people in these photos may look like they are doing a landscaping project, but there is much more to it than that. They are volunteers in a Watershed Management Group project that aims to improve urban water quality...

Construction photography - Putting the finishing touches on a bioretention basin, Tucson, Arizona

The focus of the project is on reducing non-point source (NPS) pollutants like pet waste, auto oil, yard fertilizers and sediment, which are often carried by stormwater into urban washes. Best Management Practices (BMPs) for reducing urban NPS pollution include bioretention basins, berms, vegetated buffer strips, mulch and curb cuts.

This past Saturday, our job was to finish building some bioretention basins before more rain moves into Tucson for Christmas week. Curb-cutting still needs to be done so that the basins can capture storm runoff from the street. This will help reduce flooding in this neighborhood, which is located directly south of the University of Arizona.

Construction photography - Moving inorganic mulch, Tucson, Arizona

Tip: You can view more construction photography in my portfolio. I am also available for construction photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.

Event Photography: 4th Avenue 2008 Winter Street Fair

December 15th, 2008

Care to visit one of Tucson's hippest streets with hundreds of thousands of your best friends? Well, have I got a street fair for you!

The 4th Avenue Street Fair has been going on since the early 1970s, and it features artists and artisans from all over the U.S. In addition to admiring the artwork, you can hear some unique sounds. If you've ever been tempted to whack a trashcan, then you must hear the Can Crushers do it live...

Event photography - Can Crushers at the 4th Avenue Street Fair, Tucson, Arizona

Moving further down the Avenue, we find a vestige of the Street Fair's beginnings during the hippie era...

Event photography - Tie-dyed clothing on sale at the 4th Avenue Street Fair, Tucson, Arizona

If all that walking's making you hungry, there are more than 40 food vendors to choose from. But, since we're at the Street Fair, we'll have to get in line...

Event photography - Food line at the 4th Avenue Street Fair, Tucson, Arizona

Having filled up our tanks, it's time to go look at some more of 4th Avenue.

And, speaking of 4th Avenue, that's precisely where these guys got their start. On this very stretch of sidewalk, in fact. They're a local favorite who go by the name of the Dusty Buskers. That's Fiddlin' Uncle Phoenix on the left and Dusty Squirelfisher on the right...

Event photography - Dusty Buskers at the 4th Avenue Street Fair, Tucson, Arizona

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.

Event Photography: Tucson Farmers’ Market at St. Philip’s Plaza

December 10th, 2008

Every Sunday morning, the St. Philip's Plaza becomes an open-air market. You name the edible item, you can probably find it here. You can also find what you need to help prepare your food. How about some wooden utensils?

Event Photography - Wooden utensils on sale at Tucson Farmer's Market

Or would your taste run more toward some pie?

Event Photography - Pies on sale at Tucson Farmer's Market

Photography Workshop: Downtown Tucson

December 2nd, 2008

This past Saturday, a handful of photographers met outside of the Downtown Main Library. We're all members of the Tucson Photography Meetup group, and we're always up for a chance to improve our skills.

Our instructor was Roger D., who gave us a series of assignments to tackle. These included three studies in motion:

Freezing a moving car while keeping the background sharp.
Freezing the background and blurring the car.
And a test of our camera panning skills: Keeping the car kept relatively sharp with the background blurred.

Here's what I turned in for the panning study...

Photography Workshop: Panning study in Downtown Tucson, Arizona