Event Photography: Solar Rock 2011
March 30th, 2011Cyclovia Tucson riders had a special treat awaiting in Armory Park. The Food Conspiracy Co-op's annual Solar Rock concert offered a musical feast that was 100% powered by the sun.
Tucson's GeoInnovation furnished the 800-watt solar array that kept the tunes coming. This array can generate 4 kilowatt-hours per day...
Performers included Robyn Landis...
...and a very high-spirited group of water dancers, whose performance coincided with Tucson's second annual Synergistic Water Festival...
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: Solar Rock 2010
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Bicycle Photography: Cyclovia Tucson 2011
March 28th, 2011What happens when you throw a streets-closed-to-cars, human-powered mobile party and 10,000 people show up? You get Cyclovia Tucson, that's what!
The second annual Cyclovia drew bicyclists, bladers, skateboarders, runners, walkers, and wheelchair users to the streets of Tucson and South Tucson yesterday.
Cyclovia Tucson was truly an event for everyone -- didn't matter if you were a triathlete in training...
or an around-town cruiser...
If your bike needed some help, it was right there waiting for you. Here's Steve Vihel, owner of There and Back Bikes with his trusty repair stand...
Need a break from the bike riding? How about stretching and toning those cycling muscles with a free zumba class?
Okay, maybe it's not you who needs the break -- it's the kids. Well, send them up the climbing wall!
These kids are still too young for the climbing wall. Or for pedaling their own bikes. But that's not stopping them from having a good time on Cyclovia Tucson...
Want to see more Cyclovia 2011 photos? Pedal your browser over to my Bicycle Stock Images site.
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
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- Event Photography: A Bicycling Trifecta
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Photo Essay: Homeless Hideouts, Tucson, Arizona
March 25th, 2011One of the more visible signs of our tough economy is the increase in homeless people.
To be sure, Tucson has long been a wintertime magnet for those who are down on their luck. After all, where would you rather be on the streets in January? Minneapolis? Or here in Arizona?
In central Tucson, our city parks are a popular daytime hangout for the homeless. In Mansfield Park, one of the ramadas has become a gathering spot for transient backpackers and shopping cart pushers.
This ramada is right next to Mansfield Park's popular walking path, but so far, the exercisers and the homeless have coexisted. The sentiment seems to be, "Oh, well. At least they're not the Crips." (A few years ago, this same ramada was the preferred location for gang member meetups.)
Since Tucson city parks close at 10 p.m. and are patrolled by police, overnight camping isn't an option. So, the homeless go elsewhere and find places where they're not easily seen. Here's one hideout along Sixth Avenue just south of Mansfield Park...
And here's another one in a vacant restaurant property on First Avenue near Grant Road...
Related Posts
- Photo Essay: Shoefiti, Tucson, Arizona
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Photo Essay: Euclid Avenue, Tucson, Arizona
March 18th, 2011Euclid Avenue isn't one of Tucson's glamorous thoroughfares. It's a workmanlike street that takes you past apartment complexes, strip shopping centers, schools, and sturdy little houses, some of which are a century old.
While much of central Tucson's transportation improvement efforts are centering on the Grant Road widening project, Euclid is still, well, Euclid. No improvements for the foreseeable future. Here's how things look just south of Grant Road:
Foreclosures are quite prevalent. Here are the leftovers from the plant sale that a family held before vacating their rental house. The now-empty house is just west of Euclid...
I couldn't figure this one out. Usually, when a sidewalk heaves like this, it's because of a tree root. But there's no tree east of this location...
Just south of Grant Road, Euclid ceases to be a major thoroughfare. It curves westward into First Avenue, and the first major intersection is First and Grant.
For many years, First and Grant had gas stations on two corners. A third one opened on the northwest corner, and that proved to be too much for the Shell station on the southeast corner.
All that remains are a boarded up convenience store and pumps, and a fence around the property...
The fence has proven to be a great magnet for blowing trash...
The fence was also quite heavily used during Arizona's 2010 statewide elections. It was covered with campaign signs, and some were not removed after Election Day.
The sign below promotes the re-election of Governor Jan Brewer, and yes, she won. Time to do some cleanup in Tucson, Governor...
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Bike-tography at the Bicycle Races
March 1st, 2011My previous post described this past Saturday's UA Criterium bicycle race on the University of Arizona campus. This post is about the logistics of getting one's photo gear to and from such an event.
As mentioned before, I get around by bicycle. Which means that all of the photo gear goes with me on the bike.
Since you're rather exposed on a bicycle, you need to protect your camera equipment. You could do it this way, and I have...
Only problem with this system is that if you fall to your left -- or if your bike tips over -- that padded envelope may not cushion your camera. Talk about an expensive mishap.
Plan B: Get that camera up higher and into a padded case like this one. It's a rear rack pack manufactured by Jandd...
I've found this to be a very roomy pack. To the point where I can augment the Jandd cushioning with the aforementioned padded envelope.
In some circles, packs like this are called 6-pack carriers because that's what their owners like to use them for. But let's save the liquid refreshments for after the photo shoot. We've got work to do. And one of the things we'll need to concentrate on is safely navigating the course while the competitors are racing around.
Tip: Do what I did and use the sidewalk as your road. I found that most of the UA Criterium course was devoid of spectators. When I encountered spectators on the sidewalk, I just got off the bike and walked it around them. I also used the empty parking lots for shortcuts from one shooting venue to another.
In a future post, I'll cover how you can bicycle with your camera while keeping the camera -- and your riding -- steady.
Bonus Tip: Enjoy more bike-tography at my Bicycle Stock Images site.
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- Bike-tography 104
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