Bicycle Photography: El Tour de Tucson 2011
November 22nd, 2011This past Saturday was one of those gray, windy days that offered more than a hint of rain. By Tucson standards, it has been a wet month -- almost an inch of rain so far -- so looking for more wasn't out of the question.
Fortunately, the rain held off until after the weekend. And that was a good thing, because more than 6,300 bicyclists were riding all or part of the way around the perimeter of Tucson. The occasion? The 28th annual El Tour de Tucson.
As I have for the past three years, I headed down to the finish to catch the action. Here's a photographic roundup...
El Tour de Tucson 2011 - Images by Martha Retallick
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: El Tour de Tucson 2010
- Bicycle Photography: El Tour de Tucson 2009
- Bicycle Photography: Cyclovia Tucson 2011
- Bicycle Photography: El Tour in a Blur
- Event Photography: Fall 2011 Bicycle Swap Meet
Event Photography: Fall 2011 Bicycle Swap Meet
November 13th, 2011Well, it's mid-November in Tucson, and that means it's time for another bike swap meet. Yesterday, thousands of bicycle enthusiasts converged on 4th Avenue for a day of buying, selling, and trading bikes and accessories...
Does your bike need a crankset? Plenty to choose from at the swap...
Or maybe your taste runs more toward vintage bicycles...
Perhaps bicycle-themed jewelry is on your holiday shopping list...
Can't have new jewelry without a new bicycling outfit...
Although many people set up shop along 4th Avenue, there are plenty of bike sellers who prefer a more mobile approach...
A lot of people come to sell at the bike swap because they need to clear out the garage. Or they just plain need the money...
Of course, there are some items that just aren't for sale. Like this vintage Russian spaceman's jacket...
Another roving bike seller encountering a human and canine friend...
Looks like Elmer the Bassett Hound is getting a bit bored with the bicycle swap meet. Guy appears ready to go home...
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
- Event Photography: Fall 2010 Bicycle Swap Meet
- Event Photography: Bicycle Swap Meet
- Event Photography: Close-ups at the Bicycle Swap Meet
- Bicycle Photography: Swapping and Racing
Event Photography: All Souls Procession 2011
November 7th, 2011Yesterday was one of those cool, breezy days that offered a hint of the Tucson winter to come. And since it was the first Sunday of November, it was time for Tucson's annual All Souls Procession.
This year's edition featured a new route: From 4th Avenue and University Boulevard, go straight down Fourth to Congress Street, then head west to Mercado San Augustin. Couldn't be any easier than that.
Since All Souls is a high-energy commemoration of those who have passed, it brings forth a lot of creativity. Here's Max Morris with his rolling memorial to Tucson bicyclists who have died after being hit by cars...
Each of the 20 crosses shows the rider's name, crash location, and date of death...
Since All Souls is such a colorful event, it draws more than a few photographers. Here's a multi-skulled marcher getting the full paparazzi treatment...
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: All Souls Procession 2009
- Event Photography: All Souls Procession 2010
- Event Photography: All Souls Procession ‘08
- Event Photography: All Souls Procession 2007
- Bicycle Photography: Cyclovia Tucson 2011
Nature Photography: White Tank Mountains
November 1st, 2011My recent visit to the Phoenix area included a hike at White Tank Mountain Regional Park. My hiking host, Judy Vorfeld, selected the Waterfall Trail, a two-miler.
Being an Arizonan who's quite concerned about our state's long-term drought, I was curious to see how the native desert plants have been holding up. Sorry to say, the answer is not very well.
One of the more pernicious effects of drought is the stress that it inflicts on plants. This stress makes them more vulnerable to infestations like mistletoe. See the big, dark clumps in the middle branches of these two trees? That's mistletoe. Over time, mistletoe kills its host.
Back in "civilization," trees like these would probably be considered too far gone to be saved. They'd be cut down. With mistletoe, the best thing to do is to remove branches as soon as they show signs of infestation.
Then there are the various species of cactus. Although these staghorn cholla don't have that tumble-down, severely shriveled look, they're way too pale for plants that are just coming out of the summer monsoon season...
But, then again, we didn't have the best of monsoon seasons this year. It was more like a non-soon that was gone too soon.
You can't hike the Waterfall Trail without stopping at Petroglyph Plaza. Here the stress is man-made. Note the chipped off parts of this rock. That wasn't done by nature -- it was done by thieves...
Our hike was cut short by the heat, so back to Judy's car we went.
At the eastern edge of White Tank Mountain Regional Park is a LEED-certified public library and nature center. According to an Arizona Republic story written before the facility opened, "LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a nationally recognized rating of the environmental friendliness, or sustainability, of a building."
The sustainabilty extends to the parking lot. Nice to see that it isn't another sea of asphalt that aggravates the urban heat island effect...
If you're going to have a sustainable parking lot in the desert, what better plant to have than Arizona's state cactus, the saguaro? This transplanted specimen is being supported while it adapts to its new home...
Related Posts
- Nature Photography: More Monsoon Madness
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