Event Photography: Fords on Fourth 2010
February 25th, 2010This past Sunday, the clouds threatened a repeat of the rain we had on Saturday. But that didn't keep the Fords and their admirers from returning to Tucson's Fourth Avenue. The occasion was the 2010 edition of Fords on Fourth, an all-Ford car show.
Whether you're into hot rods or classic pickups, this show offers plenty of eye candy...
Not only was there plenty of horsepower under the hood, it also was on the roof...
For hardcore car enthusiasts, keeping the ride looking good requires all sorts of specialized products. Which this guy is happy to demonstrate and sell...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Event Photography: Tucson Carnaval 2010
February 16th, 2010Now in its third year, Tucson Carnaval celebrates spring, life, the arts, and community connections. This event featured concerts by many local bands, including Spirit Familia.
Here's Spirit Familia's band leader, Jomo Alan, who lives a block away from me. He practices the flute while bicycling along our street...
Richard Rivera adds guitar and vocals to the Spirit Familia mix of African, Latin, Reggae, and Funk rhythms...
And what would a Brazilian-influenced festival be without Batucaxe?
Or how about those fun-loving Carnivaleros, who don't just get the crowd dancing, they join in!
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Bicycle Photography: UA Criterium 2010
February 3rd, 2010This past Saturday, hundreds of bicycle racers and fans converged on the University of Arizona. The draw was the all-day UA Criterium, which wound its way around the campus. This one's from a men's race that took place during the afternoon...
Tip: This photo has just been added to my Bicycle Stock Images site.
Event Photography: Dillinger Days and Downtown Tucson Construction
January 26th, 2010This past weekend, I attended the annual Dillinger Days celebration in Downtown Tucson. This event commemorates the 1934 capture of "Public Enemy Number One," bank robber John Dillinger. The festivities centered around the Hotel Congress, where Dillinger and his gang of outlaws stayed when they first hit town.
The hotel boiler caught fire, forcing the evacuation of the hotel. The Dillinger gang got out safely, then they realized that they'd left a couple of suitcases full of guns, ammunition, and money inside. They asked a fireman to retrieve the suitcases, and, just to make the trip worthwhile, the gang gave the fireman a hefty tip. Then they found other places to stay.
After the firemen returned to their station, they spotted a photo of John Dillinger in True Detective magazine. Time for Tucson's Bravest to pick up the phone and alert Tucson's Finest. Who arrested Dillinger and his gang a few days later.
The 2010 edition of Dillinger Days happened right after a major rainstorm hit Tucson. Same storm left a lot of snow on the Santa Catalina mountains, which are "jailed" behind the Union Pacific railroad fence that's just north of the Hotel Congress...
If you're into antique cars, Dillinger Days was the place to be. Talk about fun for the whole family...
I was very impressed by the amount of work that went into the restoration and upkeep of these cars...
What's even more impressive is the fact that most of them are still working automobiles. And, as you can see, they are much loved by their owners...
On the other hand, some of them still need work. This 1939 Chevy Sedan Bus was used to transport University of Arizona athletes during the 1940s. That was its heyday. Its current owners acquired the bus after it had been left to rot in the desert for more than 30 years...
The highlight of Dillinger Days is the re-enactment of the gang's stay at the Hotel Congress. Abundant seating is set up outside the hotel, and here are some smart people who arrived early...
I didn't show up in time to get a seat. Hence, no re-enactment photos in this post.
One final point: Even though there's still a lot of construction Downtown, a lot of things are open for business. Take, for example, Maynards Market and Kitchen, which is across Toole Avenue from Hotel Congress...
I've done a lot of blogging about the weekly Meet Me at Maynards social run/walk around Downtown, and you can read those posts here.
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Event Photography: 4th Avenue 2009 Winter Street Fair
December 14th, 2009Well, it's December, and the Christmas shopping season is hopping. Time to join several hundred thousand of your best friends on Fourth Avenue for Tucson's Winter Street Fair.
Along with several dozen other Watershed Management Group volunteers, I worked the edge of the fair. My job was to prevent people from leaving with open containers of alcohol.
Can't say that I saw any beer walking away, but I did see some catchy wall art while being shuttled to my security vantage point...
The Watershed Management Group took advantage of the opportunity to show off its new signage...
It wasn't all beer drinker-watching and no play. I got a chance to wander around the fair. Saw Tucson's favorite trash container percussionists, the Can Crushers...
Here's a cool idea: Put Tucson Fire Department's first aid guys on bikes. If they need an ambulance for patient transport, they can radio for one. Otherwise, they're saving gas and doing community relations at the same time...
Nothing like watching the sun set over the barbecue stand...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Bicycle Photography: El Tour de Tucson 2009
November 24th, 2009If you're a bike-tographer like I am, El Tour de Tucson draws you like a magnet.
This annual event goes around the perimeter of Tucson and attracts cyclists from all over the world. I didn't ride in this year's El Tour, but I went Downtown to photograph the finishers. And to indulge in some artsiness...
Some, like these guys, treat El Tour like a race and go flat-out for 110 miles...
Other riders treat El Tour more casually, taking the better part of a day to finish it. But, regardless of your speed, if you complete El Tour, you get a medal...
After you finish El Tour de Tucson, there's nothing like a phone call to tell everyone all about it...
Tip: These and other El Tour de Tucson photos have just been added to my Bicycle Stock Images site.
Event Photography: All Souls Procession 2009
November 13th, 2009Tucson's annual All Souls Procession turned 20 this year. It started in 1990 as a ritualistic performance by artist Susan Johnson, who was grieving her father's death.
All Souls now attracts more than 20,000 people to a memorial march/street performance on the streets of Downtown Tucson. Here are five glimpses of this year's event.
Before the procession begins...
Remembering a favorite mouse...
A feline fellow...
Remembering a loved one...
Remembering Macho B, America's last known wild jaguar...
In late February 2009, Macho B was captured in a leg-hold trap near Tucson. He was tranquilized, then fitted with a tracking collar.
He was recaptured in early March, then euthanized at the Phoenix Zoo. Officials said that he had irreversible kidney failure, but it can also be argued that stress from being captured contributed to Macho B's poor health.
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Event Photography: Tucson Firefighters Chili Cookoff
November 12th, 2009How about a nice, warm bowl of chili for a good cause? And, better yet, cooked and served with a smile by local firefighters?
At last Friday's Tucson Firefighters Chili Cookoff, thousands of gallons of the good stuff were available. Firefighters from various departments set up booths to sell dollar-a-bowl chili, with the proceeds going to benefit the Tucson Firefighters Adopt-a-Family program. As one firefighter told me, the true value of the event was in giving back to the community while having a good time.
Speaking of good times, here's the Northwest Fire District's fraternity house chili booth...
No, these kids were not flattened by flaming bowls of chili. They were participating in the breakdancing contest...
How about some smoking hot blues to go with that chili? Here's Clark Engelbert of CrossCut Saw...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Construction Photography: Tear Down the Wall
October 30th, 2009My front yard was graced (if you want to call it that) by a crumbling brick retaining wall. The wall had no seep holes, which meant that it was gradually being weakened by moisture.
Time to tear down the wall.
I wanted replace the old wall with something more attractive. Since I'm a member of the Watershed Management Group's Water Harvesting Co-op, I had a great opportunity to enlist others in working and learning project.
WMG's Matthew Bertrand and I formulated a plan: We'd replace the wall with a rock garden full of low water use plants. (The new plants would fill in the outermost zone of my xeriscape, which is the arid zone. The other two zones are oais, which is closest to the house, and transitional, between the oasis and the arid zone.)
Here's Matthew, hard at work during our pre-workshop meeting. He's removing one of three barrel cactii that will be re-planted in the rock garden...
Then it was wall demolition time. Here's Li'l John Excavating on the job. And let me tell you, the demolition was so well done that it was like watching a ballet dance with a backhoe...
Workshop day, Sunday, October 25, dawned bright and sunny. Soon, my front yard was filled with eager WMG Co-op members.
The first order of business was moving rocks and rubble out of the way so that the crew could get to work. Then they set about removing the few bricks that the backhoe couldn't get at...
On the other side of the yard, Judy cuts down a mesquite tree that's never done very well. The tree has since been reused as mulch and firewood...
Time to start building the rock terrace for the garden. WMG's workshop leader, Matthew Bertrand (kneeling, left), provides some instruction...
Having been properly instructed, the WMG Co-opers set rocks into place and begin the planting...
All done! Time for a victory photo...
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: Tucson Meet Yourself
October 12th, 2009Tucson Meet Yourself marked its 36th anniversary this past weekend. This annual festival bills itself as "a celebration of authentic cultural foods and the living traditional arts of Southern Arizona's folk and ethnic communities."
Because of the emphasis on food, the festival has also earned the moniker "Tucson Eat Yourself."
Since my digestive system was still dealing with the aftermath of Saturday's lunch at a local restaurant that I won't mention here, I skipped the eating part and focused on the music.
Since it was Sunday, what could be better than gospel music? Here are the Brothers for Christ...
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
