Travel Photography: Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
January 5th, 2010While I was back east visiting family, my father and I took a day trip to Washington, D.C. With Congress out of session and President Obama on vacation, Our Nation's Capital seemed a bit empty.
On the other hand, if you prefer to leave the people out of your photos, Capitol Hill was a great place to be...
If it wasn't for a few tourists braving below-freezing temperatures, Washington, D.C. would have been a ghost town...
Time wasn't too long ago when you could challenge your buddies to a footrace up the Capitol Steps. Can't do that anymore -- see that discreet little fence? Don't you even think of venturing past it. Unless you care to run your silly little hurdling story past the U.S. Capitol Police...
When I first ventured into the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, I thought, "Oh, goodie, another federal museum full of boring exhibits." (Yours Truly tends to avoid museums, federal or otherwise, like the plague.)
But, since it was so much warmer than the Great Outdoors, I decided to give the place a chance. First thing that got my attention was the full-sized replica of the statue that's on top of the Capitol Dome. Much bigger up close than off in the distance...
Much of the exhibit space was devoted to the history of the United States Congress. I was impressed with the honesty that was on display. We talk about partisan bickering these days, but the 1800s were downright vicious.
The Visitor Center took that on, including a detailed account of the 1856 caning attack on Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, an outspoken Abolitionist. This incident happened on the Senate floor, and the attacker was Sumner's fellow Congressman, Preston Brooks of South Carolina. Three days earlier, Sumner made an anti-slavery speech that disparaged Brooks' uncle, South Carolina Senator Andrew Butler.
Brooks took umbrage and set upon Sumner in the almost-empty Senate chamber. Sumner was so badly injured that he didn't return to the Senate for three years.
I was thinking that, of all the Congressional history topics that wouldn't be mentioned, the Sumner caning would be at the top of the list. But it was there.
Then there was the political cartoon that showed Andrew Jackson having his mouth sewn shut. Much nastier than anything I've seen recently.
Tip: You can view more travel photography in my portfolio.
Nature Photography: Ripening Persimmon
October 23rd, 2009This one's from a late July 2008 visit to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Great time to be there and see the persimmons ripening...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
Nature Photography: Big Sur Stream
October 23rd, 2009This photo's a true blast from the past. I took it back in 1981, while I was bicycling around the United States.
While heading down the California coast, I stopped for an overnight in a state park south of Big Sur. The park offered many things to explore, including giant redwoods that I couldn't begin to stretch my arms around. Then there was this icy cold stream...
Tip: You can view more nature photography in my portfolio.
Tucson photographer launches stock photo site
October 7th, 2009Tucson, AZ – Martha Retallick, local photographer, web designer, community activist, and volunteer, just launched a stock photo website for ad agencies, photo editors, businesses, and organizations.
BicycleStockImages.com features photos of the bike culture, including bicycle racing, bicycle touring, utilitarian cycling, and artistic close-ups of bicycles, bike tools, and bike parts. The site also offers photos related to construction, civic pride, and the environment. A practitioner of “bike-tography,” Retallick, who doesn’t own a car, travels to Tucson-area photo shoots on her bicycle.
The site includes shots from the semi-annual Bicycle Swap Meet on 4th Avenue, a criterium race around the UA campus, and the free valet bicycle parking that the city’s Department of Transportation provides at major events.
An avid cyclist for 30 years, Retallick pedaled through all of the United States between 1980 and 1992 with her trusty Nikon. Her travels provided a first-hand look at the diversity of the American landscape and its people. In addition to nature and travel photo galleries, BicycleStockImages.com also includes abstract photography, a weekly, noncompetitive run/walk through downtown Tucson: Meet Me at Maynards, and construction photography.
Over three years, Retallick helped build a 36-house Habitat for Humanity community in central Tucson, and also worked on International Relief Team’s post-Katrina reconstruction teams during 2006-08. She enjoys finding the graphic mix between the raw physical labor and the artistry of humans and machines in motion.
Who will use Retallick’s stock photography? Ad agencies who might want images to go with a client’s campaign. Photo editors who might want event photos for a feature on Things to Do in Tucson, Arizona. Companies and organizations, such as those in the bicycle or construction industry. Or Tucson organizations looking for someone to cover upcoming special events. Or consumers.
Visitors to BicycleStockImages.com can search its online database of photos, and purchase photographic prints, royalty-free images, and personal use downloads.
Bicycle Stock Images, a project of Western Sky Communications, is an Arizona-based business owned and operated by Martha Retallick.
Retallick is affiliated with the following Tucson organizations:
- El Cortez Heights Neighborhood Association
- Eller College Associates, Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona
- International Friends, Inc.
- KXCI 91.3 FM Community Radio Development Committee
- Mansfield Park Neighbors Coalition
- Teaching and Helping Project
- Tucson City Council Ward 3 Neighbors Alliance
- U.S. Green Building Council Arizona Chapter
- Watershed Management Group Water Harvesting Co-op
Contact Information:
Western Sky Communications
Post Office Box 43161
Tucson, Arizona 85733
Phone: (520) 690-1888
Event Photography: Football in the Gloom
September 30th, 2009I just returned from another Homecoming weekend at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. And, just as during my student days, I got to experience Ann Arbor's weather in all its variety. In other words, if you like variety in your cloud cover, Ann Arbor is your kind of place.
It seemed as if the Michigan state bird was the construction crane. Take Burton Tower, for instance. This is the bell tower in the middle of the university's central campus. I had to get down on the ground to get a view without the cranes in the background. And yes, there's construction happening around the base of the tower...
Before the Michigan-Indiana football game, I attended the engineering alumni tailgate with my father, William Retallick, who earned his BS in engineering from the U-M. My U-M degree is in economics.
Dad and I enjoyed performance by the Friars, an a capella octet...
You can't play a football game without warming up...
Uh-oh, that gloomy weather's really rolling in. Rain rolled in too. But that didn't stop the festivities in the stands. Gotta keep those beach balls circulating around Michigan Stadium...
Oh, did I mention that there was a game? And, that occasionally, the Wolverine faithful found something to cheer about?
For three quarters, Michigan's Wolverines did everything they could to ensure their own demise. Then they won by three points. My dad thought it was a good game...
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.
Travel Photography: Vermont State House
September 8th, 2009My recent visit to Vermont included an afternoon in Montpelier, the state capital. It's more like a small town than anything else. Population's just over 8,000, which makes Montpelier the smallest capital city in the United States.
My Montpelier afternoon centered on the Vermont State House, where my Aunt Jean is a volunteer tour guide...
Here's Aunt Jean leading a tour. She's showing the group what the State House has looked like during various periods in history. The current State House is version 3.0...
Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen towers over the State House entrance walkway...
In the State House lobby is a marble floor made of two types of Vermont granite. The dark granite has imprints of fossilized creatures...
Tip: You can view more travel photography in my portfolio.
Event Photography: Another Monday Evening Walkabout
July 15th, 2009Since mid-April, I've been blogging about Tucson's weekly Meet Me at Maynards Social Run and Walk. And here I go, I'm doing it again.
This past Monday marked the 14th running (or walking) of MMM. And, once again, I went walkabout with my camera.
I'm not going to be one of those Downtown Tucson cheerleaders who goes on and on about all the great things happening. There's still a lot of work to be down Downtown. But, at the same time, I can't help but be impressed with the energy and enthusiasm that I've found there.
For starters, how would you like to start your MMM run (or walk) with a musical sendoff? Here are Dusty Squirrelfisher and Fiddlin' Uncle Phoenix from the Dusty Buskers...
Since this is an urban event, MMM-ers have to wait for the light before they can run across the street. They also have to watch out for that Downtown construction...
A few weeks ago, the MMM course was changed to include the almost-renovated Scott Avenue streetscape. It's a tantalizing blend of new and old...
Buy Meet Me at Maynards photos
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’s 2009 July 4th Celebration
July 6th, 2009This past Saturday was our nation's 233rd birthday. This All-American event was celebrated with parades, speeches, picnics, and fireworks.
Here in Tucson, it was a great day to take Old Glory for a bicycle ride. And that's just what I did. Taped a small flag to my tire pump, then stowed the pump and flag post in a saddlebag...
After the bike ride, it was time to return home for a siesta. Then, as evening approached, I headed out again. Wasn't about to miss the fireworks display over Downtown Tucson. I staked out my vantage point, a parking garage on the University of Arizona campus, well before sunset...
The parking garage attracted quite the fireworks audience...
And the wait was worth it...
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.
Travel Photography: Roadside Oddity
July 2nd, 2009From the "I'm not making this up" department comes this road sign from western Pima County in Arizona. You can find it along state highway 86, and, yes, both towns do exist...
Tip: You can view more travel photography in my portfolio.
Travel Photography: Tucson Train Station
June 22nd, 2009For a long time, the Amtrak station was a Downtown Tucson afterthought. There wasn't much reason for going there unless you had to catch a train or you were meeting someone arriving by rail. And did I mention that rail service to Tucson is not a daily thing?
The station was renovated not too long ago, and it's now home to a pretty good restaurant and convenience mart called Maynards Market and Kitchen. Restaurant patrons can enjoy patio dining while watching the trains go by. Or they can watch each other...
The people shown above are part of the crowd that turns out for the weekly Meet Me at Maynards Social Run/Walk through Downtown Tucson.
