Eclipse Road Trip

When a Solar Eclipse passes just a few hours north of where you live and you have no obligations tying you down... You just don't say no to the opportunity to go and see it. You just don't. 

I didn't find out about the Annular Solar Eclipse until just two days before it.  As much fun as it would be to photograph it... The proper equipment to do it, is thousands of dollars... and not even really an area that a Landscape/Fine Art Photographer is really equipped for. (Even worse is that I put my good tripod in the wrong car the night before and didn't realise it until it was far too late. Ooops.)  

I would have loved to take my dad's advice to find interesting ways to photograph it, like through a small cloud bank, or filtered through tree branches and leaves (creates an effect on the ground like hundreds of pinhole cameras) ... But this is northern Arizona we're talking about. What clouds? What trees? (If you've never had the pleasure of driving Route 89 north of Flagstaff, it's kind of a barren wasteland of colorful rock and the sun never seems to go away.)

Now I debated where to go for this. True, I could have gone for the southern rim of the Grand Canyon and seen both the spectacular part of the Canyon and the Eclipse... but that was not on the center line. The GC at that end was only going to get an 86% Eclipse. But just about 45 more minutes north and I could see the full "Ring of Fire" that the Annular Eclipse is known for.  If you're going to go for it.. then go all the way, right? 

I started my trek north with Marble Canyon and the Navajo Bridge as my destination in mind. Beautiful sight for certain... but a crappy location for the eclipse.  The sun was going to dip behind the cliffs for the eclipse so I had to back track. The advise I got from a local was to head for Page. I still had well over an hour before it was going to begin which really was plenty of time, so I headed east.  

I only made it few miles before I spotted a few cars pulled off the road and although I don't usually 'follow the herd', this seemed like a good time to. 

.... To be continued ....

Sunset

There is zero retouching or altering of this image... I only cropped it.

I love Cacti ... and sunsets.

That is all.

The Journey

It's not the destination, but the journey that matters.

We've all heard that phrase and it really is true.

Today was a beautiful sunny and 75F kind of day and we decided to head on up to Sadona for some random sightseeing... we did not count on a traffic jam on 17N. After crawling up the highway at an average of 3mph... for 90 minutes... we had had enough and jumped off on the very first exit. We had no idea where we were or where we were going. It didn't matter.

For three hour we basically just tooled around and when we found something we wanted to see, we just pulled over and went for it. Total freedom.

We really didn't get far out of Phoenix at all and eventually ended up at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. I had no idea there was a lake here in the desert. It's made we want to see it from other angles and find Waddel Damn. I hope to go on another one of these random adventures soon. Maybe next week?

We never made it to Sadona. I still want to because I know that it is a stunning place to see... Not to mention that I am dying to photograph there. My only worry is that it's too cliche, that everyone goes there to photograph the place... so we'll see.

Southwest Teaser

Hey everyone! Guess where your fave photog is right now!

Lilac Festival

It's amazing the difference that lighting can make.

Not to mention the way personal preferences can shape the way you see an image.

Below I played with only two different flower clusters, the images taken within minutes of each other, but just the shift in position and the change in the sun make all the difference.

In these two images, I like the elegance of the first one the way the sun is catching the petals...

but I am drawn to the second one more. For me, there is something about the soft sea of flowers, delicately kissed by the purple in their centers. I might drop in a little closer and truly flood the frame in flowers.

Again the same flower cluster in these two images.

The front lit image shows incredible detail and color, it's what drew me to this particular bush.

But it feels too sterile to me when I look at it now.

I moved around to capture this same flower with the sun now at its back. Everything about this image is more pleasing to me. The darker negative spaces, the halo glow on the flowers. The softness in the petals emulates the sweetness of the lilac itself.

This is my new desktop.

Lilac Festival

I shot over a hundred images at the festival, but for the moment, this one is my very favorite one.

Where the hell have I been?

Funny thing... I've been shooting all sorts of pics... for months.

But for some reason I haven't downloaded any of my material until tonight.

I guess this is what happens when you get a real job and have to put your art on hold.

Okay, okay... without further ado... I'm off to do some editing and get some fresh work posted.

Lunar Eclipse

If you have never had the joy of seeing a lunar eclipse first hand, it's incredible. I marvel at how the moon turns to a full red when eclipsed, I was assuming it would vanish in the sky, but instead it shifts to the most amazing hue.

If you have the means to watch one, I strongly encourage it, they are far more frequent than solar eclipses. The next one is June 15th 2011. See you there, yeah?

Total eclipse of the Moon.

A lunar eclipse is a truly beautiful thing to see,

I hope to post the full series of these pics by tonight...

a little Christmas present to my followers... and myself really.

{Blows kisses to everyone}

Lovely Landscapes

'Tis the season.... For shameless self promotion.

It's no secret that my favorite images are landscapes... and I assume that my lovely followers enjoy them as well. So here is my only act of shameless self-promotion for the holiday season. Please feel free to contact me through email, DeborahEnrich316@Gmail.com, or even through FaceBook if you're interested in acquiring any of the images I have posted here over the past 2 years.

Alton Brown

Fabulous Food Show

The Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland, Ohio.

This is the fifth year for the biggest culinary show in the midwest.

Every year it gets a little bigger than the last.

Two years back I attended when the big draw for me was Guy Fieri. He is the host of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network, one of my favorite shows.

But this year, for me at least, it was ALL about Mr. Alton Brown.

I know I'll sound like a crackhead to most people, but to me, he is the Paul McCartney of the culinary world. When I had the chance to meet him, I told him just that (but that's another post).

I have to say, the chic who brought in her stand mixer to be signed is kinda my hero... I am SO doing that next time. Seriously.

Love affair with the setting sun.

I am definitaly developing a love affair with a giant ball of gas...

and by that, I of course mean the stunning sun.

At night

I really wish I had had my tripod...

but there is still an element of beauty there... I kinda love the Falls...

Rapids.

White water rafting anyone?

Mind you the last rapid is a pretty steep drop.

I took several successive pictures of the rapids... I can't wait to layer them and play with the channel mixer in PhotoShop!

Sunset on the city

It's fascinating, Niagara Falls, New York... is kinda a podunk nowhere little town with a HardRock cafe (they have Wifi) and a kick ass State Park... but that's basically it. Niagara Falls, Ontario... is a very lovely city... with several casinos.

Rainbow Bridge

Yes. I admit it. I stood in the middle of Rainbow Bridge ...

and hopped back and forth going,

"Now I'm in Canada. Now I'm in the US.

Now I'm in Canada. Now I'm in the US."

Yup... I'm a big dork.

Sunset through the trees...

I honestly think I'm developing an obsession with sunset...

Mind the SIgns

This is one time where I don't dare disobey the signs.