A bit of a rainbow

Sporadic rains falling from low clouds and a few holes to allow the sunlight through provide for a bit of spectrum to make the Sahuarita landscape more colorful.

Canon 20D - 1/200th second, 75mm @ f/ 14, ISO 100

Mt. Bigelow Sunset

A small band of cloud had an interesting texture that caught the last rays of sunlight in the growing twilight.

Canon 20D - 1/160th second, 42mm @ f/ 4.5, ISO 200

Snowy Day - 28893

This image and the two below were taken Monday morning after we had our snowfall in the valley. Over an inch of snow fell here late in the afternoon, so the dropping temperatures after sunet allowed the snow to remain well into the next day. These shots were taken around my front yard.

Canon 20D - 1/500th second, 28mm @ f/ 8, ISO 100

Snowy Day - 28887

Canon 20D - 1/30th second, 28mm @ f/ 32, ISO 100

Snowy Day - 28870

Canon 20D - 1/50th second, 28mm @ f/ 32, ISO 100

Five day old Moon

The sky tonight is clear, something of a rarety of late. The five-day old moon hung in the westen sky after sunset, inviting observation.

Canon 20D - 1/500th second, 80mm f/ 5 telescope, ISO 800

Mt. Wrightson - 28953

I went outside to watch a pair of F-16s practicing high-speed steep-turns to the south of the house. After they departed back towards Phoenix, I grabbed a few shots of the Santa Ritas as they still looked good in the melting snow.

Canon 20D - 1/1250th second, 300mm @ f/ 13, ISO 800

Geology Point - 28914

Canon 20D - 1/125th second, 28mm @ f/ 13, ISO 100

Geology Point Vista - 28907

Most of my black & white images are pre-visualized as black & white when I compose and shoot them. This image was no exception. I did like the subtle colors of the original scene as well, so I've posted both. The as shot image (below) and the as envisioned, seen here.

Geology Point Vista - 28907

Catalina Highwat was closed to most people today, due to packed snow and ice on the road and a number of abandoned and wrecked vehicles. However, the scenery was to hard to resist stopping on the way up to the observatory. Here's a view from Geology Point looking out to the Snow draped Ricons.

Canon 20D - 1/200th second, 60mm @ f/ 8, ISO 100

Snow Capped Saguaro

It's a rare winter day for Tucson when snow falls in town. Officially a half an inch was recorded at the U of A campus, while here at home in Sahuarita it snowed for over three hours before sunset, leaving over an inch of the white stuff on the ground. The flakes were huge, some a very fluffy 3/4 an inch across. This morning, the day after, I went out and took a few images around my front yard.

Canon 20D - 1/2500th second, 37mm @ f/ 2.8, ISO 100

Mt. Lemmon Trail #5 - 27722

Almost the same vantage point as the image below. I moved a little down the hillside and used a narrower setting on the zoom.

Canon 20D - 1/250th second, 20mm @ f/ 20, ISO 400

Mt Lemmon Trail #5 - 27719

Canon 20D - 1/250th second, 10mm @ f/ 20, ISO 400

Mt Lemmon Trail #5 - 27770

Canon 20D - 1/320th second, 10mm @ f/ 22, ISO 400

Mt Lemmon Trail #5 - 27712

Canon 20D - 1/200th second, 20mm @ f/ 22, ISO 400

Cold Flames

Though Sunday enjoyed mostly clear skies, this interesting pattern passed over the peak of Lemmon in the late afternoon. There was a bit of a colorful glory around the Sun, but it wasn't well captured in this exposure.

The temperature was in the low to mid 20s F when this shot was made. It felt pretty warm after a night with the low in the single digits. After this was taken, the temperature rapidly plummeted to 10F at sunset.

Canon 20D - 1/500th second, 10mm @ f/ 22, ISO 400

Rime Coated Santa Catalinas

Looking out to the south east, just down from the peak of Mt. Lemmon, we can see along the spine of the Santa Catalinas to the Rincons in the distance.

This image is one of three that were shown on Tucson's channel 13 KOLD news reports at 6pm & 10pm yesterday.

The image imediately below and the one of the rime covered radio tower are the other two.

Canon 20D - 1/60th second, 20mm @ f/ 22, ISO 100

Rime Iced Trees

Looking east from near the peak of Mt. Lemmon, the snow (ice) capped peak in the distance is Mt. Graham.

Canon 20D - 1/60th second, 28mm @ f/ 25, ISO 100

Initializing the Pointing

As the sky gets darker, the first duty of the evening is to point the 1.5-m telescope at a bright star and confirming that the telescope is pointing correctly.
Here, I've already directed the telescope to a star but the sky is still too bright for this first step. Click on the image to see the larger version and that star is just visible.

The red glow from the fading rays of the Sun, already below the horizon, is still reflected on the inner surface of the dome.

Canon 20D - 20 seconds, 10mm @ f/ 5, ISO 400

That's a lot of rime ice!

This is one of the radio towers just outside the observatory gate on top of Mt. Lemmon. For much of the 13th, the peak was covered in clouds and it was coooold. In the teens, Fahrenheit with high winds. The super cooled moisture in the air instantly froze to any exposed surface, buildings, cars, posts, trees, anything.

Near ground level, there was between 8 - 10 inches of rime ice on the upwind surfaces, but this tower, sticking up well into the cloud got the worst of it. The antenna at the top has an accumulation of 18 inches or more!

Canon 20D - 1/60th second, 67mm @ f/ 16, ISO 100

Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) in the Daytime!

Most people think that the only celestial object visible in the day sky is the Sun, ignoring the moon completely. They can be excused for not knowing that other objects like the planet Venus, and less often, Jupiter, can also be seen during the day when the conditions are just right.

Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) is the brightest comet in 30 years and is visible in the daylight sky, if you know exactly where to look and your sky has no clouds or haze. It is very close to the Sun, so viewing this comet in the daytime can be extremely dangerous!!!

While this image isn't very spectacular, it was made just before noon on top of Mt. Lemmon!

Canon 20D - 1/800th second, 300mm @ f/ 5.6, ISO 100

Tumacacori Granary

Canon 20D - 1/50th second, 53mm @ f/ 20, ISO 800

The Doors to the Afterlife?

A view from within the mortuary, out through the gate of the cemetary to the courtyard beyond.

Canon 20D - 1/25th second, 28mm @ f/ 20, ISO 100

The Mortuary & Cemetary at Tumacacori

The walled area north of the mission contains the cemetary. It is thought that there are several hundreds of bodies buried here. Only about 25 graves have been identified.

The cylindrical building is the mortuary, but like so much of the mission, it was never completed. The holes in the outer wall are there to hold the scaffolding that was to be used while the dome was constructed.

Canon 20D - 1/60th second, 28mm @ f/ 13, ISO 100

Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught)

Discovered by Rob McNaught on August 7th, 2006, at the Siding Spring Survey in Australia, comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) is seen here at 5:51 MT tonight, just before it set behind the peaks of the Sierrita Mountains south west of Tucson.

Canon 20D - 1/160th second, 300mm @ f/ 5.6, ISO 800

Old Snag at Red Rock

Hiking down the trail, I couldn't pass this snag without making a few images with the wide angle lens.


Canon 20D - 1/125th second, 10mm @ f/ 22, ISO 1600

More Red Rocks & Green Trees

Canon 20D - 1/400th second, 149mm @ f/ 7.1, ISO 100

Wooden Spokes on a Tandem Axle

As Jim & I explored one of the trails at Red Rock, I came across this bit of old west technology disintegrating in the Arizona weather. Finding old wooden spoked wheels isn't too uncommon, but this one had four wheels on the axle instead of the typical two.

It would be interesting to know what it was used for when it was in service.

You have to love that incredible depth of field afforded by truely wide angle lenses!

Canon 20D - 1/30th second, 10mm @ f/ 9.5, ISO 100

Oak Creek in Red Rock State Park

I'll mix up my last few images from the northern Arizona trip from last month with more current images for a short time as I'm almost done postoing them.

This shot is of Oak Creek which meanders through Red Rocks State Park in Sedona, Arizona.

Canon 20D - 1/15th second, 24mm @ f/ 13, ISO 100

Tumacamori 27293

Another view of the front facade of the mission at Tumacamori.

Canon 20D - 1/30th second, 28mm @ f/ 18, ISO 100

Tumacamori Mission 27304

Taking a break from working on my book, I decided to head about 40 miles south of my house to photograph the Mission at Tumacacori with my new sweekstakes lens. First estabilshed in the 1690's by Jesuit Eusebio Kino, the adobe structure seen here was started to be constructed around 1800. Lack of funds caused construction delays until the mid-1820s. After the Mexican-American War, numerous Apache raids and the harsh winter of 1848, the site was abandoned. The bell tower was never completed.

Canon 20D - 1/80th second, Tamron 28-75mm f/ 2.8 using 33mm @ f/ 18, ISO 100

Red Rock State Park Sedona - 26782

Getting back to the images from the trip that Jim & I took to northern Arizona. As we headed back towards Tucson, we passed through the town of Sedona and spent several hours hiking through Red Rock State Park south of town.

I usually shoot camera raw and choose the shutter speed and aperture for every shot I take, especially when shooting landscapes. For this image, and the next three images, I decided I wanted to see what the camera's electronics could do on it's own. While I'm not excited about the files being saved as jpegs in the camera, I have to say that I am pleased and surprised at how nice the iamges taken in "Landscape"mode came out. Other than setting the white & black points, these images are pretty much as they came out of the camera. Yes, the rocks there ARE this colorful!



Canon 20D - "Landscape Mode", 1/400th second, 119mm @ f/ 7.1, ISO 100

Red Rock State Park Sedona - 26783

Canon 20D - "Landscape Mode", 1/500th second, 108mm @ f/ 8, ISO 100

Red Rock State Park Sedona - 26785

Canon 20D - "Landscape Mode", 1/400th second, 190mm @ f/ 7.1, ISO 100

Red Rock State Park, Sedona - 26788

Canon 20D - "Landscape Mode", 1/400th second, 300mm @ f/ 7.1, ISO 100

Sydney with my sweepstakes lens

Yesterday, after receiving my new lens, which I won in a Tamron Sweepstakes, Sydney came out and sat in front of me as if to say, "Ok. You have your new lens. Why haven't you taken my picture yet?"

Right after I snapped this shot, she got up and walked away.

Canon 20D - Tamron 28-75mm f/ 2.8 using 1/30th second, 75mm @ f/ 2.8, ISO 1600

Abstract 27071

Ok, so it isn't that abstract...

Canon 20D - Taken with a Tamron 28-75mm f/ 2.8 lens using 1/60th second, 40mm @ f/ 32, ISO 100

Bearded Buck

This buck was wandering along the hillside behind my house, enjoying a late afternoon meal. It wasn't until i was processing this image that I noticed he was sporting a beard that had the potential to become rather painful - A piece of cactus!

Canon 20D - 1/400th second, 214mm @ f/ 6.3, ISO 1600

Icicles

My second morning after the heavy snows on Mt. Lemmon, I looked out the dorm hallway window and saw these icicles hanging down off the back of the resident's home.

Canon 20D - 1/10th second, 214mm @ f/ 27, ISO 100

Geology Point Looking Southwest

A bit lower in elevation, about a mile past Windy Point Vista, I stopped amid the hoodoos that flank the Catalina Highway to take this image of the flanks of the Santa Catainas. During the drive down, I left the peak completely covered in clouds so thick you couldn't see the Sun. I removed my tire chains at Ski Valley in bright sunlight and re-entered the clouds clinging to the mountains around 6000 feet.

Canon 20D - 1/160th second, 18mm @ f/ 8, ISO 100

Snow Covered Eastern Slopes

As I descended Catalina Highway, the first place I stopped gave this view back to the north.

Canon 20D - 1/200th second, 31mm @ f/ 8, ISO 100