Apocalypse Not...

The 12/21/12 Apocalypse was a complete bust. A non-starter. I personally think it turned out fine. This sunset was a stunner and could have been seen as the first sign of impending doom, but it wasn't.

I knew I was in for a treat right away. This was the scene when I arrived at my vantage point in the foothills near North Mountain. The cloud cover was perfect and I waited anxiously as the sun went down.

And it didn't disappoint. It was a "real barn-burner" as I like to say. The reds, yellows and oranges were all there filling the entire sky with color.

And it continued to go off. I switched lenses and took this telephoto shot. The sunset was as intense as it was going to get, burning a deep-orange in a thin band along the horizon.

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© 2013 G. Reid Helms / Arizona Panorama

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Fall Magic at Spur Cross Preserve

The Jewel of the Creek

I'm amazed. It's mid December and Fall color is still to be found around the Phoenix area. Fall seems to last forever here in Arizona. These shots taken at the Spur Cross Ranch Preserve just outside Cave Creek still have plenty of Fall color. And there's still plenty to come. Most of the cottonwood trees were green on one side, yellow on the other.

Cave Creek

A recent winter storm turned Cave Creek into a rich, chocolate-color. This area known as The Jewel of the Creek is a lush ribbon of life with giant cottonwood and sycamore trees. And there's plenty of wildlife here too. Deer, coyotes, javelina, cottontail and Jack rabbits etc. I saw fresh deer sign and tracks while hiking around. Quail and other desert birds were in no shortage either.

Cave Creek and Boca Grande Wash

The Preserve is one of Maricopa County's newest parks. Hiking abounds with every type trail for every type hiker or horseback rider. Serious hikers might enjoy the Cave Creek #4 trail which leads all the way back to Seven Springs over 11 miles away. You can leisurely hike around the creek in the heart of the park or charge up the mountain sides all the while enjoying this pristine example of the Sonoran Desert. I saw all the major players in the plant community: Jojoba, cholla, saguaro, yucca, ocotillo, cottonwood, sycamore, palo verde.

Abandoned Mine near Spur Cross

There's plenty of old mining activity here too. I looked over the precipice into an open hole in the ground, once someone's workplace. A big round hole was next to a skinny slot deep into the Earth. It was hard to imagine someone digging away here... day after day... deeper and deeper. I tried, but couldn't see the bottom. Loose rock around the opening and fear of a painful death had me standing back too far to look straight down...

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© 2013 G. Reid Helms / Arizona Panorama

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Phoenix Skyline

The sunset wasn't what I hoped. There were some good clouds, but they were too thin to produce anything very intense. I stayed positive and kept waiting, but it fizzled. On to plan B...

As it got dark and the city lights came up, I changed lenses and decided to shoot the downtown skyline. I didn't realize you could see traffic going up South Mountain until I got home and processed this image. 

The foothills of North Mountain provided an ideal location for either sunset or city lights photography. It's very near where I live, so I can scurry up here again the next time the sunset looks promising.

I finished the night with my telephoto. Some of the HDR exposures were taking over 20 seconds as the light faded.

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© 2013 G. Reid Helms / Arizona Panorama

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The B5 to the Salt River

The Salt River on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation

I'd tried to find this spot before... unsuccessfully. So when I decided to go again in mid November, I was determined to find it. 

I had a fix on the mile marker and the terrain at the turnoff thanks to Google Street View. Road B5 is over 7 miles long and what I would describe as pretty sketchy. At points, the road almost disappeared. I'm positive we were the only ones all the way back there for some time. I saw no evidence of vehicle tracks. We did get lost a couple times and had to back track. A strategic rock cairn marked the way in one meadow. The exit was just as eventful. Most of the way was in the dark. We finally popped back out on the highway three miles further up the road from where we had gone in. It was quite the adventure. 

This part of the Salt River makes a complete circle around the bluff. There's even a 180 degree switchback on the other side upstream. Some crazy geography here... It was overcast all day. Then, the sun popped out just as I was setting up for this pano. I had a few frenetic moments before I started squeezing off frames.

Another shot of the bend on the Salt... Tamarisk were up and down this section of the river. They turn bright orange in the fall. Unfortunately, this invasive plant squeezes out more beneficial native plants like cottonwood trees

I am still trying to figure out what wash or spring this was. It was the only crossing on the B5 and very near the Salt River. Water was flowing through at a trickle, so there must have been a spring further up the canyon. The fall was over 15 feet high and would be pretty spectacular to see flowing nicely. And extremely dangerous. 

The sunset was spectacular, but probably missed the best of it over the horizon. This location was still down in the canyon surrounded by hills. Overcast skies finally gave way and the glow was perfect.  I'm not sure how great the subject matter is here, but the light couldn't have been any prettier.

See my Fine Art America gallery for a variety of high-quality products from individual prints and canvas wraps to metal prints and frame and matted works of photographic art.

© 2013 G. Reid Helms / Arizona Panorama

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Chandler Night Shoot

Thanks Dax and Susan for the opportunity to photograph your beautiful home. This house was immaculate and spacious beyond compare in a south Chandler gated community.

Troon North...

Kathy, Susan, Karen and Jodi

My sister was in town on a golf holiday with three of her friends. I tagged along as they played the course at Troon North. It was great to see Jodi again and nice of her friends to let me come along. 

A desert golf course, Troon North winds through natural desert surrounded by beautiful custom homes. It's a beautiful setting and a challenging course. It was a great day, but the early morning light didn't last long...

Troon North

It was a completely different kind of photography from what I usually do, panorama landscapes www.azpano.com. but I'll photograph anything and seeing the right shot is always my goal.

In the hole!

I had fun looking for all the good angles. The camera was nearly on the ground for the shot above. I ran the motor drive on high as the ball moved towards the hole. Still, I felt lucky to get this shot with the ball hanging on the lip before dropping in...

Kathy teeing off

I managed to get a killer shot of everyone. This was one of the very first shots of the day and I was thrilled to see it in post. I hope I wasn't too distracting. You can get shot in pro tourneys for photographing before the ball is struck.

Karen at the tee

I'd photographed professional golf a couple times before. Once at the Pro/Am in Pebble Beach in 1987, and in Tucson during the 90s. It all seemed new again though, since it had been so long. 

Susan watching her ball

The landscaping provided a couple no-brainers. The framing of this tee box with saguaro jumped right out at me. It took me a couple tee-offs before I perfected it though. Susan's concentration on her shot really made this great.

Jodi's second shot

Jodi is an excellent golfer. Her drives were long and straight. Her short game got her within birdie territory more often than not. Everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the course, the day and each other. 

I took nearly 500 photographs. I had to laugh when I figured out that would've been 12.5 rolls of 36-exposure film. Digital photography is so liberating. The motor drive can run and I don't have to worry about any post-production expense. Now, post-production time working on the computer is the thing...

I had a very enjoyable time, even as a non-golfer. The desert was blooming, the birds were singing, it was a glorious, warm, winter day. After a nice lunch at the clubhouse, I said my goodbyes and left them to their next 18 holes of bliss. 

Reid and Jodi

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Fall on the Salt River

Fall on the Salt River

It was a gorgeous December day in 2011 at Water Users Park on the Salt River. Trees were finally turning colors.