A Photo Revival

A Tale From Tombstone

2010-02-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

Monsoon's Last Hurrah

2009-08-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

What has been a lackluster monsoon season with extensive dry spells and little rain from heaven's clouds, the monsoon returned to Southern Arizona today with not a whimper but a bang.

I captured a blazing sun fleeing the monsoon's pending wrath when I snapped this image from my front yard.

A Rebirth of Sorts

2009-08-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

Self Portrait - August 4th, 2009. I took these hoping to use some of these on my cards or with signatures.

Tucson's Heavy Pounding

2009-07-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

More from today's downpour.

From my OTHER blog:
This is the thunderstorm complex that marched into Tucson today and knocked out power to thousands. It downed trees, drowned cars (especially that knucklehead who tried to drive under the Stone Avenue bridge), and made rush hour traffic intolerable. I snapped this from my car as it came over the Santa Rita mountains east of Green Valley, a town that also got clobbered today. I managed to stay high and dry today but was able to capture about 50 cool shots of this event.

Click on the image and see the saguaros and cholla cacti all around. You know you're in southern Az when!

If only I had a bit wider of an angle...

Monsoon 2009

2009-07-07T18:52:00.001-07:00

Fun and Fancy Free

2009-06-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

self portrait June 2009

Frolicking Pups

2009-06-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Love them pups.

Ever Seen A Dog Smile?

2009-05-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

Even a little Chihuahua mutt knows when life is good. When she's afforded the opportunity to bask in the warmth of a fresh spring day amidst the desert poppies.

Sometimes I wish I were a dog. She had to be thinking at the time, "It just don't get any better than this."

Woof.

I Miss My Sassy

2009-05-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

My now departed Sassy was always there for me. She was always there WITH me. She never judged me. When I was sad and lonely, Sassy lay with me at my side, leaving only to eat and visit the litter box.

Her playful jumps always entertained me as she entertained herself soaring nearly 3 feet into the air trying to catch that elusive feather toy.

I miss my Sassy. I think she LOVED me.

(You can see an elongated bead of snot as a result of a respiratory infection that ultimately shortened her life. I'll never forget having to put her down and watch those baby blue eyes as they closed for the final time.)

Mystery

2009-04-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

Self portrait, taken last December, tweaked into black and white with a slight glow added.

I may use it as my next profile photo. I liked the somewhat mysterious gaze.

Tower

2009-04-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

My Tired Eye

2009-04-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

No mascara, no eyeliner, just my tired eye. Shot with a Canon-Ef 50 mm macro lens.

Even the Rocks Cry Out

2009-04-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

A recent day trip to the dazzling red-colored rock town of Sedona yielded a few snapshots that are keepers.

Yes, even the rocks will cry out.

Times of Refreshing

2009-04-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

From 98 degrees to 81 -- all within a 45 minute period and following a severe summer thunderstorm in the Arizona desert. You've got to be here and stand in the refreshing air to really understand the temporary state of bliss.

We all need a time of refreshing in our lives, just as the desert longs for the coolness of the rains.

Just Another Reason Why I Love Arizona

2009-04-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Monsoon Floods

2009-04-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Arizona summers are usually hot, but they are most certainly not dry. The months of July, August, and September are the southern part of the state's wettest months, with warm moist tropical moisture being funneled from both gulfs of Mexico and California to the southeast and southwest.

As a result, this moisture surge is known as the summer monsoon, where on a typical day, mornings start out with clear cool skies only to give way to ominous storm clouds in the afternoon. Many storms are capable of producing several inches of rain in one hour, and due to the immense geographical altitude variation between the 10,000 foot mountain tops to the arid desert valley floors, dangerous flooding happens nearly everywhere.

Near where I live, this road is almost always closed during the storms. Even "Stupid Motorist Laws" have been enacted penalizing people for attempting to cross the washes and need to be rescued by emergency crews.

While it's a beautiful scene to watch empty creeks turn into raging rivers for a brief period, it's still best to remember when you drive up to one to "Turn around, Don't drown."

Beep Beep!

2009-04-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

The first day I used my 70-300 mm telephoto IS Canon lens, I spotted a road runner in my backyard with a lizard snack in its mouth. It paused for a few moments as if giving me an opportunity to spot-meter, focus, and release the shutter.

These two images are from that collection.

Beep beep!

One From the Playground

2009-03-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

I snapped this photo while attending a concert by the band Jayden's Playground. My niece, lead vocalist and on keys, can truly draw a crowd into the music and leave them with an incredibly lasting impression of the band's quality and her ethereal voice.

You can check out the band at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=367029330

or search for Jayden's Playground on the MySpace home page!

Before Friday Night Lights

2009-03-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

San Xavier Mission : Prayer of Faith

2009-03-01T00:05:00.000-08:00

Anyone visiting Tucson should not miss the opportunity to visit one of the most decorated missions in the U.S.

Nicknamed the "White Dove of the Desert" because of its bright white external facade, the San Xavier del Bac south of Tucson, Arizona is well known for the incredible detail of sculptures on its walls.

It's nothing less than a photographer's dream with all the brilliant colors scattered throughout. Just don't forget to bring your tripod, the sanctuary is generally lit with diffused sunlight and candles only. Oh, and if you have an ultra wide or fisheye lens, bring that too. You're gonna need it to capture more of the details in such a small space.

Law From the Shadows

2009-02-25T18:19:00.000-08:00

Hope for the Flowers

2009-02-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

Even in the desert, even in the driest and most challenging times, brilliant colored flowers spring forth, telling the dirt and rock which try to suffocate, that there is hope for the flowers.

A Graceful Ride on a Young Colt

2009-02-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

I Miss My Mitzy

2009-02-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

We lost her when the refrigerator repair man came into the house and she was frightened and ran out the door. How I miss my Mitzy!

Bonnie's Gift

2009-02-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

Pillars of Freedom: Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument

2009-02-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

Photo taken outside the Jefferson Memorial looking towards the Washington Monument at dusk during a visit to the D.C. area in 2007.

World War II Memorial revisted

2009-02-14T07:05:00.000-08:00

Another of my photos from my visit to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Shutter priority, F/4. ISO 800.

Self Portrait February 2009

2009-02-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

Having fun watching the sun going down up on the moun'tn, a friend turned and snapped these of me.

Inspection at the Tomb

2009-02-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

From the other side looking back toward the onlookers at the "Changing of the Guard" at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetary just outside D.C. The faces of the crowd is what caught my second glance.

The Pondering

2009-02-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

Again, while visiting Washington D.C. (duh) in 2007, I saw my kids and some friends sitting down in front of the fountain of the World War II Memorial. In the background obviously is the Washington Monument, one of D.C.'s most visible landmarks.

I trust that they will never forget the day they were here. I won't.

A Little Bit of Faith

2009-02-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

"I Never Got to Know You"

2009-02-08T00:09:00.000-08:00

"Uncle Jim, I know I never got to know you but I am proud of you."

This note was left against the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. This one image made me cry as I saw so many others touching names on the walls like a loved one gently touches the casket of their departed.

You can see the reflection and the bottom of the wall at the top.

Lightning Over Colonial Williamsburg

2009-02-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

My visit to Colonial Williamsburg in 2007 began with an evening walking tour about the hauntings that remain in the settlement. As the tour guide was telling a ghost story at the village square, i captured a lightning bolt from an approaching storm with my camera in my hand and without a tripod.

The Beauty In Reaching

2009-02-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

I chose this just because...
Sometimes you just have to believe you are beautiful, you just need to reach up and let the light shine in.

Transcendant Hope of a Sleeping Sun

2009-02-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

On my flight back to Arizona from a two week tour of Boston, Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, and historic Jamestown, I noticed a stream of light shining through the window of the young child sitting in front of me. Looking around, most people were either already asleep or dozing off. I think my gasp of "Woooowwwww" woke up several people, and if that didn't do it, the sound of my Canon Xti's shutter going off repeatedly did.

What I captured is currently used as a part of the banner of a website called Transcendgender. The full image continues to captivate my heart and compels the vivid memory on that plane at 32,000 feet. If ever an image could inspire a sense of hope within me, this was it.

I'll never forget the dazzling colors that are now embedded in my memory. So many that even this image could not contain the full spectrum of the Creator's canvas.

The photo was taken at a time when I faced some of the most painful moments of my life. Live a lie, or face the truth of who I really am? Expose your weakness to those who love you or bury the misery deeper into the gray fog that nearly blinded you?

Embrace the light of love, or fall into endless despair?

And even then, I chose to step forward into the road less traveled. I chose authenticity.

The Capitol Ceiling

2009-02-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

I visited Capitol Hill in the summer of 2007. These were taken as I stood directly underneath the dome.

Carry Me My Hero

2009-02-01T00:51:00.000-08:00

I captured this moment of my son carrying my daughter into Disneyland because her feet were tired. My heart always sings, "Awwwwww" when I view this photo. (Don't worry, her energy came right back when we got inside the gates!)

Capture the moment. Isn't that one of photography's best rules?

Dance of the Raptor

2009-01-28T17:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, here is what is perhaps my all time favorite photo I've ever captured. I take pride in it because I was at least 40 yards away using my Canon EF 70-300 mm telephoto lens all the way at the telephoto end to capture it. This Ferruginous Hawk came in for a landing on this narrow mesquite branch, and I love the slight field of depth as well as the hawk's raised wings. The smaller image does the photo a disservice unfortunately.

The Raptor Free Flights can be viewed by those who visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. For more information, click HERE.

The Ty Fighter

2009-01-27T18:51:00.000-08:00

This Ty raptor is a part of the Raptor Free Flight show that the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum hosts intermittently during the year. The show is nothing less than spectacular to be able to see such magnificent creatures take flight directly overhead.

This is my SECOND favorite photo from this photo shoot. Stay tuned to the next post for my ALL TIME favorite photo.

Triple Tree Hotel

2009-01-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

This photo was snapped just a few days prior to the International Foundation for Gender Education conference in Tucson in April 2008. I loved the height of the palm trees along with the height of the building. I had to use an ultra-wide angle lens (EF 12-22 mm) to capture the base of the tree and the top.

Kind of ironic there are three trees standing in front of the Doubletree Hotel.

McKlintock? Oklahoma? No, Arizona!

2009-01-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

I paid a visit to the San Raphael Valley in Southern Arizona. This photo was taken from the back porch of a famous house used in the film's McKlintock, Oklahoma!, and several other western movies. If you watch John Wayne's movie McKlintock, this identical view can be seen in the movie...only the windmill and barn is hardly rusted! This Arizona valley is so beautiful and has so many rolling hills that they shot many scenes at this house to include the vast grassland. Who would have thought Arizona could look like Oklahoma!

I used a point and shoot Kodak to shoot this, but it too became one of my early favorites that got me excited about shooting digital photography.

Cowboy Sunrise

2009-01-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

This was one my early favorites. I was hiking in the desert south of Tucson when I observed a cowboy riding over the ridgeline. Noticing the dazzling sunrise above him, I quickly focused on the rider and snapped a few as he rode by. I still love this photo to do this day. The depth of the contrast, the sharpness of the outline of the rider and his horse, and the mesquite horizon all came together to make what I thought was a great shot.

Them cowboys are up and at 'em at an early hour!

"T-Minus"

2009-01-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

A Rose is a Rose

2009-01-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Felines and Directional Light

2009-01-06T04:57:00.000-08:00

Warmth

2009-01-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

Raptor Skies of Blue

2009-01-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Carry Me

2008-12-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

Contrast and Shadows

2008-12-28T09:01:00.001-08:00

You Can't Touch This

2008-12-12T17:28:00.001-08:00

Unedited. Taken this evening at sunset. I'm going to miss this...very much so.

If I Were a Tree

2008-11-29T05:38:00.001-08:00

Standing for Equality and Justice

2008-11-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Namoli at Dusk

2008-11-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Namoli Brennet sings at Wingspan for Transgender Awareness Week 2007

The Sound of the Trumpet: Julie Nicolay

2008-11-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

Nimbus

2008-11-08T08:23:00.001-08:00

Ophidiophobic - Fear O' the Big S

2008-11-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

This creature, a pet, scared the living hell out of me.
Welcome to my paranoia.

Supreme Sky: Equal Justice Under Law?

2008-11-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

Sad Little Boy

2008-11-02T00:35:00.001-07:00

Lori Unedited

2008-11-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

Lori and friends, unedited

I'm Just a Bill

2008-10-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

The view of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. from atop the "old" Post Office building on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Library of Discrimination

2008-10-30T05:44:00.001-07:00

Fireball

2008-10-29T06:16:00.001-07:00

A Closer Look

2008-10-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

Self portrait. By Lori D.

My Old Friend

2008-10-26T22:07:00.001-07:00

Remembering

2008-10-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

I miss their little bodies, each one enfolded within my arms.

Of Organs and Crosses

2008-10-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Captured

2008-10-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

Flat Carrie

2008-10-22T01:26:00.000-07:00

Picnic on the Moon

2008-10-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Emma Wood State Beach, Pacific Coast Highway, California

2008-10-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Captured from my Sony Handycam HDR-SR5 camcorder.

Up A Creek

2008-10-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

Pushing Up Daisies

2008-10-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Memento Mori - Jamie Hernandez

2008-10-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

Lori's Revival Header Photo

2008-10-05T14:15:00.000-07:00