Saturday, 31st May 2008
Tucson Mountain Flora
by Lisa Atkins
The area around Tucson, Arizona receives some wicked thunderstorms during the monsoon season. Every afternoon, the clouds roll in, bringing some relief from the desert heat. This shot was taken in August, in late afternoon. The plants here, are typical of the Sonoran Desert. The iconic Saguaro Cactus only grows in the Sonoran. Tucson Mountain Park is on the way to Saguaro National Park, West. It has many hiking trails, and countless oportunities to view these magnificent plants, up close.
Equipment: Canon A2, Canon 28-135IS lens, Slik Universal Pro tripod, B&W circular polarizer, Agfa Optima 100 film
Lisa Atkins
I am a landscape and nature photographer, based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. I specialize in the scenic landscapes of the Southwestern United States.
Website: lisaatkinsphoto.com
Tucson Mountain Flora by Lisa Atkins was photo of the day on Saturday, 31st May 2008. It is tagged Plants. You can leave a comment below.
22 Comments
Anurag
Nice to see a full description of equipment used.
For me the image has one too many subjects and looks kind of busy. The colors have come out really nice.
Keith
My first thought when I saw this image was Fuji Velvia 50. But I see you used Agfa Optima, another great film stock. I would say that the composition is just a bit too tight on the right, but good exposure and a pleasant standard scene for the desert area overall I would imagine.
Keith
Sorry, that should have read mountain area.
Pauline Jones
This looks a really fascinating area; thanks for the description.
Reuben Chircop
That is a nice shot I like the whole composition and the colors are wonderful. I like the highlights on the furthest cactus too.
Alizadeh
very nice plant and shot.
Pieter -sAner- van der Horst
Great colors, good composition.
Andy
sure looks dry, hard to imagine it has ‘wicked’ thunderstorms.
nice pic!
Lisa Atkins
Thanks to each of you for your nice comments. Keith, it’s ok to call it a desert area. Tucson Mountain Park is in the Sonoran Desert, but is flanked by the Tucson Mountains. The Saguaro National Park is actually divided by the city of Tucson. The park is referred to by the Park Service as Saguaro West, and Saguaro East. But, it is often referred to by the forest service, as the Rincon District of Saguaro National Park, or the Tucson District of…, named after the mountain ranges that flank the two sections of the park. I thought that was interesting.
Sue Gagnon
A vista I have never seen. Quite remarkable to me to see this. Thanks Lisa! Great vision on your part, too, you couldn’t have ‘placed’ the cacti any better..hehehehe. Nice POTD!
Eileen
Cool, blue, and spiky! Great shot. EZ
Lisa Atkins
Thank you, Sue and Eileen. It means alot to me!!
Keith
Thanks for clearing that up, Lisa. It looks a great area for photography though.
Tom
Seems a little too tightly cropped on top and right. Excellent write-up.
Laurie
A perfect scene for an American Old West movie!
Do I see John Wayne riding his horse over the ridge?
Seriously, it’s a great photo with an interesting subject and bold colors. I like it!
Lisa Atkins
Thanks for your comments. Laurie, it’s ironic that you said that about John Wayne. There is an old movie set, not too far from this area. It is now a tourist attraction. They used to film John Wayne movies there. It also has a gift shop, where they sell anything you could think of, with John Wayne’s face on it. – Tom, the ocotillo on the right, was huge. To include the rest of the top, would have dwarfed the saguaro. To include more of the right side of it, would have done the same thing, plus, it would have included limbs of other cacti. I wanted the saguaro to be the main character, with the ocotillo and barrel, as supporting players. The flora is pretty thick. So, it is hard to leave things out of the frame that might be distracting, without cutting off part of others. I studied it from every angle, before going with this one. Thanks, everyone. -Lisa
Tad Bowman
Congratulations Lisa. I love that tall cactus in the background.
Lisa Atkins
Thanks, Tad!!
su
I love how the intense blue sky shows off this cacti, lovely shot.
renee
a very earthy shot! well done!
Su
Great shot Lisa and nice to have the fed back from you too.
Rajib Singha
Gorgeous colors!