Category: Stories Behind the Photos

Sonoran Desert Fog

Published on by tbeckerphotos22 Comments

On Sunday, February 1st we had an amazing dense fog here in the Sonoran Desert.  So dense, you could only see about 100 feet in front of you.  I left my house about an hour before sunrise and driving out to the desert was certainly a challenge.  There is a gallery of 19 images at the end of this post, you can click on each to see a larger version. The Sonoran Desert typically does not have dense fog, certainly a rare occasion and I was excited for such a photographic opportunity!

fog in the Sonoran Desert with trees and path

My first shot was right next to where I parked.  I have seen this sidewalk and trees before, but too much clutter is typically in the background.  On this morning, a much different scene with the fog eliminating all the clutter.  While processing this image I tried several variations, color, black and white, adding a layer of texture and finally chose split tone.

 

fog in the Sonoran Desert

l chose a trail that was new to me. It is a new trail and not officially open, however, a few days before I asked a some men working on the trail when it would be open.  They stated it would be March before it officially opened.  I stated there were some large saguaros that I wanted to photograph and they said to it would be fine for me to do that as the trail is marked.  Why did I choose this trail?  The trail is flat and winding with many large saguaros.  I enjoy using the curvy trails as leading lines in my images.  Also, this trail leads east and I was hoping for some surreal images once the sun rose. Hiking this trail alone, I was on alert for coyotes and javelina.  I could hear the birds waking up and calling, but I couldn’t see them.  As I wasn’t familiar with the trail, I turned around after making several images and headed to a trail I have photographed several times in the last few weeks.  Once the sun came up, the fog quickly burned off.  It was as if I had been put on another planet with the fog turning from gray to yellow.

spider web covered in dew drops

After the sun broke through the fog you could see the desert was glittered with dew drops.  Looking at all of the vegetation sparkle, especially when backlit, was breathtaking.  I was seeing spider webs that I had never seen before, but walked by many times.  They looked like jeweled necklaces and were stunning.  Although I had planned on shooting landscapes, I couldn’t pass up getting out my macro lens to photograph the dew drops.  By this time the trail was quite busy with hikers and cyclists.  Not the best when you have your tripod set up for macro photography.  The sun was rising quick and I hadn’t brought my diffuser/reflector with me and the beautiful sidelight was quickly becoming top light, not the light a photographer wants.

What a year 2015 is turning out to be – January 1st we had an unusual amount of snow, February 1st an unusual dense fog, what will March 1st bring?   I am so very fortunate to have been able to experience and photograph the dense fog and snow in the Sonoran Desert!

 

A curvy sidewalk with a Palo Verde tree on the right before sunrise with dense fog.
Trail in the Sonoran Desert with dense fog.
Scorpion Weed covered in dew drops
Trail in the Sonoran Desert with dense fog.
Teddy Bear Cholla covered in dew drops.
Multiple saguaro cactus and vegetation in the dense fog.
Palo Verde trees lining the trail with dense fog.
A saguaro cactus along the trail with dense fog.
Multiple saguaro cactus and vegetation in the dense fog.
Multiple saguaro cactus and vegetation in the dense fog.
Saguaro cactus backlit by the sun shining through the fog.
Beautiful golden light shining on the cholla and saguaros as the sun was breaking through the fog.
Backlit saguaro and cholla as the sun was breaking through the dense fog creating a surreal scene. This is a color image.
Spider web covered in dew drops backlit by the morning sun.
Teddy Bear Cholla covered in dew drops.
Buckhorn Cholla covered in ew drops. It looks as if it is starting to form buds.
Scorpion Weed covered in dew drops
Fog in the Sonoran Desert with the McDowell Mountains in the background
Spider web covered in dew drops backlit by the morning sun.

Three Years Ago

Published on by tbeckerphotos6 Comments

Three years ago today I lost my dad. When diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, we were told he only had a 30% chance of surviving the first round of chemotherapy and the doctors may be able to keep him alive for 18 months to 2 years.  He battled AML for almost five years and endured over 40 rounds of chemotherapy and dozens of units of blood and platelets during that time.  It wasn’t if I would receive that dreaded call, but when.  In 2009 I chose to put my camera down.  Why?  Because in Arizona cell phone signals aren’t always the best.  I didn’t want to be somewhere and not get the call to get on a plane.

It was 10:52 a.m. when my phone rang at work and it was my sister.  I thought she was calling to tell me she had a new grandchild.  The tone of her voice told me it wasn’t going to be a good conversation.  They were at the hospital with my dad and it didn’t look good.  I immediately left work and went home to try to get on a plane.  Th midwest was having a blizzard and my chances of getting on a flight were unknown.  I had all of my dad’s photos of when he was young so I had to take them with me.  I had been mentally preparing for this day and had the photos ready.

Upon arriving at the airport it was announced my flight was under a weather alert.  I checked in and went to the gate and waited.  During my trip to the airport and while waiting at the gate I had many phone calls with my sister.  My nephew would be picking me up at the airport and taking me at least halfway to my hometown.  My sister and I had just hung up from one of our calls and my phone rang again.  It was my sister again and I thought she must have hit redial by accident.  It was the final call, dad was gone.  In all of my mental preparation, it never occurred to me I would be sitting in an airport alone when that call would come.  All I could do was try to hold it together as I had several calls to make.  The first to my husband who was still driving home from dropping me off at the airport.  After several calls I had to turn my phone off.  I just needed a few minutes of peace.

My flight wasn’t cancelled and when arriving it was barely double digit temperatures, snowing and quite windy.  My nephew had his truck warm and the seat warmer turned on for me.  Blizzard conditions and I didn’t even have a coat.  We drove about halfway home and my brother and sister-in-law met us to take me the rest of the way home.

The next several days there were many arrangements and decisions to make.  During this whole time my brother, sister and I never argued.  So many siblings argue at a time like this, but not us.

It was very cold that week as is typical for winter in the Midwest.  One day one of my aunt’s mentioned how I seemed to be handling the cold well.  I replied, “You know, you seem to have forgotten I grew up here and this is nothing I haven’t experienced before.”  We laughed about it.  The next day it was time for me to head back to my home in Arizona.  Another blizzard  and unknown if my flight would take off.  It did, after the plane was de-iced twice!

My birthday and my dad’s birthday were just three days apart.  Some year’s my birthday falls on Father’s Day.  Those days will never be the same.

It was now time to pick up my camera again.  My photography journey would start in Maine.  And what a journey it has been!

Inmemory