Greg McCown

My favorite Tucson photos of 2011!

It took me quite a bit longer than I thought to narrow this list down. It helped when I decided to not have any people photos. I don't like taking pictures of people that much anyway, but having kids my wife frequently makes me. I then eliminated any photos that were taken more than one hour from Tucson. I originally wanted a top 10, but I couldn't decide which two to eliminate. I decided that an even dozen should be appropriate. According to my wife I take way too many pictures. I count only 25,173 photos that I've kept from 2011. On average, I delete 80-90 percent of the photos I take. If I take the lower of that range it means I took about 125,000 photographs for the year. Several years ago I would have agreed with my wife. Now I think that's about right or maybe even a little low. Funny how our opinions change.

These are not in any kind of order but I would like to know which is your favorite.

Orange Rays - Taken August 17th, 2011 on the far northeast side of Tucson. I've never seen rays shoot across the sky like they did this night. It was absolutely incredible but only lasted about 20 seconds.

Aravaipa Canyon - Taken June 17th, 2011. I never knew this canyon existed until a friend mentioned it in March of 2011. After two visits this year to this somewhat isolated area, it's already become one of my favorite spots in all of Arizona. Red canyon walls covered with saguaros stand high above the lower canyon with lots of beautiful trees and a river that runs year round. It is twelve and a half miles long and has many side canyons. Permits are required to visit this area and the number of visitors is limited to 50 per day.

Peaking Out - Taken December 2nd, 2011 in Catalina State Park on the northwest side of Tucson. After a morning of showing homes in Oro Valley I decided to visit Catalina State Park. Over 30 years of living in Tucson and I'd never been there. It's not very big, mostly a lot of hiking trails heading up into the Catalina Mountains. It did have some nice fall colors but the low hanging clouds hanging on the mountains were what really caught my eye. Many of the peaks were jutting up through the clouds just perfectly.

Seven Falls - Taken 12-29-2011. Seven Falls is located up Bear Canyon in the Catalina Mountains on the north side of Tucson. It's a 7.8 mile hike round trip from the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. It only runs during the rainy season and when the snow melts. The rocks in this area are slick so please be careful. There actually are seven waterfalls in a row as it comes down the canyon. This one is near the bottom.

Fall Colors in Tucson - Taken November 16th, 2011 at the top of Mount Lemmon. Most of the fall colors had already faded, but this one stand on Aspens was still holding on to that beautiful yellow. Arizona is now real well known for its fall colors but there are some areas that should be.

Sentinels of The Desert - Taken February 26th, 2011 in Saguaro National Park on the west side of Tucson, Arizona. I remember this vividly. My wife and kids were out of town visiting my in-laws for a few days. It started out early with me taking pictures of a spectacular sunrise in Saguaro National Park East. There are two Saguaro National Parks, one on the east side of Tucson and one on the west. They're actually quite different other than there are lots of......saguaros, of course. I was then busy working all day and all over town, showing houses. At about 5pm I was heading home when I remembered no one was there. Why go home and be alone with nothing but the television? So I turned around and headed out to Saguaro National Park West. I got there just in time as the sun was setting. This is just one of the photographs from this incredible evening. I was on such a high that, after sunset, I went to downtown Tucson and took some night shots.

I-10 Madness - Taken August 24th, 2011 at Vail Road and Interstate 10. At about 5:45 this afternoon an insane storm hit Tucson. Unfortunately, my son's school had a mandatory "if you want to play sports" thing. On the way there I was staring at a double rainbow with lightning flashing in the middle. The worst thing about being a father is that you have to show a good example and go to these things (and not complain about it...at least not in front of the kids). I guess doing the right thing was rewarded later this evening as a nice little storm was brewing down south in Vail. I couldn't find any decent saguaros, just a bunch of ugly ones. So I figured the freeway would make a decent foreground with all the light trails from the cars flying by.

The Doorway - Taken May 8th, 2011. Certain parts of downtown Tucson are known for their old world charm. The best of these neighborhoods were built prior to 1940 and still retain that classic feel. This doorway caught my eye while showing homes in one of these old neighborhoods.

Fall Reflections in Sabino Canyon - Taken October 29th, 2011. Sabino Canyon is the perfect outdoor getaway in Tucson. Beautiful canyon walls shoot up and water runs through the creek most of the year. It is heavily visited but with so much space you can still find an isolated area for yourself.

Desert Irony - Taken February 5th, 2011. Every three to four years it snows in Tucson creating a highly unusual scene. The cactus and desert vegetation take on the ususual snow-covered appearance and everyone picks up their camera. One has to get out early though. The snow is always gone by 10am if not sooner.

Blackett's Ridge - Taken August 10th, 2011. This ridge requires a fairly difficult hike. Leaving from Sabino Canyon Recreation area it's about 6.5 miles round trip and is quite steep rising high up for incredible views of Sabino Canyon, Bear Canyon and the City of Tucson.

The Ultimate Light Show - The most incredible lightning storm hit Tucson on the night of August 2nd, 2011. It started around 7pm and lasted the entire night. It was still going at 7am the next morning. This is a 2 minute exposure taken from the southeast side of Tucson looking out over Vail. Having lived in Tucson for over 30 years I've never seen a storm quite like it.

My passion for photography continues to grow. Thankfully I live in a beautiful area, abounding with photographic opportunities. Having grown up in Tucson, I am only now beginning to realize just how beautiful this place is.

Thank you for letting me share these photographs with you. Please let me know which one is your favorite and why.

If you're looking to buy or sell real estate in Tucson,

I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to show what I can

do for you.

Please call me at 520-907-6760.

Greg McCown

Century 21 1st American

(520) 907-6760

www.gregmccown.com

Tanque Verde Falls in Tucson, Arizona

Tanque Verde Falls is located east of Tucson, Arizona in an area known as Redington Pass. Located between the Catalina Mountains and the Rincon Mountains, Redington Pass is an outdoor paradise. It is one of the best areas around Tucson for off-roading and firearm activities. It is also a well known hiking destination. Keep in mind that if you expect to find water you will need to go during the rainy season or when the snow melts. This area dries up during other times of the year.

Lower Tanque Verde Falls

From Tanque Verde and Houghton on the east side of Tucson, go east 3 miles. Tanque Verde will then turn into Redington Road. Continue east for another three miles. Redington Road will cross a wash and start heading up the hill doing switchbacks. It will quickly turn into a dirt road at that point. Follow that road for another half mile to the first dirt parking area on the left. Park there and cross to the east side of the road where the trail begins. There are some danger signs saying that the rocks are slippery and people have died here. These are not to be taken lightly as the rocks are very slippery and there are some areas that most would consider quite dangerous. Granted most of the deaths have been due to a combination of intoxication and cliff jumping. If you are going to make this hike, please do be careful.

Please be advised that Pima County Sheriff's Department has stated that they will ticket anyone in the area removing clothing beyond the typical swimwear. Upper Tanque Verde Falls has been known for many years, even though it's not legal, as a clothing optional area. The hike described here is for Lower Tanque Verde Falls. I've never seen nudity in this area, but I've only been a few times.

The hike to Tanque Verde Falls is not very far, approximately 1.5 miles. But there is a lot of boulder scrambling which dramatically increases the difficulty and time it takes to do the hike. There are several smaller waterfalls along the way. The final waterfall drops about 50 feet into a very large swimming hole.

One of the smaller waterfalls on the way to Tanque Verde Falls

The Lower Tanque Verde Waterfall drops about 50 feet and has a huge swimming hole

If you're looking to buy or sell real estate in Tucson,

I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to show what I can

do for you.

Please call me at 520-907-6760.

Greg McCown

Century 21 1st American

(520) 907-6760

www.gregmccown.com

The Sunrise that got me in trouble

After dropping my son off to school this morning I noticed the sky beginning to take on a little color. I quickly headed up the mountain to one of my favorite spots. The sky was amazing, full of an array of colors and textures. It seemed to last quite a while as I was able to get a few different compositions in before it faded.

I was on such a high I decided to head further up the mountain to some small waterfalls that I was sure would still be running. After a short while (2 hours or so) I decided I'd better get back.

I had been just out of cell phone range so on the drive back I received several texts and a voicemail from my beautiful but rather angry wife. I was supposed to be watching my little son while she ran errands. She also needed my car to do so since her's was at the mechanic. Oops! I quickly called and apologized.

I would have used the excuse of how beautiful the sunrise and waterfalls were but she's heard that a few too many times. I'm taking just a moment to post this between helping her with whatever she needs.....that seems to work better than apologizing again and again.

If you're looking to buy or sell real estate in Tucson, I would love the opportunity to show what I can do for you.

Please call me at 520-907-6760.

Greg McCown

Century 21 1st American

(520) 907-6760

www.gregmccown.com

How to Photograph Waterfalls

Waterfalls are beautiful. There's just something magical about water falling over a cliff or group of rocks and spashing down. When I first began my photography obsession I tried taking pictures of waterfalls but they never turned out well at all. The pictures always turned out overexposed and didn't have that smooth motion that I had seen in other photographs of waterfalls.

There are some simple keys to getting great photographs of waterfalls. You do need a camera with at least some manual control though. The basic point and shoot cameras with no ability to control anything will not work. You will also need a tripod. Neutral density filters can also help but aren't necessary. I'll explain what they are in a minute.

In photographing waterfalls it is usually best to get low and somewhat close to the waterfall. This will make the waterfall appear larger.

1. Only shoot waterfalls on a cloudy day or when sunlight is not directly hitting anything in the shot.
2. Make sure it isn't windy.
3. Set up the camera on a tripod and compose the shot the way you think looks best.
4. You'll want at least a 1/4 second or longer shutter speed
5. Adjust the aperture and ISO to compensate for the shutter speed.
6. Set the timer on your camera and take the picture.

In most cases shooting on a cloudy day will be enough but if you still can't slow down the shutter speed enough without the picture turning completely white a neutral density filter can help. These come in two main types and for the most part are only available for the DSLR cameras. DSLR cameras are the one with the interchangeable lenses. Neutral density filters are like a sunglass lens. It darkens the light coming into the lens. One type screws onto the front of the lens and the other is like a piece of square plastic (actually resin or glass). There is an attachment that screws onto the front of the lens and then this square piece slides into the attachment.

The main thing is to get out there and practice. These same techniques can work very well with rough flowing rivers and ocean waves. Practice with anything from 1/6 second to even 30 second shutter speeds. I find that 1/4 second to 3 second shutter speeds produce the best results but that can vary depending on the waterfall and other factors.

If you're looking to buy or sell real estate in Tucson, I would love the opportunity to show what I can do for you.

Please call me at 520-907-6760.

Greg McCown

Century 21 1st American

(520) 907-6760

www.gregmccown.com

Bridal Wreath Falls

Obviously, Tucson is not well know for waterfalls. It's a desert and as such does not have a whole lot of water. But Tucson is surrounded by large mountains and during certain times of the year those mountains receive a lot of rain and snow. With the rain and snowmelt many of the canyons turn into rivers and the canyon walls turn into waterfalls.

Eric and Dave taking pictures of the main fall

Bridal Wreath Falls is quite a sight during these times. The main and first fall drops about 25 feet and is surrounded by granite boulders and saguaros. To the north of this main waterfall is a steep climb (using the roots of a large tree) up to the next level and many smaller waterfalls. It also has a spectacular view of the Tucson valley and the Catalina Mountains.

How to get there:

Bridal Wreath Falls is located just off the Douglas Spring Trail. The trail head begins at the eastern end of Speedway. The hike starts of level but quickly gets fairly steep as it winds up the foothills of the Rincon Mountains. This trail is heavily covered in large saguaros and has great views of the canyons and the city of Tucson the whole way. After 2.5 miles on the Douglas Spring Trail there is a trail marker stating 0.2 miles to the southeast for Bridal Wreath Falls.

Reminders:

• Bring plenty of water and sun protection
• Good shoes
• Be extremely careful on the rocks especially if you venture up to the second level. They are quite slick.
• Cell phone service is very spotty if you get a signal at all

Bridal Wreath Falls is a great hike with a beautiful destination.

Coming up.....How to Take Pictures of Waterfalls

If you're looking to buy or sell real estate in Tucson, I would love the opportunity to show what I can do for you.

Please call me at 520-907-6760.

Greg McCown

Century 21 1st American

(520) 907-6760

www.gregmccown.com