Finally, the monsoon arrives

TIMELAPSE VIDEO – First “Monsoon Season” afternoon in Tucson

Learning how to use your camera will save time

…though you might miss great moments like this.

Philip Bloom’s Las Vegas HDR photography timelapse

To see how Photographer/Filmmaker Philip Bloom did it – CLICK HERE

Tucson Weather – We love all five seasons

These are a few of our “Tucson Weather” photos taken over the last couple of years. Tucson is an amazing place to see sunsets, sunrises, monsoon storms, lightning and cloud formations. Did you know there are five seasons here? We hope you enjoy the video.

Music courtesy of Rumblefish Music Licensing Store.
Song:  Head in the Clouds
Artist:  Robot Lunch Break
Album:  Robot Lunch Break

Southwest Wing’s Birding and Nature Festival in Sierra Vista Aug 5 -9

Summer monsoon rain in Sierra Vista Canyons

The 18th Annual Southwest Wing’s Birding and Nature Festival will be held at the Windemere Hotel in Sierra Vista in Cochise County, Arizona.

The San Pedro Valley offers wonderful opportunities for bird watching. You can find good viewing at Sawmill Huachuca, The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Ramsey Canyon and other canyons including Ash, Carr and Miller Canyons. The Huachuca Audubon Society offer excellent information on birding.

There are some great little B&B’s and cabins in Sierra Visita. Take an extra day and be sure to visit the historic Fort Huachuca Historical Museum.

For more information on Sierra Vista, Arizona, VisitCochiseCounty.com (and view our slideshow of Sierra Vista).

View our photos on ArizonaPhotographer.com and TucsonPhoto.us

Our antique camera collection

It is difficult to give people a long  URL, or web address, when we tell them where to find our photographs. So, we use “domain forwards” to send people to our images. For instance, it is alot easier to tell people to go to TucsonPhoto.us to see a photo, as opposed to www.flickr.com/photos/searchnetmedia. The latter is too hard to remember. TucsonPhoto.us is easy.

So, you can view our weekly uploaded photographs on ArizonaPhotographer.com and TucsonPhoto.us (both easy to remember, huh?).

Thank you viewers!

Santa Cruz Valley folks seek reform of nation’s 1872 mining law

The Sahuarita Sun reports, “Sahuarita has seat at Washington talks on mines”, and that “Farmers Investment Co. owners Dick Walden (Waldens own 5,000 acres of pecan groves) and Nan Stockholm Walden of Sahuarita and two other local activists attended the hearing and presented senators with an inch-thick set of documents on the proposed Rosemont Copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains titled, “An Example of the Devastating Impacts of an Antiquated Law in One of the Most Scenic Areas of Arizona.”

Murray Bolesta photo of proposed mine site

The Sun further stated, “Senators were given a 2008 letter from the Arizona Game and Fish Department to the Forest Service says the mine would virtually destroy wildlife habitat in the northern Santa Rita Mountains, and could jeopardize groundwater supplies in the Santa Cruz Valley for decades.”

Photographs of the of Santa Rita Mountains by Santa Cruz Valley’s own, Murray Bolesta of CactusHuggers Gallery in Tubac, were used as part of effort at US Senate on Tuesday to confront US mining law and the Rosemont situation.

Nice shootin’, Murray!

For more information visit these sites:

US Senate link on issue
Save the Scenic Santa Ritas (SSSR)
Sky Island Alliance
CactusHuggers Photography
Image used with permisson.

Arizona Photographers – Moonlight Photo Safari in Southern AZ

Pygmy-Owl in Southern Arizona

Southern Arizona Moonlight Photo Safari – Photography, food , and overnight fun.

Mark your calendar for October 3 & 4. Enjoy comfortable indoor accomodations, delicious meals and Cactus Hugger’s Gallery Murray Bolesta slideshows, photo tips, handouts, bad puns, & undivided attention!

To benefit the Friends of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge – (click for pics of facilities) and in association with Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge “foto fandango” including evening & morning canyon forays and full-moon night photography at the fabulous Brown Canyon Education Center in the shadow of sacred Baboquivari Peak (just west of awesome Arivaca) bring your camera or come with a guitar and harmonica, and just enjoy!

For information on Southern AZ, visit DiscoverSouthernArizona.com.

Tucson pursues the silent movie industry

Inside Tucson Business reports, “Is it lights out for Tucson film?”

I don’t think any Tucsonans would be surprised about this. Many businesses and industries have left Tucson, and continue to leave. It would be helpful if Tucson’s city leadership examined why businesses and industries are leaving and why they can not be retained. Here are some interesting quotes from the article:

“The reason that New Mexico is getting the business is because of their attractive film incentives, it can’t be understated,” said Albuquerque film liaison Ann Learner.

“Take away the tax incentives and you all but take away the attention film producers lay to what the state has to offer, said Randy Murry, head of Randy Murry Productions. His company received such a credit for shooting parts of a BBC docudrama series in Arizona.”

Speaking of movies…”Anyone? Anyone? Tax incentives?”  I feel like Ben Stein in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.