Backcountry Photography

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-26T23:33:00.001-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Prickly silhouettes.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-22T23:12:00.001-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-21T14:02:00.001-07:00

Sunset at Saguaro National Park.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-20T08:13:00.001-07:00

Still obsessed with that novel foggy morning thing.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-18T14:48:00.002-07:00

We have had the weirdest weather lately. Rain for two days straight and a morning of fog. You would think we were somewhere near an ocean and not in the middle of a desert.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

PHOTO CREDITS

2011-12-13T23:30:00.003-07:00

As I'm sure you may have noticed, I've been away from the blog for a bit. I've been madly working my little fingers to the bone.

Season 3 of Meteorite Men began airing on November 28. In addition to getting ready for that event, there were a few trips out of town, promotional work and taking the photos for and helping to build a whole new website. BUT, the good news is that there has been much publication of my photos as a result.

Here are some of the locations where my photos have been featured recently:

Meteorite Men season 3. Some of those stills they flash to during the show are mine. Yay!

One of my favorite parts about being on location of Meteorite Men this year was the opportunity to meet cartoonist Lucas Turnbloom who writes the Imagine This comic strip. He joined us on one of the expeditions and we got to spend some time with him. I loved every minute of it. What a wonderful guy. He recently published a 2 week run featuring the Meteorite Men as well as a blog post about his adventures. His blog features a few of my photos.

The entirely new and fabulous website Meteorites.co. 99% of the photos for both the "finest meteorites in the world" and the Notkin Collection are mine.

The new product photos on the Aerolite Meteorites website.

The article by Denise Chow on Space.com, "Hunting for Space Rocks: Q&A with Geoff Notkin of 'Meteorite Men'" dated November 28, 2011.

The image album "Photos: Sneak Peek of "Meteorite Men" Season 3" on Space.com, dated November 28, 2011.

The blog post on Pillow Astronaut, Monday, November 28, 2011 "Meteorite Men". (Which I personally thought was a hysterical post.)

The post on TVOvermind, November 25, 2011 "Meteorite Men: Geoff Notkin Previews Season Three Premier" by Nightfly.

"Meet the Meteorite Men" in the Arizona State University printed journal, Source, by SESE; October 2011, page 12.

Two different photos were published in the book "Retired from Racing, not from Life", 2001, by True North Greyhounds. All proceeds go to greyhound rescue, so go buy a copy.

Celebrating Greyhounds 2012 calendar.

The event photographer for the Arizona Greyhound Rescue Fall Festival in November.

First prize in the Hope Animal Shelter Sleeping Beauty Photo Contest.

Two blog posts on the Four Legged Views blog; Wednesday October 5, 2011, "Day 5: This Might Be Kind of Scary" and Friday, October 7, 2011 "Day Seven "Here We Come""

On the wonderfully fabulous website Duck Bob Duck.

KGUN 9 TV show Tucson Morning Blend, photo of the day August 15, 2011

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-12-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-11-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-11-14T08:53:00.001-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-11-12T19:28:00.001-07:00

This delicate little eggshell is only about an inch tall. I found it just after I almost squashed it while walking through a field.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-11-11T08:17:00.001-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-11-04T21:07:00.002-07:00

A little variance in the typical photo scheme. I thought I would try this on in black and white, rather than my preferred bright colors and contrasts.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-11-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-11-02T08:07:00.002-07:00

Fun with water. Such a novel idea in Tucson.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-11-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

A very delicate balance indeed.

FINE ART PRINT

2011-10-31T09:35:00.004-07:00

While traveling this summer I snapped this photo, my latest fine art print, in Holbrook, Arizona. WOOT!

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-10-28T07:14:00.001-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-10-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-10-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-10-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-10-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Remembrance

2011-10-01T12:15:00.001-07:00

ETA - I wrote this last weekend as I sat in my hotel room and grieved at 3 in the morning. Today, 1 week later, is the funeral.

I learned the difference between killed and murdered yesterday. You would think that there isn’t one. A difference, that is, because the end result is the same. But there is a difference, and it’s more than just spelling and semantics.

It’s devastating when a friend passes away. Even more so when it is unexpected. I’ve experienced death in my life before. Mostly older relatives or friends that had lived good, full lives. At least that is what I tell myself to help with the pain and emptiness I feel when I think of them. When I do something or go somewhere and their ghost walks with me. They are remembered for their passions, how they changed my life, how they loved and were loved by me.

I have experienced a new and uglier side of death, the sudden and unfathomable loss of a friend my own age. I like it even less than the other deaths I’ve experienced on a ginormous scale. I’ve also learned an ugly truth, I wish would have never have come to light. The gaping difference between killed and murdered; and truthfully, I’ve never given it much thought. I haven’t needed to.

When you hear someone’s been killed you think of something accidental - a car accident. Murdered is an ugly word that seems to imply pre-meditation, some beast deliberately ending a life. Yet at the end, no matter the semantics and differences in conjured feelings, the results are just the same - that person is no longer a light in your life.

I have a group of friends that gets together as often as possible, which unfortunately, is not as often as we would all like. We attended the same high school. I went away for college and being the worst person at keeping in touch, fell out of communication with these people who had such a big impact on who I am today.

Through the scary power of facebook a little over a year ago, one of those friends contacted me. Though I had thought of her, I haven’t spoken with her since a few years after graduation. Not being much of a letter writer, (that’s right, pre-email) we had lost touch. 20 years later, I get a message on fb. Holy crap! A phone call immediately followed the message post and friend request. She lives in the same town we grew up in, and after moving back after being gone for 15 years, so do I. She suggests I friend another one of girls we used to hang with in high school. Again, holy crap! She still lives in Tucson as well.

We all meet for lunch for the first time in 22 years. I am nervous - how have they changed? Will I recognize them? Oh shit, they look so much older. Hang on, that means I do too. Gah! When did that happen? They’re different, but the same. These women with their adult lives, whom I remember as children, have children of their own. They run businesses, have their own houses and cars, and we spend hours sharing tragic and victorious stories spanning the past 2 decades.

Surprisingly, more of the high school pack start to join us. We meet as often as we can around our separate, individual lives and hectic schedules. Realizing those ties to the past are bonds that never broke, just stretched long and thin for 20 years. A birthday party here, a baby shower there. All of us didn’t always make it to each event. But that didn’t matter, we took what time we could and watched that bond snap back into place.

Yesterday one of these women, Misty Gale, was murdered by her boyfriend, who then took his own life. She had an angelic little girl late in life who is just getting ready to celebrate her first birthday and took her first 7 steps this week. She was an incredible woman.

The image of Misty that stays most in my mind is of her sitting across from me at my most recent birthday party, looking a bit tired but happy. Snuggling with and cooing to her little joy, Jady. Being patient with all of us as we greedily stole this cherub from her arms and passed her from one lap to another. Until she got to me and started to make strangled cries and was promptly handed back.

Misty’s life was ended far to abruptly by this beautiful girl’s father. I am having a difficult time figuring out how something so beautiful could come from someone so ugly. Then I remembered she is half Misty and the mystery is solved. Apparently the dominant gene is defiantly present here.

I found out when I woke up yesterday morning and had text messages and phone calls. I called one of my friends, Heather. “There was a report of a murder/suicide last night on the east side of town. Suzanne, it was Misty. Thad killed her.”

Denial. “Please tell me the news was wrong. They misidentified the people and got the wrong name.” “Sorry, no. Misty was murdered last night. Jady was there at the time but is fine. The police took her out of the house and she is with Misty’s family now.”

I’m traveling for work and run down to the hotel lobby to check the internet; something about not believing it until I saw it in print, though I knew Heather was telling the truth. And there it is in black and white.

Stunned acceptance. Rapidly followed by breaking down in the hotel lobby and bolting off to my room to cry without the breakfast crowd’s looks of confusion and my traveling companions’ looks of concern. A flurry of phone calls and texts between these women who have grown to mean so much to me, in spite, and most likely because of, the years we were living our separate lives.

Confusion and disbelief. There was nothing leading up to this event that indicated there were severe problems between them. Warning signs you think would have come first; complaints, restraining orders, fighting. It’s just not possible, how could this happen?

And a lot of anger.

So the difference between killed and murdered? Killed implies an accident. You think and hear the people at the funeral in the pew behind you “What a shame. This person was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing could have been done.” And, you are angry with the general universe. Murdered – deliberate and unfathomable. Unacceptable.

Misty, I want you to know you will always be remembered; for your fierce competitiveness, your exuberant joy over your little girl, your wicked and wry sense of humor. I hope you are watching that angel girl of yours. And know, at the next get together, there will be an empty seat for you.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Lots and lots of rain in the Old Pueblo lately. Yay!

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Tasty.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-12T06:55:00.002-07:00

Barrel cactus flower after a monsoon.

911 REMEMBERED

2011-09-11T07:25:00.003-07:00

Ground Zero October 2010. We stopped on our cross country trip. Even 9 years later it was still an eerie and devastating scene. A gaping chasm of open space. Filled with the emotions of the people viewing the site from the repaired building across the street. Individuals from all over the world speaking a myriad of languages, with one thing in common, when they spoke, they all spoke through tears.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

I could go for a vacation to the beach right about now.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

The White Dove of the Desert.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-09-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-30T09:59:00.001-07:00

Darn good security system.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Looks deceptively soft, doesn't it?

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-25T08:23:00.001-07:00

Fun with sparklers. Happy birthday Katherine!

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

Dry dock.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

A fantastic metal sculpture in downtown Tucson. And a duck.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-19T06:56:00.002-07:00

The biking path along the Rillito River (actually a dry wash most of the year) in Tucson during a monsoon storm.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-17T13:12:00.002-07:00

Barrel cactus flower and guests.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

The beginning.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-15T07:28:00.001-07:00

A most excellent walk.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-14T11:04:00.001-07:00

A bit of contrast.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-12T06:48:00.001-07:00

Mammillaria cactus flowers.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Barrel Cactus flower.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-08T08:46:00.001-07:00

The latest fine art print; details of a variegated Hohokum Agave.

MORE LIGHTNING FUN

2011-08-07T16:00:00.007-07:00

We had a fairly significant monsoon the other night. Some rain, lots of thunder and lightning. Perfect for photo taking. These were all taken from my backyard. Once the rain stopped there were a few taken from my roof. I played with them just a bit in Photoshop, something I typically don't do. My favorite is the bottom photo where you can see the drops of water coming off my roof frozen in time.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-05T19:58:00.001-07:00

A delicate purple flower near Flagstaff, Arizona. If my car hadn't of broken down I would never have had the time to shoot photos while waiting for the tow truck and this photo would never have been.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-03T21:37:00.001-07:00

Fun with lightning.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-08-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

Ceiling in the LA Biltmore.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

Dinner.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

History lesson.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Feels like home.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Makes you wonder what they are discussing.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-25T20:47:00.002-07:00

What dreams are made of.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-21T06:45:00.001-07:00

Lots of monsoon clouds in Southern Arizona lately.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

Fun with lines and a cool dragon.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-07-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-06-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-06-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

Wistful.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-06-08T08:25:00.001-07:00

A M.C. Escher-esque staircase in Texas.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-06-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-06-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-06-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

Biltmore Hotel in LA.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

Details of Grauman's Chinese Theater.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-27T06:03:00.001-07:00

End of day.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-25T06:50:00.001-07:00

Godzilla and the Empire State Building only in miniature.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-22T10:53:00.002-07:00

I'm a big sucker for a great sunset.

SEIZE THE LEASH

2011-05-21T20:39:00.010-07:00

I had the wonderful opportunity today to visit the new and wicked cool digs of my friends over at Seize the Leash. They have recently set up an agility course in their new location. Today's class featured 6 cute dogs that had a great time playing, working and building confidence by trying and conquering new situations. Best of all I got to hang out with a Whippet. I wanted to say a mini-greyhound, but when you look at it from his point of view, a greyhound could be an over-sized Whippet. He was adorable. As were the other dogs in class, including two ;lovely TBDs (Tucson Brown Dogs) and a deaf boxer. I, of course, had my camera out, since I was dogless and spent my time chasing the class participants over the course. I will tell you, I am really looking forward to bringing the girls over to try out all the equipment.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-20T08:12:00.001-07:00

Details of Grauman's Chinese Theater.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-18T12:26:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles Biltmore decorative ceiling.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Malibu, CA.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-15T07:39:00.002-07:00

'Cuz really, how much fun is that?

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-14T09:34:00.001-07:00

The guard at the LA Biltmore.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-11T09:20:00.001-07:00

Down the up staircase.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-10T09:24:00.001-07:00

Up the down staircase.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-09T07:53:00.002-07:00

The lovely Beachcomber restaurant in Malibu. Mmmmm, tasty. It was too cold to eat outside, but we ended up with a fantastic booth overlooking the water.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-08T07:12:00.003-07:00

While in California last month I had the opportunity to stay at the Los Angeles Biltmore in downtown LA. HOLY COW! That place is a piece of art. Every step you take there is a new archway, mural, filigree, column, chandelier, passageway. Marble tile flooring. Stunning paintings. Detailed ceilings. Impressive woodwork. The building is just gorgeous. We walked in the lobby and I came to a screeching halt.

A little chain reaction formed. My sister bumped into me. "Bubba, the front desk is a little further." My niece, ever so graceful, side-stepped both of us. The bellman thankfully was lagging a bit behind and managed to bring the luggage trolley to a stop just before clipping any heels.

"I have to get my camera out." I whispered as I turned to accost the bellman with our mountain of bags on the bowing trolley.

"Can you please wait until we are checked in?" I wasn't sure if I picked up a hint of mortification at my gaping or exhaustion from the 11 hour travel day. I waffled between pressing forward and returning to get my camera bag before caving in and heading to the puzzled woman at the front desk. See this is what happens when I put my camera away.

I was as antsy as a kid in line for a carnival ride, but I managed to wait until we and our luggage had been ushered to our room before grabbing my camera and heading right back our to explore.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-05-07T12:53:00.001-07:00

Enjoying the ocean even though it was freezing.

PHOTO FOR THE DAY

2011-04-28T08:53:00.003-07:00

The Aerolite team recently traveled to California to participate in Reality Rocks. Geoff was asked to speak on 2 different panels and we had a booth set up with meteorites available for sale. Though there was a disappointing turn out, we still had a great time. One of the best days of the whole trip was spent with the Field Producer of Meteorite Men, Sonya, who was the ultimate tour guide. Our stop at The Grove Marketplace wrapped up a long day filled with an impossible amount of sight seeing.

TUCSON BALLET

2011-04-24T19:04:00.004-07:00

Today I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Tucson Ballet's production of Swan Lake. I'm not much of a ballet connoisseur; having attended exactly one other time before today. I accompanied my Aunt, who is visiting from out of state, and my Mom as a celebration of my Mom's birthday (70th. And she's going to be totally annoyed I put that in here for all the interwebs to see. Hi Mom!) and the visit of my Aunt. We also chose to go because a friend of mine, Libby, is one of the dancers.

It was fantastic! Absolutely everything, from the stage dressings, costumes, music and, of course, the dancers, was perfect. All that power displayed so gracefully. Though I must admit I spent a good portion of my energy furiously searching the dancers to determine which one of the swans was Libby, who, once I would blink, would be mixed among them and autonomous once again. I would follow her progress for as long as possible, before I was distracted by an incredible lift, impossibly long leap, or the swirl of dancers. Libby of everyday life is pretty casual, fairly soft spoken, even, if you will, a bit unassuming in that she is just a normal person going through a normal life. But not so much really. Libby on stage simply transforms. She radiates grace and power. It is an incredible thing to behold. I now know what they mean when they say "stage presence". She has it by the bucketful.

We weren't allowed to take photos during the performance, so I have no images of today's festivities. I do however, have a couple of photos of Libby humoring me ("No, a little more up. A bit more to the left. Perfect, don't move. Hold it. Keep going...") during a break in working on the Meteorite Men Kansas (season 2) shoot last year. Anyone who can hold a pose like that without stretching and without falling over while wearing unwieldy hiking boots, deserves mad props.