Stormchasing: A couple of more shots from Nebraska
One of my main goals when it comes to stormchasing, whether I take a big trip to Nebraska to do it or drive around finding the monsoons here in Arizona this summer, is to take photos that are as well composed as I can make them in whatever situation I find myself. I love looking at stormchasers’ photos from the midwest…tornadoes, lightning, wall clouds, scary stuff…but aside from a few guys that take their time when shooting (Dick McGowan, Mike Hollingshead), most of them are hurried shots without much thought of framing a nice scene. My stormchasing experience is very [...]
Stormchasing: Hail core dump
I had planned a 4-day stormchasing extravaganza this spring, but the way things worked out, it ended up being a one-day blitzkrieg on Saturday up to Nebraska to photograph whatever I could in a short amount of time. Part of me wishes I lived around this weather so I could photograph it more often…and the other side of me, after seeing the craziness of the clouds and weather…am just fine living in Arizona *grin* This is one of the shots from the day. A hail core being dumped north of Mullen, Nebraska. It had multiple tornadic signatures on it, but [...]
Photoshoot: Tony and Kathy
I’ve been friends with Kathy for quite a long time from back in the days when she worked with my wife. She’s been a fantastic friend to us and has babysat our little girl more times than I can remember. My wife is going to be her maid of honor in the upcoming wedding. Speaking of weddings, Kathy and her fiance Tony asked me to take some engagement photos for them and I was so glad to be able to help out. They are a fun, goofy couple, always making faces, trying to get the other one to laugh and [...]
Storms over northern Arizona
Yet another shot from my trip up to Northern Arizona and the Grand Falls. This was along the dirt road leading to the Falls. The skies…such amazing sunlight streaming through the clouds, it was hard not to stop every 100 feet to snap another photo. Along the the clouds, I liked the bushes in the foreground that had some tall little reed-like brushes at the top. It may be hard to see in the photo, but they were kind of ablaze from the sunlight and a great contrast with the dark skies.
An old water trough
Just another random find along the way to Grand Falls. This appeared to be a makeshift water trough for cattle I believe, but it was awesomely rusted and decorated with some great graffiti. Loved the look of it against the stormy skies.
Photoshoot: Kodie’s birthday
I was invited to help celebrate Kodie’s 15th birthday by taking photos of the big event for her and her parents, and it was such a fun time. The theme was Hawaiian Luau and it was basically a pool party with lots of great food. The pulled pork was to die for, so grateful I was able to eat one, two or three (or more) of those little sandwiches *grin* Thanks to Kodie and her fam for letting me take some pictures, hope they help you remember the big day for years to come!
The mattress
This was another spectacle on my drive to Grand Falls that caused me to flip the car around and head back to the side of the road. Where did it come from? Did someone toss it to the side of the road whilst moving at 80 mph? Did it just blow in from the land to the left of the road, where nothing existed? How long has it been there and no one taken it down? You’d think a police officer or national forest ranger would make it a point to remove this unsightly obstruction. I’m glad they didn’t. I [...]
A blessed little tree
I’m not sure how to describe or talk about this photo. I was driving to Grand Falls and the sunlight was really streaming down through the clouds like some archangel was descending in a rage of glory. I saw only two trees on the 10 mile dirt road and this was one of them (if you can call that thing a tree…but it was the closest thing to one anywhere around). I was eying it from about a quarter mile away because it clearly visible sitting atop this little hill. As I got closer, it was just magic that somehow [...]
Photoshoot: Seth, Lisa, Abby and Logan
Monday evening I had the awesome pleasure of photographing this wonderful little family. Parents Seth and Lisa along with cute little Abby and wide-eyed Logan needed some family photos so we headed to downtown Chandler to walk around and hopefully make a few memories. The evening was perfect…a little breezy, but the overcast skies made for some great lighting and cooler weather. I love downtown Chandler, there are so many cool little spots and old buildings that help create some nice backgrounds. I loved the two kids and even got to hold Logan for a little bit at the beginning…he [...]
The big skies of northern Arizona
The way to Grand Falls goes through some of the more interesting and beautiful places I’ve seen in Arizona. This mountain is part of a large group of dormant volcanoes that reside in northern Arizona. The land is full of low bushes and trees are a rarity. It made for some astounding looking mountains and hills…treeless, smooth and golden…toss in an amazing looking sky with awesome clouds and I couldn’t resist pulling the car over to take this shot.
Mike is a Phoenix Wedding Photographer based in Arizona and can be contacted via all the normal methods and then some.