Robert Thoresen
Valley of Fire State Park, located near the northern arm of Lake Meade, is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park. Ancient petrified trees, sandstone formations and early man petroglyphs are presented throughout the park. Jeff and his wife made an extended weekend visit to the park in the early spring of 2013. The area is perfect for photography during early spring and late fall (summer temperatures reach 120 F). After shooting at dawn, Jeff took a break and came across a stretch of curvy road. Since there was no traffic, Jeff went to the middle of the road, laid down prone and captured the park’s solitude. The result was a first place finish for May’s curves competition theme. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, f/18, 1/15 sec, ISO 100, fl 75mm, Aperture 4.625, no flash
On the second floor of the Desert View Watchtower, located at the eastern entrance of the Grand Canyon’s southern rim, there is a specular view upward that Helen Phillips took for her Desert View Spiral second place finish. Helen took a suggestion from another photographer to make the shot work. A display case at floor level made it difficult to get an appropriate angle to take the picture. It was suggested that she might want to place the back of the camera at the center of the display case and pushed the shutter button. Success! We can all learn from each other. Canon Power Shot SX30 IS, f/2.7, ½ sec, ISO 200, fl 4mm, Aperture 2.875, no flash.
The club’s field trip to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens in February focused on the Chihuly exhibit. Club publicist Robert Thoresen received the judges’ third place finish with Blue Chihuly. The image was taken near dusk with accent provided by some installed garden floodlights. The sculpture at this perspective was well framed by cactus and mesquite. Robert took about a dozen pictures of Blue Flori Sun at both dusk and sunrise. The much awaited sunrise was a bust; a very overcast morning. Phoenix sunsets and sunrises just don’t compare to those in Tucson. Nikon E4800, f/2.9, 1/109 sec, ISO 50, fl 8mm, Aperture2.9, no flash.
The Photography Club of Quail Creek has a monthly photo contest for its members and also schedules numerous photo field trips throughout the year. Monthly meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month in the Gold Room of the Madera Clubhouse. Guests and those interested in joining the club are encouraged to attend. Also consult the club’s constantly updated website http://www.pcqc.org for additional information.