Tyler Gates: One of Them Creative Types

Gertz Engagement Photos

2012-01-23T21:19:00.000-08:00

This past summer I had the pleasure of going to Banff to shoot some lovely engagement photos of some of my best friends. Here are a few of my favorites.

Enjoy

Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Sorry Folks

2011-10-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

It has been far too long since I've updated anything on here. Getting into the swing of a new job, a new house, making new friends and somehow fitting in time in the outdoors has squeezed photography into my periphery. The good news is that it's back! Even though I wasn't doing much with them, I've continued to shoot and more importantly enjoy the outdoors here in the Pacific Northwest. I've also been fortunate enough to spend some time along the coast in Nor Cal, in the Canadian Rockies outside of Banff, and even some time back East down at the shore. Now back to the bad news, my computer is hitting the fan. Which obviously happened right as I was getting back into the swing of editing and reveling in photography. As you read this I'm waiting for a new battery and then it's back in business! In the mean time enjoy this photo I took on a recent climbing trip in the Enchantment Lakes Zone of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the Central Cascades of Washington. More to come.

Enjoy,

Tyler Gates

Good Life Photography

Dragontail Peak and Asgard Pass at Sunrise

Trees in the Clouds

2011-06-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

Creek

2011-06-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting a bit with black & white. Although this is a digital conversion, I've been thinking about getting some B&W film for my old 120 camera. With a little bit of equipment and chemicals I could start developing my own film again and scanning the negs. There's something about pinning all your hopes and ideas onto the right mixture of solutions. It's like magic, loading film in the dark and pulling wet images out of a canister a half hour later.

Desolate

2011-06-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

I recently had two days off, after working a solid 9 day stint. I knew I had to get into the outdoors, and fast. I had loosely planned a trip to the Mt St Helen's National Monument and the surrounding Gifford Pinchot National Forest. I had decided on my adventure being in the Northwest corner of the park, in the Coldwater Lake area. It was close to Olympia, seemed remote enough to not warrant many crowds, and bordered on National Forest land(free dispersed camping!) I arrived Thursday morning to discover many things, two of the most important being that the forest land in that part of the park is maintained by Weyerhauser and therefore doesn't allow camping, and that all of the Monument's back country sites were all well under snow and down officially closed trails. Devastating. My closest camping option was a state park about 45 minutes back where I came from. On top of this the mountains were covered with quickly moving storms that brought downpours, sunshine, and repeat. Being pretty bummed out, I rationally decided to drive 2 hours to Mt Rainier National Park. If I was going to pay for camping, it might as well be somewhere awesome, not some lame state park near a popular lake for boating. Before taking off I of course checked out a few of the shorter trails, and snapped a few photos. This little gem is of an area that has been left off limits to people since the blast, so that we can study the land as it recovers on its own.

Enjoy
-Tyler Gates
Good life Photography

This is what life is for

2011-06-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

George Mallory Said It Best

2011-06-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

"What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.”

This was part of George Mallory's many responses to the question of "why climb everest?" I hope it inspires you as much as it does me.

Joshua Tree National Park

2011-06-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

It's not all about the trees.

Indian Creek Utah

2011-06-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Indian Creek National Recreation Area is a rock climber's wet dream. The canyon walls surrounding Indian Creek rise up from the ground on all horizons like looming monuments. It is a sight that is unbelievable until you've been on the walls. Hiking up the talus slopes puts you at the base of innumerable cracks that seem to go on forever into the sky. Climber or not, if you've never been there, I highly suggest you put it on your list. At the Southeast corner of the Utah's Canyonlands National Park, it is only about an hour South of Moab and extremely accessible. Get there.

Oak Creek Canyon

2011-06-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

Like A Dream

2011-06-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

Although I've wanted to live out West for as long as I can remember, it was a trip to the Grand Canyon that really gave me the kick in the butt to get out here. Even with all the crowds and buses right along the South Rim of the National Park, it is still magical. There is nothing like watching the sunset over the Canyon. It's an entire education on light in about a 45 minute period.

This was a quick snap I made as we were running to catch the sunset. It's also one of my favorite shots of the Grand Canyon, despite the lack of canyon in the frame.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Reflections

2011-06-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

For a long time now, my eye has been drawn to reflections. There's something so natural and yet alien to reflections, a sort of natural photo manipulation. When they're photographed they usually cause the viewer to pause. The image looks normal, and yet there is something that makes you look at it for a second longer. I stumbled upon this beauty when I started shooting underwater. I used the premise for my senior thesis in art school, and my eye has been drawn to it ever since. Some of the images can be seen here.

Santa Catalina Mountains

2011-06-02T21:03:00.001-07:00

This is my old backyard. I'll always remember the canyons, pinnacles, saguaro forests, and the miles and miles of rocky unforgiving mind blowingly beautiful trail.

Gates' Pass

2011-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't really been doing anything with my photography over this past year, I've been really enjoying shooting with my old Ansco Ventura. The camera is from the early 1950's, is completely manual, shoots 120 medium format film, and folds up to fit in my pocket. I love it. In Arizona I probably shot about 10 rolls of film, and scanned the best out of most of them yesterday. Since moving, I've shot about 6, now I just need to get them developed. There will be more of these coming soon.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Above the trees

2011-05-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

In an avalanche chute on Mt Ellinore, in the Olympic Mountains. If you're interested in details of the climb check out here.

More Trees

2011-05-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

I've apparently been really drawn to the trees out here. Something about their dense vertical lines, and the stark contrast of light and shadow, just pulls me in. Maybe it was the year and a half I spent in the desert. Either way...

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Reflections

2011-05-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

not photoshopped

Welcome to the rainforest.

2011-05-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

The Chandelier Tree

2011-05-18T14:21:00.001-07:00

Quite the tourist trap, but still a must see. There are several of these giants in California that have carved out for travelers to drive through. I have to admit I've been to this one twice. I'm not sure what the allure is. I feel like it's one more chance for us to assert our assumed dominance over mother nature. I do know that as an East coaster, I will never get tired of seeing nature in truly massive scale.

San Fran

2011-04-29T21:30:00.001-07:00

Yosemite

2011-04-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

On the Road Again

2011-04-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

So we're on the road again. We left Tucson behind and we're on our way to Olympia, Washington. Although we will definitely miss Tucson and all the wonderful people that welcomed us into their lives there, we are really excited for Olympia. Goodbye sunshine, hello green-ness!

We packed our whole life back in my Jetta and hit the road at dawn on our way to Yosemite National Park. Before I was a climber I dreamed of seeing Yosemite, now that I'm involved in climbing, it's like the Promised Land for me. Due to our time frame we only had a day to stay in Yosemite, so this was just a taste for me. Our friends drove from San Francisco to meet us for camping and hiking, before we all headed back to San Fran. All I can say is that I can't wait to go back.

Many, many photos to come soon, so keep checking back!

-Tyler

Mini-Micro-Adventure

2011-03-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

So I've been following a blog by a man called Alstair Humphrey, in London. He's been involved with several long distance adventures through Europe and Asia, now back in London he has dedicated this year to the "Micro-Adventure," reasonable adventures close to home that anyone can get into. Well in that spirit I've been trying to up my single day adventures, longer day hikes, adventuring off the main trail on my mountain bike, and the like. Yesterday I decided to link up a few dirt trails between my apartment and work, turning my 8.25 mile commute into 10.9 miles.Well little did I know, but my adventure was about to get more interesting. I broke the 15mmQR to 9mmQR adapter on my front wheel, something I need to order to replace. Either way I ended up deciding to run home. I followed the Rillito River trail and then headed up Swan. It was a lot of fun running through the night in a bubble of light from my bike's headlamp. This adds one more night time adventure to climbing at mid-night in Cochise Stronghold a few weeks ago. I'm on my way to a 36 hour epic mountain climb.

Goodbye Tucson

2011-03-24T23:46:00.000-07:00

So if any of you actually follow this blog regularly, you may have noticed a severe lack of posts, and I apologize. Although there isn't any real excuse, I've just been really lazy with my photography, I will blame it on the fact that two weeks ago I found out that I'll be moving two weeks from now. I am leaving the desert for the complete opposite, the rain forest of the Pacific Northwest and the Puget Sound. Conveniently I also had a reason/excuse to go through a lot of my images, including a few rolls of film that I hadn't done anything with. Anywho, enjoy this scan, shot at the Grand Canyon. Being a half day's drive from the Grand Canyon is definitely amazing, and although I'm bummed that I still have never been down the the bottom of it, the list of things I'd like to do in the Southwest is too long to get bothered too much by any one thing.

My new life resolution is to be more active with my photography and therefore this blog. I've let photography slip into the periphery of my life, and that needs to change.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Christmas in Sedona

2011-02-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

So I spent the 4 days around Christmas this year camping and mountain biking around Sedona, Arizona. If you've never been there, words can't describe the spectacular beauty of the place. The contrast of red and white rock, against the green conifers turns every view into an aesthetic dream. Fortunately the only things better than the view are the trails, so I didn't take too many photos. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

I'm in a slump

2011-01-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

I haven't been shooting much lately. Don't worry, I'm bummed about it to. After shooting and shooting and shooting and not doing much with it, I lost the motivation to carry all that gear around with me. I have been shooting a little bit of video and many crappy 5mp shots with my GoPro and cell phone cameras. Just trying to keep the eye sharp.

Keep checking back, hopefully there will be more soon. In the mean time some video can be seen here.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Happy Holidays!

2010-11-30T21:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Hanuhkah, Christmas, Kwanza, Winterfest, Festivus, or whatever you're celebrating this time of year! No matter what we're celebrating it seems to be the season for giving, and what would be better than an awesome print for your loved one? Any and all of my work is available for sale. So feel free to browse through my blog, my website, and especially my for sale page. If you see something you like just let me know. Prices vary depending on the image, size, and the finish you would prefer, but they're all very affordable.

I hope to hear from you soon and enjoy looking through my photos.

Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Tallest Man on Earth

2010-11-27T22:17:00.001-08:00

So it's been tough to think of what I could possibly follow the photos from NM with. I also haven't gotten a chance to go out and shoot anything since NM. However, with the holidays coming up I was searching through images to think of which ones will make good presents, and I stumbled across some photos I shot that never got posted. Quite awhile ago I was lucky enough to catch a performance by The Tallest Man on Earth at Club Congress, here in Tucson. If you're not familiar with the band, it is a single man from Sweden who has mastered an American art, country folk music. I fell in love with his music on our drive out to Tucson from the East and seeing him perform could have been the culmination of my time in Tucson, and I would've felt complete. I saw him perform a few days before shooting a wedding, so I had with me some higher end rented glass and tested the large aperture by shooting hand held in a dark club. They for the most part all looked the same, so here is just one.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates

Gila Wilderness: Gila Cliff Dwellings

2010-11-22T22:08:00.000-08:00

At the recommendation from a co-worker at REI we decided to check out the Gila Wilderness while on our trip to New Mexico. The Gila was first suggested because of what is supposed to be an amazing overnight hike that takes you to the Jordan Hot Springs along the Middle Fork of the Gila River that is right in the middle of it. We researched more about the hike and couldn't wait to do it. Then Emma hurt her back. We still decided to check out the area around the trail which included not only the Gila Cliff Dwellings, but also tons of free camping! It also boasted an awesome hour and a half long ride down a winding forest road to get there(a huge highlight for me, a downside to my motion sickness prone partner). Not doing the hike ended up being a good idea either way. With night temperatures close to single digits and a guarantee of getting wet from the many river crossings, it seemed best to stay at the campground. We instead took a day to tour the cliff dwellings and then explore the drier side of the West and Middle Fork rivers.

The best way to sum up our trip to the Gila is that I can't wait to go back.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

White Sands: Textures and Shapes

2010-11-20T18:14:00.001-08:00

White Sands: The Dunes

2010-11-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

I can't even explain what it was like to walk through the "backcountry" of White Sands. All it takes is climbing over a few dunes for you to feel like you're in the middle of no where, miles from anyone. Sleeping in the "backcountry", an area that starts a mere 3/4's of a mile, from the parking lot, is the only way to experience the dunes. Sunset and sunrise is when the dunes are in all of their glory. I've never felt like I was on another planet more in my life.

Please enjoy a few photos of the dunes. If only photographs could do this place justice.

Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

White Sands: Just a Taste

2010-11-15T06:56:00.000-08:00

I just got back from 3 days in Southwestern New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. I spent one night in White Sands National Monument and one night in the Gila Wilderness. Both places were absolutely amazing! And although 24 hours in White Sands is all you'll need, the views I saw will stay with me for life. As for the Gila Wilderness, I think I could live there for a year and not see all of its wonder.

Either way, the next 3-5 posts will most likely center around this trip and those destinations. So please keep checking back for updates, I'll try to be fairly regular. In the meantime enjoy a little taste of White Sands.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Meisner Wedding

2010-11-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

Although wedding's aren't my normal thing, I'm always happy to be part of my friends' special day. This wedding was between my friends Eric and Ellie, who had actually met at my parents house awhile back. I flew back east this fall for their wedding and here are a few select shots.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Paradise Forks

2010-11-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Just another part of exploring Northern AZ, Emma and I stopped by Paradise Forks. Paradise Forks is a set of waterfalls at the start of Sycamore Canyon, the second largest canyon in Arizona. It's a haven for trad climbers, and considered some of the best climbing in Arizona by many, and the best crack climbing in the US outside of Utah. Even if you don't climb, the 40 minute drive to Flagstaff is totally worth the views. There is a great horse and hiker trail (sorry mountain biker's, it's in wilderness land) that travels over relatively flat ground along the rim for several miles, giving away amazing views of the canyon at every turn. The canyon and the national forest surrounding it offer miles and miles of hiking trails and jeep roads, as well as a bunch of primitive and back country camping options. We only spend a day and a half here but I could easily go back for at least a week to explore even more.

Enjoy these photos of Paradise Forks, if you look closely many of them have climbers dotting the walls.

Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Humphreys Peak Trail

2010-10-27T23:23:00.000-07:00

I think I could spend a solid decade exploring Northern Arizona and still not be satisfied. Unfortunately it's located at a much higher elevation than Tucson(about 3000-4000ft higher), so I've been trying to get in a few trips before it gets too cold for my already thinned Tucson blood. This past weekend I decided to try to slip in an attempt at the highest peak in AZ, Humphreys Peak (12,600+ft) before I needed any gear that includes metal spikes of any kind. As luck would have it, it snowed on the mountain 4-6 inches the day before I was able to get up north. After receiving mixed advice from the guys at Babbit's, I decided it was worth a shot. I hit slush within the first half mile of this 4.8 mile one way trek. It only got whiter from there. Not expecting so much snow, I was only mildly prepared. I managed to huff it up to 11,800 ft, a saddle 3 peaks over from the big show, at which point the 30 mph winds and teen to 20's temperature made me turn around. Oh yeah and the fact that visibility was around 20 yards, it didn't seem worth the view. And anyway, I was already making tentative plans on returning on either skies or snowshoes in a few months.

On a side note: these photos were shot with a lower end point and shoot, so if there is some quality missing compared to my normal photos that is why. The hike was too beautiful not to share photos of.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
The Good Life Photography

Garden of the Gods Climbing

2010-10-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

There has been some serious lacking of climbing in my life recently. And as I was laying in my bed thinking about this, I realized that I never posted photos from climbing in the Garden of the Gods.

I knew there was some good climbing in Colorado, and I didn't know how to contact any of the other bike mechanics I was going to be there with. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to find an awesome climber, named Patrick, in the Colorado Springs area on Mountain Project. I met up with Patrick twice while staying in the Springs, and both times we climbed in Garden of the Gods, which is really an obvious choice for any sort of geophile. If you haven't seen my previous post from the Garden of the Gods, get there. One night we met up with two other climbers, and spent the last hours of sunlight bouldering. The second time we went out for the day, on a crazy busy weekend. I've never told some many people how I got the rope up there. We climbed on a pair of 35 foot spires that I could belay from a sidewalk, it was an interesting experience to say the least. On the opposite of the spectrum, we hiked a mere 100 yards from the road and climbed an adventurous 3 pitch climb, and I felt like I was in the Cochise back country. The place continued to amaze me, and I'd go back in a heart beat, but I'd probably aim for a weekday.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Mountain Biking in Colorado Springs

2010-09-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love anything that has to do with bikes. However, if you know me well, you know that I haven't done much mountain biking. But I wasn't about to let little things like experience and ability stop me from getting in on some great mountain biking with some great riders. Of course all but two of our group hadn't brought bikes with us, so it was 5 of us with bottom of the line GT Avalanche 3.0 rentals trying to keep up with a guy with a Santa Cruz full suspension monster. Let's just say the bikes weren't pretty when we dropped them off.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

There aren't lifts on every downhill mountain in CO.

Helping a friend out on the last leg.

Red Rock Canyon double track.

Garden of the Gods single track.

Jeb on Lower Jacks

Pike's Peak

2010-09-15T08:42:00.001-07:00

While in Colorado Springs I obviously had to take a trip to the top of Pike's Peak. As much as I hate the idea of roads that go to the tops of mountains, I will admit it was a good time. The landscape up there is other worldly, especially when you can't see the valley below. The treeless rocky environment seems to go on forever, until you drop low enough to get back into the pine trees.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Garden of the Gods

2010-09-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

I was recently sent up to Colorado Springs for work, and they couldn't have chosen a better time. Perfect 90 degree days lead to 70 degree nights. While there I was sure to take in all there was to do, including mountain biking, climbing, eating BBQ(veggie burgers of course), and the mandatory trip up to the top of Pike's Peak.

I can only imagine what someone laying their eyes onto the sandstone formations that make up the Garden of the Gods for the first time thought. These spectacular spires that jut out of the ground for several miles at the foot of the Front Range are awe inspiring to say the least. The fact that it's a free park for the public is amazing, however it is a little disrupting always being within earshot, if not sight, of a road. I made it a point to make several trips to the park while staying in the Springs, and didn't regret any of them.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

The Gunks

2010-08-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

While home tried to climb as much as possible. Unfortunately I only got to spend one of those days up in the Shawangunks, or Gunks, outside of New Paltz, NY. The exposed cliff faces rise dramatically out of the trees just an hour north of New York City. The first routes were put up back in the 30's and the cliffs have continued to be a world famous trad climbing destination in the Northeast. I only had one friend to climb with, so we didn't get to take too many photos. Here is Garrett at the top of the second pitch of Classic(5.7)

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Bridge Jumping

2010-08-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Anyone who grew up in a rural area, outside of the desert of course, knows the simple joy of bridge jumping. I'm not sure what it is, but there is nothing like hurdling yourself off of a bridge into a muddy river, just to swim to the side, run (or more likely slip and slide your way) up the muddy bank, just to do it all over again. This was especially true for my friends and I after a long day of climbing in a 90 degree, 100% humidity Pennsylvania summer day. We showed up to a classic bridge for jumping in Hunterdon County, NJ, just to find a bunch of people who had the same idea.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

It's been awhile

2010-08-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

For anyone who checks this regularly, I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've spend the past few weeks back in the Northeast. I was seeing family and friends, as well as working on a photo shoot, and getting outdoors as much as I could. I managed to climb, surf, sail, bike, and swim. I actually took a bit of a break from photography while I was home, focusing instead on figuring out what my future is looking like. I did however snap a few shots, and I have a few unscanned rolls of film around the apartment. So expect some more updates coming soon.

Thanks for sticking around and checking out my blog. I think the fall should have some good trips in store for me, and in turn I'll have some great blog entries to look forward to.

-Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

REI Tucson

2010-07-18T00:06:00.001-07:00

So I was leaving work tonight and there was picture perfect light. I could think of a thousand places I'd rather be with that light just in Tucson, but there I was outside of REI, so I figured I'd shoot what I had. Here are a few shots of the new store, more of the mall to come soon.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Projecting Air Monsters(5.12-)

2010-07-06T00:31:00.001-07:00

The following are a few shots of Conor projecting Air Monsters, a short overhung sport route near Windy Point on Mt. Lemmon, AZ. The majority of the climb is made up of very steep 5.9-10 climbing with a 12- crux, that is the beginning of a run out to the chains. Losing it at or above the crux gives the climb it's name. This was a project of Conor's during his brief trip to Tucson. Although he never got it clean, it'll without a doubt happen next time. Enjoy.

Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Hang On

2010-07-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

More photos coming soon from Conor's projecting of this classic 12- on Mt. Lemmon.

Approach

2010-06-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

Here's another one from the same previous trip to Cochise Stronghold.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Top of Ewephoria

2010-06-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

The posts are getting fewer and farther between these days. However, I just got some film developed, so there should be plenty coming this week.

This shot is of Kevin after we climbed Ewephoria(5.8) on the Sheepshead dome in Cochise Stronghold, AZ. The climb is an awesome 5 pitch mixed climb that includes some crack moves, 5.8+ slab climbing, a small roof, and of course, a field of chicken heads. Tons of fun, and a great summer morning climb. Obviously the celebratory drinks were worth the weight in the summit bag.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Fuji Provia 100 Ansco Ventura Deluxe 66

Random Recent Climbing

2010-06-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

Updates in Life

2010-06-08T22:06:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately nothing epic has been happening in my photography world lately. Between starting the new side(full time) job, moving to a new more permanent place, and being sick, not too much as happened. However my own climbing is coming a long nicely, as I've been plugging more gear and pushing some new grades. But hang in there, more photos should be coming soon. REI has pulled through with helping me make more connections, and I've been climbing with some great climbers. So until all the pieces fall into place, I'll continue to post randoms from recent life.

Thanks for looking, and Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Oak Creek Canyon

2010-06-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

A recent trip to the Grand Canyon brought me through Sedona, and I was lucky enough to capture this father and daughter at an Oak Creek Canyon overlook.
Ansco Ventura Deluxe 66 Fuji Provia 100

REI Tucson Grand Opening

2010-05-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

REI Tucson

Store manager, Eric Piper with REI CEO Salley Jewell

Some of the first customers in the store.

REI Tucson

2010-05-25T00:07:00.001-07:00

More photos from the REI Tucson Grand Opening coming soon. Keep checking back.

Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

People

2010-05-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

unknown man; Fuji Provia 120

This man was at one of my favorite places for breakfast, Frank and Francisco's. He is definitely a regular, sitting in the back of the restaurant, having friends come and go. But he felt so out of place to me. For me I pictured him at the Coffee Hut, a tiny breakfast shack at the docks of Barnegat Light. With other fishermen coming in and out all morning after getting back from an early day at sea.

More from Tucson

2010-05-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry the updates have been a little spread out lately. As I take on some more work, and get outdoors to shoot less, I haven't been able to produce as much for the blog. I did however just get a new scanner to scan some film, finally. I've been shooting a few rolls with an old c.1952 Ansco Ventura 66 Deluxe. As the name implies, it shoots beautiful square 6x6 frames on medium format film. Despite being over half a century old, completely manual, and not even top of the line of it's day, it takes amazing photos. In college I shot a series documenting the disappearing farms surrounding Philadelphia, exclusively with this camera. The final prints were 15x15" prints, blowing away the idea that you have to spend a lot of money to get clear and sharp 12o negatives. Oh yeah, the camera cost me about $20 on ebay, including shipping! Anywho, I've been shooting with it again, and plan to actually start shooting some climbing with it. In the mean time here is an addition to my on going shots from Tucson's interesting architecture.

Tucson, like most of the land making up this country between LA and NYC, using large crazy landmark signs for businesses. This is the sign for Vactor Ranch, a gated community at the bottom of the Catalina Mountains. If you've ever been to Sabino Canyon Natl Rec Area, than there is a very good chance you've driven past it. I know I have too many times. Everytime saying to myself "one day when the lights right, I'll get a shot of that." This time seemed as good a time as any.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Tucson

2010-05-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

I've seen countless shots of the city of Tucson from some vantage point, and never really knew where they were shot from. I thought I had an idea, but it would've involved a pretty long lens. I was finally introduced to Sentinel Peak, better known as "A" Mountain. A small peak just to the south east of downtown Tucson, with a huge letter "A" made on the mountain out of painted rocks. Either way, it has a great, easily accessible view of the city and the Catalina Mountains. Here's the city I live in, and the mountains that I play in.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Climb Spree 5.11+

2010-05-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Prison Camp is a climbing area in the Catalinas here in Tucson. It isn't very far up on the Mt Lemmon Highway but its a canyon that runs east/west for the most part and doesn't get too much sun and has a pretty decent body of water flowing through it, so it's great to climb in even as we hit triple digits out here. The area got its name from the prison labor that was used to construct the original Hitchcock Highway that went up to the top of Mt Lemmon. It's since been renamed with a more "politically correct" name, Gordon Hirabayashi, but the climbers still know it as Prison Camp. The climbs there range the gambit from 5.7-5.12d, and everything in between. There is a north facing wall, about 45-50ft tall that has a selection of sport and trad climbs that are all in the 10-12d range, it makes a great test piece.

Here are a few shots of Mike "Danger" Cutshall, and Derek Anderson sending Climb Spree(5.11d). The route is sustained 5.11+ climbing with a 5.12- start, and is now on my to do list.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Just A Reminder

2010-05-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

...Gri Gris are not auto-locking devices. The cam in the device is just a brake assist, you must always keep at least one had on the brake end of the rope. With that said, accidents happen in climbing, like we always hear, "climbing is an inherently dangerous sport." We do it, and we all accept the risks, and no one is ever to blame when accidents happen.

Today was a great day of climbing. Some great photos were taken, two of my friends sent a new route each, and I continued a project of mine. However, there was a accident at the end of the day, when we were all beat. Luckily everyone is alright, and will climb another day.

Climb hard, climb safe,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Clouds

2010-05-05T22:35:00.001-07:00

"I'd finally do something I had in mind for years. I'd make a series of cloud pictures. I told Miss O'Keeffe of my ideas. I wanted to photograph clouds to find out what I had learned in 40 years about photography. Through clouds to put down my philosophy of life— to show that my photographs were not due to subject matter—not to special trees, or faces, or interiors, to special privileges—clouds were there for everyone—no tax as yet on them—free." -Alfred Steiglitz

I've seen Steiglitz' series on clouds in person. They are quite amazing. Like he says, anyone can shoot clouds, so it is a good gauge of your ability to photograph. Since seeing his work I have continually photographed clouds, or at least kept my eyes on them. But it wasn't until the other night, when I was standing on top of "A" Mountain, here in Tucson, that I looked at the clouds, and was instantly awe struck with their beauty. I took a ton of shots, this is what came of it. Hopefully there will be more to follow.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

REI Volunteers with the SCC

2010-05-02T23:56:00.000-07:00

So to help facilitate my outdoor adventure, and to supplement my photography income, I have taken a job at the local REI that is about to open. REI is a pretty impressive company for many reasons, one of which is that they pay their employees to help out with local stewardship causes. This past Saturday the employees of REI went out and helpws the Southwest Conservation Corps with a trail building project they've been working on for 5 weeks on Sentinel Peak, locally known as "A" mountain. The group helped move boulders, level trails, clean trash, and move around slash piles of brush. I was there to help and document.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Just a Reminder

2010-05-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you check out my blog, but have you seen my website? It's true that the latest is on my blog but there are hundreds more on my website. Feel free to look through the galleries, as well as the "For Sale" galleries for prints you can order right through my website. You can pay securely through PayPal with either a PayPal account or with a credit card. Shipping for the prints is a flat $5. Also, any of my images are for sale, so if you see one on the blog, or in a gallery on the site, just let me know which image it is and an approximate size and I'll let you know what available and for what price.

Thanks for checking my stuff out.
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

The People of the Grand Canyon

2010-04-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

The Grand Canyon attracts people from all walks of life, from all over the world. The tourists and workers are just as interesting as the sites themselves. Here are a few shots of lookers in awe of the Grand Canyon.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

The Grand Canyon

2010-04-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

My first trip to the Grand Canyon was unfortunately so early on in my life that I have no recollection of it all. However, 19 years later I finally made another trip. Walking up to Mather Point on the South Rim and watching the huge expanse open up in front of me is something I will never forget. Since then I have gone back two more times, and I plan on going back as many times as I can. With it's endless trails, climbing, and beautiful scenery, I can't imagine ever getting tired of being there. In my dream of life after photography I'll make it a must on the list of places to be a campground host.

On a side note, I shot mostly 120 film up while up at the Canyon, with my early 1950's Ansco Deluxe. While shooting I couldn't help imagining a time when the park was filled with people shooting the same old bellows cameras and Kodak Brownies. I'm currently waiting on that film to be processed. But in the mean time here is a digital one to hold you over.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Cottontails

2010-04-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

This week has been crazy eventful for me. Between starting a part time job and finding/applying/getting an apartment, I only had time to get out climbing once. Unfortunately I didn't shoot digital, so I have nothing to show, I did however shoot some 120, that should be developed today. Anywho, this weekend Emma's father, Frank, is coming to visit here in AZ, so we're taking him to the Grand Canyon! So to hold you readers over till next week I figured I'd throw up a quick post. These are some photos of a little guy I came across while hiking in Bear Canyon. He let me get fairly close without even worrying about me, and once I settled in a spot he totally forgot. He was standing on his hind legs for quite a long time, trying to snag a few leaves off of this bush.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

For Philadelphians

2010-04-20T22:43:00.001-07:00

I know there are a lot of people checking out my blog from back east. Well if you're in the Philadelphia area during the second week of May you should definitely check out the work from the University of the Arts 2010 graduating class. It will be on display in Hamilton Hall at UArts from May 7th - May 15th. I know of at least two awesome photogs showing their stuff, Lou Caltabiano and Kris Shacochis. So check them out, tell them Tyler says hi, and know that I wish I could be there to see their work. Hopefully it will only be the first of many shows of their work. I'll be sure to remind people once it's on display.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Spring in Tucson

2010-04-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from several hikes I've done over the past few weeks while the Sonoran Desert has been in full bloom. And after some record rain fall this winter, the bloom has been amazing. Now I just can't wait for the elusive night blooming Saguaro to start.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates

Good Life Photography

Tucson Architecture

2010-04-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

So awhile back I used to shoot a lot of architecture and street photography. I guess it was how I got to know Philadelphia, just wandering the streets with a camera. Well, recently I decided I should start doing that again here in Tucson. Since Tucson is definitely a city meant for driving around I realize that I miss a lot of things. I'll catch an interesting building here, or a random 20 foot tall neon Saguaro sign there, and I'm tired of it. So this begins my chronicling of the interesting and beautiful pieces of this city.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

This is an alley that leads to E. University Blvd from a parking lot on 1st Ave.
If you know the artist of these pieces, please let me know so I can give credit.

Indian Creek Climbing

2010-04-10T10:56:00.001-07:00

Indian Creek offered so many great ultra classic climbs and shots. It was very hard to edit them down and decide on the best shots that showed Indian Creek, but weren't necessarily typical shots. These are some of my favorite climbing shots I've ever taken, I hope you feel the same.

Enjoy
Tyler Gates
Good Lfie Photography

Conor, unknowingly attempting a FA variation of
an unnamed 130' 5.10 on 2nd Meat Wall

Damien approaching the second awkward change
on another unnamed 5.10 on 2nd Meat Wall

Conor, after the cruxy change over on The Sicilian, 5.11,
on the Scarface Wall.

Damien rests before the crux of his first Indian Creek 5.11 lead,
Mantel Illness, Scarface Wall

Damien, working into the crux
Mantel Illness, 5.11, Scarface Wall

Conor, jamming his way to the finish on Wavy Gravy,
5.10-, Scarface Wall

The People

2010-04-08T18:45:00.001-07:00

I came back with so many amazing images from Indian Creek, so I'm breaking the images up into separate postings. The first was of the great landscapes, this one will be of the great people I was with, and the next and final will be of the great climbing.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Camplife below the Gash

"Bellessimo!" Gourmet camp cooking brought to you by Damien & Megan

On approach to 2nd Meat Wall

Describing the change over on the Sicilian

mmmm...cams

Not too many better places to take a nap.

Approach to Scarface

Indian Creek Landscapes

2010-04-07T22:35:00.001-07:00

Looking Towards the Six Shooters from 2nd Meat Wall

I recently took a trip to Indian Creek Rec Area in Utah to do some climbing. I met up with a friend of a friend, Conor, and his two friends, Damien and Megan. Damien's an Indian Creek veteran and kindly showed the rest of us around on our first trip to Indian Creek, and my first time doing real trad climbing. More importantly he shared his plethora of gear, which without it we wouldn't have been able to climb anything, so thank you again Damien.

Indian Creek is at the south east end of Canyonlands National Park, about 40 miles south of Moab. The place is an unreal labyrinth of canyons, that seems to go on forever. It shares a lot of land with local ranches, and in fact used to be all ranch land. It wasn't until 1976, when climbers finally discovered and freed the first route on the Supercrack Buttress, that people started using it for recreational reasons. It was slow going, as far as climbing development goes, until the cam was invented. With the cam, good protection could be easily placed on any of the nearly parallel splitters covering all of the cliff faces. Shortly after climbers started flocking to the area the land was purchased from the ranchers and is now controlled by BLM with the help of the Access Fund and of course the Friends of Indian Creek(donations to either will help keep Indian Creek free and accessible to everyone, including climbers).
The landscape in the area is at once awe inspiring and humbling, especially as you discover just how truly massive the canyons and cliffs really are. I hope you enjoy these landscape photos of the canyons. The next posting will be filled with climbing shots from the area.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography

Bridger Jacks and Six Shooters

Looking East down 211

Where it all started, Supercrack Buttress

Donnelly Wall

Sunset over the Six Shooters

Petrified Forest National Park

2010-04-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

So don't worry, Utah photos are coming soon, but here are some photos from my trip to the Petrified Forest National Park when my buddy Tony came to visit. We camped at a miserable K.O.A. in Holbrook, AZ. On a side note, I highly recommend that no one ever stay at this K.O.A., the conditions were horrible, the amenities severely lacking, and on top of all of that they turned the sprinklers on the tent lawn in the middle of the night. Anyway, I do suggest you see the Petrified Forest. Here are a few selections from the trip.

Enjoy
-Tyler Gates
www.GoodLifePhotography.com

KOA site

One of the many places in Holbrook to buy pieces of petrified wood.

Tony has never been happier

Petrified Forest National Park

Badlands within the park.

Hooked on Crack

2010-04-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
I'm spending the week in Indian Creek, right outside of Canyonlands National Park. Everything here is trad crack climbing, and tons of it. Unfortunately it's raining/snowing here after a day at almost 70 degrees here yesterday, so we're spending the day in Moab.

The landscape is awe inspiring and the climbing is humbling. Tons of photos coming next week so keep checking back!
-Tyler
www.GoodLifePhotography.com

Utah

2010-03-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
I am unfortunately going to be away from the internet for the rest of the week. I am about to leave to drive up to Indian Creek, in Utah, to do some climbing/photography. I had two more posts planned before I left for Emma and I have been outdoors too much for that business. So please check back in a week for tons of new photos!

See you all then.

-Tyler
www.GoodLifePhotography.com

Tonto National Forest

2010-03-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my friend Tony, from back east, came out for some AZ adventure. He, along with every other geology nerd on Earth, has wanted to see the Petrified Forest National Park for quite some time. So his first day here in Arizona we headed north towards Holbrook, winding through Tonto National Forest land. The road brought us past Bioshphere 2, mesas, mountains, mines, high desert, pine forest, alpine lakes, and the largest saguaros I've ever seen! We also wound our way through Salt River Canyon, probably the highlight of the drive. Along the way I snapped a few shots.

Enjoy,
Tyler Gates

www.GoodLifePhotography.com

Tonto National ForestAn excited Tony at the first vista in the forest on route 77.

Roadside stop.Unknown plant along route 77.

Salt River CanyonSalt River Canyon at night.

Gear Head

2010-03-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

Warning: this post is neither photo nor travel related, hah.

So for those of you who don't know me, I'm a huge gear head. I love research and comparisons, and I love knowing as much about a subject as I can. It's definitely part of why I love photography and I'm sure it helps with climbing too. Either way, I've read a few of the write ups from Black Diamond's Quality Assurance guy, Kolin Powick, but my friend Kyle recently introduced me to this page of archived short write ups. None of them are official conclusions, answers, or suggestions, but they definitely cover a lot of questions I've had for awhile about climbing gear. Since most of us don't have a fully stocked lab to test gear, it's cool that Kolin has taken the time to share his findings with the rest of us. His lab is like the Mythbusters of climbing gear, only less explosions, I'm jealous. So thanks Kolin for all your helpful tests and write ups!

Follow this to get there:
http://web3.bdel.com/scene/beta/qc_kp_archive.php

-Tyler
Good Life Photography

Joshua Tree Continued

2010-03-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Alright here are the rest of the photos from my recent trip to Joshua Tree.

Enjoy
-Tyler Gates
www.GoodLifePhotography.com

Couples gather for the sunset at Key's View, the Salton Sea can be seen in the background.

A couple check out a roadside Ocotillo

Lost Palms Oasis

Hikers gather in the shade in the Lost Palms Oasis

The hike to Lost Palms Oasis passes some great examples of desert wildlife

Sunset from Jumbo Rocks campground

Joshua Tree National Park

2010-03-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

Emma and I decided to take a little trip to California this past week. It started out with a drive across I-8 to San Diego. My sister has lived in North County for 2 years now, and I hadn't been able to visit her till now. San Diego was great, way too many people, but the beach was awesome. Unfortunately I had some serious back pain going on, so I opted not carry a camera around. So it wasn't until we left San Diego to head to Joshua Tree National Park that I pulled the camera out.

Joshua Tree was amazing, even after spending 2 months in the Sonoran desert. We also lucked out by catching the Joshua Trees in full bloom. All over the park there were budding flowers, and it couldn't have been more beautiful. This is just a teaser, there will be more photos from the trip soon.
Living the dream,
-Tyler Gates
http://www.GoodLifePhotography.com

Catch-Up

2010-03-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

Apparently my posts from cell phones haven't been working! Oh well, here is the update. I've been without my computer for about a week now. Emma and I drove west to the ocean and spent a few days exploring San Diego and North County. It was pretty awesome, but I was suffering from some serious back pain, so I opted not to lug my camera around. (This was when I wish I had a sweet little digi rangefinder! Anyone who wants to donate an M8 or M9 can email me for the address to send it to, in trade I'll offer you a lifetime of photos). Then we drove north along the coast to LA and then out to Joshua Tree National Park. We caught the park at an awesome time when everything, including the Joshua Trees were in bloom. On our way home we spend a few hours in Phoenix(Tempe/Scottsdale to be specific) because picking up my buddy Tony from the airport. Tomorrow we head north to the Petrified Forest National Park, and other points north of Tucson. Tons of photo updates coming next week!

Thanks for checking me out.
-Tyler

http://www.GoodLifePhotograhy.com

La Milagrosa Canyon

2010-03-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

So I've been trying to work some more flashes into my climbing photos. Unfortunately I lost my transmitter so I'm currently stuck with on camera flashes. I figured I'd try something I've done with shooting bands in the past, spot lighting. Here are some shots from a recent trip to La Milagrosa Canyon. The canyon is lined with sustained hard single pitch routes, giving it the nick name "5.11 Heaven." It also has some sweet waterfalls and deep pools for cliff diving, if you can handle the frigid snow melt water.

Enjoy -Tyler
www.GoodLifePhotography.com

Chochise Stronghold

2010-03-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Sheepshead Rock, The Stronghold

Here it is, Chochise Stronghold, or at least the Sheepshead section of it. Shortly after moving out here I was in contact with a bona fide mountain climbing and he asked if I had been out to "the Stronghold" yet, that was when I started obsessing over the place. The Stronghold is one of the best places to climb in Arizona. It is part of the Dragoon Mountains in Chochise County, and was where the last Apaches held out against the U.S. government. It is large concentration of exposed rock domes with a tremendous amount of established trad and sport multi-pitch climbs. My dream has been to get a few people together to spend a weekend here, just exploring and climbing, but no one seems to ever have the time. Finally, 3 other climbers and myself decided to day trip and climb the 760 ft Ewephoria(5.8) on Sheepshead rock(the largest dome in the photo above).
We met in an empty food store parking lot at 4 am in Tucson, loaded into one car and drove off into the pitch black desert. After an hour or so of easy highway driving we turned onto a dirt road, wound through the darkness for another half an hour. Our directions told us to turn down an unmarked road that lead to a windmill. Fortunately for us the cloudy skies made it impossible to see anything, we took a chance and got lucky. As we got our gear ready the skies began to get lighter and we could finally see the rock. It was amazing, and an hour long hike away.
We took our time on the climb. Two teams of two yo-yoing up each pitch always slows you down, but we had all day. At the top of the third pitch we got a little lost, with a sport, a mixed, and a trad option, non of which had chains in site, we took our time to figure things out. As we did, we noticed an impending wall of rain coming our way. As it moved closer across the fields the winds picked up until we could barely here each other. By this time Kyle had decided to figure out the trad route, which look the easiest, in order to get us off the rock and on the decent trail. We all expected to get soaked before getting off the rock. We hurried up final pitch, snapped a few shots at the top and started down the trail. Have way down the wind stopped, and the sun came out. We hiked back to our car through an amazing boulder strewn field filled with horses. I wouldn't have believed the place existed if I hadn't seen it myself. I can't wait for the next trip down there.

www.GoodLifePhotography.com

6 am approach

Kyle on the final pitch(the storm was the other way)

The valley southwest(?) of the Stronghold.

In other news...

2010-03-05T20:47:00.001-08:00

I started an Etsy account a long long time ago to try to sell all of my prints left over from college. I never did it. However I have recently started a collection of prints that I have in acetate sleeves with foamcore backing to sell at things like First Friday in Philly and art fairs and the like. So I figured while they are all together why not post them on Etsy.

So here it is, finally my Etsy store:
http://tylerG.etsy.com
(someone has goodlifephotography.etsy, if its you, I would like it please)

Thanks for checking it out and spreading it around to everyone you know.

-Tyler
www.GoodLifePhotography.com

Maybe its the Libra part of me...

2010-03-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

But I've spent the past 2 years(about) since graduating trying to weigh out my options for work. I keep going back and forth between continuing to pursue photography full out and as my only means of work, and trying to get a job in the outdoors industry that will allow me to continue to shoot. I'm constantly going back and forth. One day I spend researching jobs, and certificate programs for teaching rock climbing, or guiding back packing trip. The next day I'll spend researching magazines and websites that I could contribute to and emailing photographers for assistant work.

Either way, I'm not sure Tucson is the place. It's infinitely better than Philly for what I want to do, but it's still not all the way there. For all of the amazing outdoor opportunities available here in such a short distance there seems to be a relatively little market for it. There is only one outdoor sports outfitter here! They have two locations, and are pretty good, but that is crazy. There is an REI opening soon too, but still.

I'm not sure what the next step is, but in the mean time I need to start shooting more.

Chochise County

2010-02-27T17:15:00.001-08:00

sun rise from the mountains looking towards NM

Emma and I took a weekend to explore more of Arizona a few weeks ago. Since Tucson is one of the warmest places in Arizona and we hate the idea of it getting colder, we only had a few options. We decided to head to South Eastern AZ, and check out Cochise County. We started the trip by driving straight to Chiricahua National Monument. The preserve protects an area of mountains covered in rock pillars and hoo doos. Originally we planned on doing an afternoon of hiking, and a night of camping, followed by a whole day exploring old "Wild West" town, but plans changed after we fell in love with the monument. We woke up early to see the sun rise and then after breakfast we did another long hike.
After we left the park we drove South and West to Bisbee, an old mining town turned arts and biker town. For those of you from back home, think New Hope, PA, but way bigger and way cooler. We got some great Mexican food from what we thought was just a crappy tourist restaurant, and then spent an hour or so walking around the downtown area. The town is like something out of a movie, because it is, including the very interesting characters that run the stores and inhabit the run down bars.
Once we had decided our first chore after getting home was looking up apartment prices in Bisbee, we continued on to Tombstone, AZ. Tombstone now seems to be the Disney version of it's former Wild West self. It was cool, but the most interesting part were the die hard Western fans there to visit their mecca.
I chose not to take any photos because I definitely plan on going back and spending at least an entire day in each town. I'll preferably go back during some sort of holiday or something when the crazies will really come out. Until then enjoy these photos from Chiricahua National Monument

tourist outside of the original settler's home

front of the house

another original building

balancing rocks

2010-02-24T06:53:00.001-08:00

i'm driving down the coast on 101 to LA watching 3 ft beach break, and i've never wanted to surf more in my life.

2010-02-18T16:33:00.001-08:00

santa barbara, ca is filled with crazy poor people and even crazier rich people...i've never felt so out of place

Skateboarding

2010-02-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

Grant with his veggie oil run VW Jettawagon, and unfortunately with bad oil.

It's been way too long since I've skated, and even longer since I've shot skating. These are a few shots of Grant skating at the Rita Ranch Skatepark.

I love this shot

2010-02-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

So there is apparently free wi-fi at the Tucson airport. Decided to do some photo editing...

2010-02-17T13:14:00.001-08:00

LA here i come! I'll finally get to walk out of the LAX doors!

Left Wall at Hairpin

2010-02-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

Sean Martinson climbing an unknown dihedral

Sean testing the waters on top rope, before leading.

Kevin onsiting "Feels Like Someone Else" 5.9

Recent Photos

2010-02-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

Last week my buddy Grant stopped by during a road trip of the south in his veggie oil powered VW wagon. He was here for 2 days and we managed to pack as much in as possible. Here are a few photos I took while showing him around, and exploring with him.
Enjoy.

One of the waterfalls in La Milagrosa Canyon

Pine trees and snow at the top of Mt. Lemmon.

This valley has become my favorite spot to shoot, a view from Mt. Lemmon.

This is a view from my favorite vista along the Catalina Highway up Mt. Lemmon.
It's called the 7 Cataracts Vista and I always stop here with people to show the shell of a van that was driven off the cliff. And until this day I had never seen the huge waterfalls flowing. It was a mostly cloudy day, and waiting around gave me the perfect light on the falls. I'd love to hike there next time we get a lot of rain.

Tombstone, AZ

2010-02-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Come for the ridiculously dressed cowboys, stay for the ridiculously dressed tourists.
(I promise more photos coming soon.)

Climbing Photos

2010-02-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

So one of the whole points of me coming out to Tucson is to further my career as a outdoor/editorial photographer. As of right now, I would love that to mean rock climbing photographer. Here is some of the stuff I've been shooting in the 3 weeks that I've been here.

Sunset over Oro Valley

2010-01-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

I was shooting some climbing, and turned around just in time to get this shot.
This is why I moved out here.

Brian and Simone Visit: Day 4

2010-01-24T10:40:00.001-08:00

So today was a lazy day for the most part. It started out dark and stormy, ended up being a beautiful day again, obviously. We went and checked out the San Xavier del Bac Mission south of Tucson on the Tohono O'odham Nation reservation. The mission was built in the late 1700's by Spanish missionaries. And they are constantly working on restoring it. Lacking money and resources, they chose to decorate the church with elaborate paintings, intended to mimic gold and other lavish decorations typical of European cathedrals.

San Xavier del Bac Mission

In the main cathedral part
He looks guilty of something.

A separate single room building for prayers, statues and candles.

Brian and Simone Visit: Day 3

2010-01-24T10:31:00.001-08:00

So today we tried to go do a little climbing up at Windy Point, but unfortunately it had snowed the night before up on the mountain. Even though we didn't climb, the beautiful view was well worth the drive. We then decided to go to the bottom of the mountain and check out Sabino Canyon. We didn't get there till about 2:30 and didn't much time to see the beautiful part of the canyon higher up. So we hitched a ride on the senior citizen tram to the top, hiked a 3 mile loop near the top and caught a ride back down.

A few cyclist on their way down from Windy Point in snowy weather.

Tram cars passing in the day, apparently its freezing out here (upper 50's)

Sabino Canyon from the end.

Phoneline Trail

Sweet view

Brian and Simone Visit: Day 2

2010-01-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

So day 2 comes, and despite 70% chance of rain and clouds all day we get a perfect 70F sunny day. So we headed to Saguaro National Park West to do some hiking, stopping at Gates Pass along the way. (P.S. Every visitor will be taken to Gates Pass and told that it is mine). Anyway we attempted a 7 mile hike to a 4000+ft peak, but ended up following a wash for 2 miles instead of the trail and had to forge our own trail to meet up with a real one about 150 ft above us at the top of the Kings Canyon. By the time we made it to the trail head that takes you to the peak some dark clouds were rolling in on the horizon and we decided to head back. We should've went for it since by the time we got to the car it was still dry and sunnier than ever out, but it was still an awesome time. After the hike we returned home to Emma and Nicole, and we all went out for a monstrous Mexican feast where we met up with Kyle.

Brian looking West from Gates Pass

Gates Pass: a shortcut through the Tucson Mtns found by Thomas Gates

Hiking in Kings Canyon, not on Kings Canyon Trail apparently.

Helping Simone up to the actual trail.

A view down Kings Canyon from on top of a dry water fall.

Brian and Simone's Visit: Day 1

2010-01-24T09:59:00.000-08:00

So Brian and Simone came out to visit us, like three days after we got here ourselves. It was perfect, since we were all just exploring together. I can't believe how much we got done in less than 5 days. We loved having them visit and had so much fun together, hopefully they'll come back soon!(Spring Break 2010: Party in the Desert) Here are a few photos from our adventures, by day.

We picked them up from the airport and shot up to the top of Mt. Lemmon. Well we tried, but at about mile 8 I realized that I didn't have any gas, so we went back down to the bottom, filled up and then went up to Summerhaven. This was my first time all the way to the top of Mt. Lemmon, or at least as far up as the road goes, which is Summerhaven, AZ, somewhere around 9000ft I think.

Brian at Windy Point

View of Catalina Highway from Windy Point

Simone photo shoot @ Windy Point

Farther up(notice the jackets and pine trees)

Jazzy is a born mountain climber (somewhere above 8000ft)

Photos coming soon

2010-01-20T20:35:00.001-08:00

We have been doing tons of stuff here in Tucson! Photos are coming soon, probably this weekend. Simone and Brian came to visit us, and once they leave I'll post photos of all of our adventures. It's been great having friends here to explore all the new places with us. We've driven to the top of Mt Lemmon, mistaken a wash for a trail in Saguaro National Park West, played in the snow and ridden a tram car with a bunch of senior citizens in Sabino Canyon. And we still have a day and a half left with them!

We love Tucson.

Some of the first to be edited...

2010-01-16T21:58:00.001-08:00

Mexico to the left and USA to the Right; The Rio Grande

Rio Grand Village campground and Big Bend National Park

Jazzy, soaking up some Texan rays

Chiso's Mountains; Big Bend

Desert plains rain storm

Marfa

2010-01-16T21:32:00.001-08:00

This town was really cool. Really neat south west architecture, tons of arts, and it was so tiny.
We stopped here at the suggestion of our friend Will and it was a good stop. The art was drawn to this tiny town in Western Texas when a Minimalist artist moved here in the 70's and got a grant to buy up an old decommissioned army base and turn it into permanent installations. And then about 10 years ago, a whole wave of big liberal city-type artist folk moved down and instantly quadrupled the property value. Emma and I don't like minimalism, but went on the tour anyway. We also ate some really good lunch there and stumbled across something we were searching for before our trip, the fake Prada store in the middle of Texas.

Big Bend #2

2010-01-16T21:27:00.001-08:00

This one's for Nell

Texan good luck charm

This guy was like 15 ft from us, just hanging out.

MEEP!MEEP!
Emma's first Road Runner sightings(And she shot this photo too)

Natural Hot Springs on the edge of the Rio Grande