It is mid-March and the country is experiencing a crisis of epic proportions. Unlike a lot of our fellow citizens, we are extremely fortunate to have the means to weather this storm. As with any storm, there will be casualties. Our casualties are not important on a human scale but hurt us none-the-less. We had planned to delight you with many photos from our international trips this year: Iceland in June, Namibia in August, and Vietnam/Cambodia in September. It looks like we will be pushing out the first two trips for one year with the third trip in doubt.

Bummer!

So, what to do with all this “free” time? With our photographic opportunities diminished we have adjusted our outlook. For the next few months we will focus on a new photography project, something we have wanted to do. Our project is called, “It’s beautiful where we live”. How do we do this with the recent travel and social restrictions? We came up with a set of three rules to keep us safe:

  1. All trips must be completed in one day with no hotel stay.
  2. All meals will be brought with us so there is no reliance on restaurants.
  3. All photography outings will be just the two of us, not in a photo group, not even with photographer friends.

That’s it. Three simple rules to follow. Three simple rules for showing off the beauty from where we live. Three simple rules to stay safe.

Our First Entry

On Sunday, March 15 we visited two places, Bartlett Lake in the morning and Superstition Mountain in the evening. We’ve been to both a few times before but haven’t necessarily captured the ideal photo. Would this time be different? Certainly not! The sunset was weak and the wildflowers less than expected. C’est la vie.

Bartlett Lake

A hillside of blooming brittlebush and some interesting clouds make the photo [photo by Kathryn]

Cool Clouds over Brittlebush Covered Ridge [photo by Kathryn]

Superstition Mountain on the backside looking at the Three Sisters

On the way to Superstition Mountain, these Saguaros lit up against the mountainside. We just had to stop.

We have never seen saguaros glow like this. It was captivating and certainly photo-worthy.

The Main Attraction minus flowers and interesting sky [photo by Kathryn]

Thanks for reading. And, remember, it’s all about the light!