LAJ_5549 BW
Dec, 2013Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Welcome to one of the most charming cities in the US, Bisbee, Arizona. Located in southern Arizona very near the Mexican border, Bisbee was once a thriving copper mining town. When the mine closed, the town transitioned into an art community. This particular photo features the main street, Tombstone Canyon, in snow. Taking this particular shot had long been a desire but because I live an hour and a half northwest, I never knew when it snowed in Bisbee. On this particular day though, it started snowing in Tucson (a rare occurrence) which meant there would surely be snow in Bisbee. We left Tucson around sunset arriving in Bisbee close to midnight, driving slowly on roads that have never seen a snow plow.Time
EXIF information: Feb 20, 2013, 2:37 AM. What? 2:37 AM? Well, there you have it. Photography is quite timeless when you get lost doing a thing you love.Lighting
Thanks to the old fashioned lights of the Bisbee Grand Hotel and Saloon, seen the foreground, there was adequate lighting with additional light provided by a street lamp and a few windows along the street.Equipment
Nikon D-7000, 18-270 mm Tamron Lens, 1/20, F10, ISO 2500, shot wide. The scene was tripod assisted. It also helped to have a “raincoat” for the camera, a husband to hold an umbrella and a cloth to keep wiping the snow from my lens.Inspiration
Bisbee is such a quaint little town featuring architecture reminiscent of It's A Wonderful Life. I have sat at the Bisbee Coffee Company at the other end of this street for quite a few years trying to imagine how magical it would be to photo this beloved street in snow. I guess longing was my inspiration. Of course, this is southern Arizona which is not exactly known for snow so wishing didn't make it so. But the day did come and you know what? It was just as I imagined--perfect in every way.Editing
I didn't do very much post-processing with this one. I needed to straighten it, lift some shadows near the bend of the road and convert to Black and White.In my camera bag
I'm now shooting with a Sony aR7. I recently purchased a Lowpro bag that is big enough to hold my Sony with my 18-240mm lens and my Nikon D-100 dedicated infrared camera with a zoom lens. I carry extra memory cards because I only want to drive 50 miles out of my way to get a memory card one time. Long story. I also carry a Metabones adapter that allows me to use my Nikon 10-24 wide angle lens and my Nikon 35mm, 1.8 lens. My tripod is made by Bogen and my ball head is the BH-40 by Really Right Stuff. I have a Tiffen UV filter and I use Singh-Ray filters. I also carry gardening pads. I have old knees that require a little cushioning.Feedback
Start with a shot that is your heart's desire and then follow. Because I had seen this shot in my imagination for so long, I knew exactly where to set up and I worked both ends of the street as though I had done it many times before. It is also good to be ready to seize the moment. In this case, I had waited years but when it started snowing in Tucson we grabbed the gear and started driving and even though it was a daunting drive, it was worth every minute. It is so heartwarming to pull this file from the archives and revisit one of my best photography memories.
