Category Archives: Photo Opportunity

Man On Fire…

Posted by Dan Mitchell on

Maybe it’s just me watching too much anime as a kid (and into adulthood), but when I got home and pulled this image out of the camera, it looked to me like a figure getting struck by lightning.

Am I the only one?  Well, if there are any sightings of Voltron, Optimus Prime, or VF-1 Valkyries around Phoenix in the next couple of days, I’ll know I was right!

Man On Fire

Taken September 9, 2011, looking Southwest over South Mountain Park, Phoenix, AZ. 10:30 PM.

Details:

  • Nikon D200 dSLR
  • AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED Lens
  • 18mm (27mm equivalent)
  • ISO 100
  • f/3.5
  • 10-second exposure

Enjoy!

Dan, aka @PHXPhoto

Fire in the Sky…

Posted by Dan Mitchell on

…or “The one where I again put myself in danger to get another amazing photo*”.

Quite a few cells rolled into Phoenix last night from the Southwest, and the lightning was hit or miss.  There were periods where it was relatively quiet, then there were short bursts of lots of activity.  The photo below shows cloud-to-cloud lightning propagating across the sky.

Fire in the Sky

(*since my family and friends read this, I have to add the disclaimer that I wasn’t really in danger- the lightning was actually quite far away)

Taken September 9, 2011, looking Southwest over South Mountain Park, Phoenix, AZ. 10:28 PM.

Details:

  • Nikon D200 dSLR
  • AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED Lens
  • 18mm (27mm equivalent)
  • ISO 100
  • f/3.5
  • 10-second exposure

Enjoy!

Dan, aka @PHXPhoto

The ‘Supermoon’ Full Moon: March 19, 2011

Posted by Dan Mitchell on

By now, you’ve probably heard about Saturday’s ‘Supermoon’.  The moon was at ‘Perigee’ (the closest point to the Earth in its elliptical orbit); at 221,567 miles, it was also closer than it’s been in 19 years.

The moon’s average distance from Earth is 238,857 miles, so it was 17,290 miles closer to the Earth than average. Consequently, the full moon appeared about 14 percent larger than a ‘normal’ full moon.

If you missed it, you’ll have another chance in November 2016. If you miss that one, though, the next one won’t be until January 2036; after that, you’ll be waiting until December 2052.

Photo above taken with a Nikon D200 and an AF-Zoom Nikkor f/4-5.6D ED lens.  HDR composite using Photomatix to merge 5 photos into one.  Shutter speeds: 1/100, 1/80, 1/60, 1/50, and 1/40. Aperture for all photos: f11.  Source photos taken March 19, 2011 at 7:57 p.m. local Arizona time.

Photo Ops In Phoenix This Weekend: The ‘Super Moon’

Posted by Dan Mitchell on

This one is for all of the astronomers out there.

By now, you may have heard about the ‘Super Moon‘; if you haven’t, this Saturday, March 19, 2011, the moon will not only be at ‘Perigee’ (the closest point to the Earth in its elliptical orbit); at 221,567 miles, it will be closer than it’s been in 19 years.

The moon’s average distance from Earth is 238,857 miles, so Saturday it will be 17,290 miles closer to the Earth than average. Consequently, the full moon will appear about 14 percent larger than a ‘normal’ full moon.

If you miss it this time around, you’ll have another chance in November 2016. If you miss that one, though, the next one won’t be until January 2036; after that, you’ll be waiting until December 2052.

The forecast for Saturday is perfect for viewing the full moon, and the moonrise should occur around 7:02 p.m. local time.

I’ll be outside with my camera Saturday. How about you?

If you take any photos, please share them below.

-Dan, a.k.a. PHX Photo
Waning Gibbous Moon with 96% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.

Snow On Four Peaks

Posted by Dan Mitchell on

From Wikipedia:

Four Peaks (Yavapai: Wikopa[1]), at 7657 feet (2335 m) in altitude, is a prominent landmark on the eastern skyline of Phoenix, part of the Mazatzal Mountains. It is located in the Tonto National Forest 40 miles (64 km) east-northeast of Phoenix, in the 60,740-acre (245.8 km2) Four Peaks Wilderness. On rare occasions, Four Peaks offers much of the Phoenix metro area a view of snow covered peaks, and is the highest point in Maricopa County.

The name Four Peaks is a reference to the four distinct peaks of a north-south ridge forming the mountain’s summit. The northernmost peak is named Brown’s Peak and is the tallest of the four at 7,657 feet (2,334 m).[2] The remaining summits are unnamed, and from north to south are 7,642 feet (2,329 m), 7,575 feet (2,309 m) and 7,524 feet (2,293 m) in altitude.

Planespotting in the Valley of the Sun: Air China 747-400

Posted by Dan Mitchell on

Something you don’t see every day at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport- An Air China flight, actually, a charter, since it headed over to the Executive Terminal after it landed.

Air China 747-400

Air China 747-400

Air China 747-400

Thanks for taking the time to check out my photos! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the work!

-Dan, a.k.a. @PHXPhoto

Posted via web from phxphoto’s posterous

Photos of Air Force One- Back In Phoenix

Posted by Dan Mitchell on

So, Air Force One was back in town this weekend.  Are you a photographer in any capacity- pro, hobbyist, enthusiast, other?  Do you like planes?  Did you get a chance to get out to try and get a picture of one of the arrivals or departures?  If not, you’ll have one more chance Monday, after the President speaks to the VFW convention on Phoenix, the President will be leaving the Valley of the Sun to head back home to Washington, D.C.

‘When’ in anybody’s guess; the FAA TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) around PHX Sky Harbor goes through 1:00 PM, but the President hs been running early this entire trip.  So, if you are looking to get a shot of the departure, I’d recommend getting out there early.  Of course, this is already Obama’s third visit to Phoenix in six months, so chances are, if you don’t catch Air Force One this time, odds are there will be another; to paraphrase a Phoenix police officer assigned to keep an eye on my fellow photographers and me, “I think he [Obama] just likes rubbing McCain’s face in it.”

Anyway, below are some highlights of my photos from Sunday’s departure for the First Family’s day trip to the Grand Canyon. The complete set can be found here.  Please click on any of the images below for a larger size of the image.

All of my photos from both Air Force One visits to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport that I’ve been able to photograph can be found here.

For additional photos from some other very talented and passionate photographers, you may want to check out the Arizona Aviation Photographers (AzAP) website.

Enjoy!

Before the Presidential motorcade even arrived at the airport, the North side of the airport was completely closed down to all air traffic. All takeoffs and departures were on the South runways only. With the two South runways relatively close together, they could only launch or land one plane at a time; they had to alternate- one landing, one takeoff. As you can imagine, this led to some delays; at one point, I counted twelve planes lined up on the taxiway waiting to take off.

Before the Presidential motorcade even arrived at the airport, the North side of the airport was completely closed down to all air traffic. All takeoffs and departures were on the South runways only. With the two South runways relatively close together, they could only launch or land one plane at a time; they had to alternate- one landing, one takeoff. As you can imagine, this led to some delays; at one point, I counted twelve planes lined up on the taxiway waiting to take off.

Marine One at the ready prior to the departure of Air Force One.

'Marine One' helicopter at the ready prior to the departure of Air Force One.

Presidential Motorcade Arrives at Air Force One- PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Presidential Motorcade Arrives at Air Force One- PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Taxis to North Runway 08 at PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Taxis to North Runway 08 at PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One departing PHX Sky Harbor with Camelback Mountain in the distance.

Air Force One departing PHX Sky Harbor with Camelback Mountain in the distance.

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Air Force One Departs PHX Sky Harbor Airport

Thanks for taking the time to check out my photos!  Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the work!

-Dan, a.k.a. @PHXPhoto

Photo Ops In Phoenix This Weekend: Air Force One

Posted by Dan Mitchell on

 

President Barack Obama is about to make his third trip to the Valley of the Sun since taking office just over six months ago.  This time, he’s bringing the wife and kids and mixing a little pleasure with business.  The First Family is going to pile into the Family Truckster (a.k.a. Air Force One) for a quick trip to the Grand Canyon as part of a tour of several National Parks. Then, on Monday, the President will be in Phoenix speaking to the VFW Convention before returning to Washington, D.C.

As I mentioned in my post from Obama’s previous visit in May 2009, PHX- Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport- is one of the most photo-friendly airports- if not the most photo-friendly airport- that I’ve visited yet, and Air Force One makes a very eye-catching subject.  And, according to what I’ve read here, here, here, and here, there may be not one, but two to three different opportunities to catch a glimpse of (and/or photograph) arguably the most recognizable plane in the world.

No official times have been published yet; at least none that I’ve seen, but you can check out this site for the latest; their info has been pretty reliable in the past.  I’ll also post any additional information I get as it comes in.

For now, unofficial times have Air Force One arriving at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport early Saturday evening, departing Sunday morning for the day trip to the Grand Canyon, before returning to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport late Sunday afternoon.

If you’re around Phoenix, I’d highly recommend taking some time and heading up to the top floor of Terminal 4 to watch Air Force One come in for at least on landing. Or a departure. Maybe both!

Hope to see you there!

@PHXPhoto