Bush Fire Sunrise

Matt Perkins June 22, 2020

Smoke from the Bush Fire drifts over the face of Four Peaks outside of Phoenix. The fire which at this time is 42% contained has burned over 184000 acres prompting numerous closures and evacuations throughout the area.

Location: 33°27'56.982" N 111°28'48.294" W

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The Lower Salt River

Matt Perkins June 15, 2020

I decided to get out of the house and fly the drone after most of the heat of the day had gone. I headed out to a favorite spot off of Bush Highway and along the lower end of the Salt River. While there I managed to get some shots in of another spectacular Arizona sunset.

Location: 33°31'9.546" N 111°40'12.048" W

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The Dragonfly

Matt Perkins June 7, 2020

One advantage of working 3pm to 3am is that I tend to be up most of the night whether I’m working or not. Friday night into Saturday morning I stayed up all night thinking I would just head out and get some early morning shots of the moon. After that was done I wasn’t tired so I decided to venture out to Butcher Jones Recreation Area along Saguaro Lake and hike the Butcher Jones Trail. This is a relatively easy out and back hike and at its’ furthest point overlooks the lake. It was here that I noticed this singular Dragonfly sitting on a branch and, not having a proper taco lens, decided to use my telephoto to get as close as possible without disturbing it.

Location: 33°34'1.344" N 111°30'11.772" W

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The Ridgeline

Matt Perkins May 31, 2020

Sunlight streams over a ridgeline near the salt River in the Tonto National Forest.

Location: 33°32'9.654" N 111°38'59.196" W

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*** Click on Image to view full screen ***

Superstition View

Matt Perkins May 24, 2020

After a stressful past week I decided to leave my new digs and drive out to the Superstition Mountains to watch the sunset. You’ll note from this photo that I …or at least the camera…was pointed the wrong direction, but the light cast by sunlight on the rocks can be just as beautiful as the sunset itself. I’ll also admit that I’m rather spoiled here in Arizona, in that I can always say I’ll just catch the next one. There seems to be no limit to the amazing sunsets we get out here.

Location: 33°26'36.1435" N 111°29'28.0244" W

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*** Click on Image to view full screen ***

Four Peaks

Matt Perkins May 18, 2020

Far in the distance, Four Peaks rises above the desert in the Tonto National Forest. The area surrounding the mountains are called the Four Peaks Wilderness and covers more than 60K acres. At it’s highest point, Brown’s Peak, the range reaches over 7000 feet and can become snow-covered during the winter months.

Location: 33°32'21.612" N 111°27'12.066" W

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#landscapedesign #mountainlove #nature_prefection #greettheoutdoors #igersarizona #exploreaz #igersphx #ilovearizona #azgrammers #weroamarizona #arizonalife #arizonahighways #visitarizona #instagramaz #igarizona #explorearizona #lifeisgoodarizona #everythingarizona #azlife #igsouthwest #azfamily #fox10phoenix #abc15arizona #yourshotphotographer #landscape #adventurethatislife #Arizona #Phoenix #canon1dxmarkii #FourpeaksWilderneess

Splash

Matt Perkins May 10, 2020

Every Vlog, Blog, or article I read on building an Instagram or photography following says to stick to one type of photography. Either portraits or animals or street photography or landscapes…..but not to change from one to another once you’ve established a routine. I get it…but it seems to me that having an outlet that is as broad as photography can lend itself to experimentation outside of normal habits. So while this post may seem a bit out of my norm I consider it part of the growing process.

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#BlackandWhite #bubble #Cimarron, #Clean #dark #drip #drop #water #glass #large #liquid #monochrome #motion #NorthAmerica #Phoenix #splashing #droplet #spray #TheAmericas #UnitedStatesofAmerica #vertical #Water #wave #Wet #azfamily #fox10phoenix #abc15arizona #yourshotphotographer #adventurethatislife #Arizona #Phoenix #canon1dxmarkii

Phon D. Sutton Sunset

Matt Perkins May 3, 2020

Phon D. Sutton recreation area is a popular spot for hikers, campers, and tubers that sits just outside of Phoenix in the Tonto National Forest. Normally accessible by car the recent COVID restrictions meant that the road was blocked at the far entrance leaving only a small wayside lot from which to view the desert scenery.

Location: 33°32'9.03" N 111°38'58.92" W

Camelback View

Matt Perkins April 26, 2020

Camelback mountain rises at the far end of a street street in Phoenix, Arizona. The mountain is the home to two major hiking trails and few upscale residences built into the mountainside.

Location: 33°19'54.6" N 112°7'45.12" W

Alta Trail

Matt Perkins April 19, 2020

On the far west side of South Mountain is the trailhead for the Alta Trail. The hike to the top is a moderate two-mile trek that provides a summit view of downtown Phoenix and the west valley. Depending on what time of year you venture up the mountain you may see wildflowers blooming amidst the rocks.

Location: 33°19'54.6" N 112°7'45.12" W

Lost Dutchman Stars

Matt Perkins April 12, 2020

This is another shot off Highway 88, although this time I was just outside of Lost Dutchman State Park. Living this close to the desert wilderness, it doesn’t take long at all to get away from light pollution and capture photos of the stars. I was parked on a rise just off the highway and had a largely unobstructed view of the mountain two miles away.

Location: 33°27'9.798" N 111°29'38.94" W

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*** Click on Image to view full screen ***

A-Mountain Flyover

Matt Perkins April 5, 2020

A-Mountain, or Tempe Butte as it is officially called, is a small …well…mountain (although a hill is probably a more apt way to convey it’s size) That sits on the ASU campus in Tempe, Arizona. If you so desire there is a quick 1 mile out and back hike to the top which provides panoramic views of the ASU campus and Tempe Town Lake. Also notable is that the mountain sits almost directly under the flight path for Phoenix Sky Harbor airport and thus provides a great spot for watching local air traffic. This picture was shot a little more than half way up the mountain, shooting against the rocks as the plane flew over.

Location: 33°25'41.37" N 111°56'8.412" W

Stream Grass

Matt Perkins March 29, 2020

The Peralta Trail in the Tonto National Forest climbs over numerous rocks and though the desert, but it also crosses some small streams which small pockets of foliage not otherwise seen in this dry climate.

Location: 33°24'7.656" N 111°19'51.726" W

Canyon Lake Sunset

Matt Perkins March 22, 2020

As I mentioned in the post from earlier this week Highway 88 provides numerous observation points as it winds its way through the desert mountains. One of these spots lies just past the West Canyon Lake Marina. You can pull over, park your vehicle and a short but steep climb will bring you to a plateau on the ridgeline overlooking Canyon Lake. I spent about four hours at this spot and was able to capture a wide variety of photos ranging from sunset to starlight.

Location: 33°31'51.054" N 111°24'11.514" W

Superstition Flowers

Matt Perkins March 15, 2020

It’s been a rainy past couple days here in Phoenix so yesterday I headed back out to the Superstition mountains to see if I could find some flowers to shoot against the mountains. The last time I had been out this way the National Park Service had closed all the trails due to a looming wildfire so it was nice to get closer to the mountain this time.

Location: 33°27'33.192" N 111°28'28.938" W

The Road

Matt Perkins March 8, 2020

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
(an Irish Blessing)

Location: 33°23'50.562" N 111°20'26.958" W

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#landscapedesign #mountainlove #nature_prefection #greettheoutdoors #igersarizona #exploreaz #igersphx #ilovearizona #azgrammers #weroamarizona #arizonalife #arizonahighways #visitarizona #instagramaz #igarizona #explorearizona #lifeisgoodarizona #everythingarizona #azlife #igsouthwest #azfamily #fox10phoenix #abc15arizona #yourshotphotographer #landscape #adventurethatislife #Arizona #Prescott #canon1dxmarkii #irishblessing

Lynx Lake

Matt Perkins March 1, 2020

Another photo from my trip to Lynx Lake in Prescott. The trail hugs the shoreline closely for 90 percent of the hike and brings you many of these small coves where reeds or fallen trees sit at the waterline.

Shot at: 34°31'8.79" N 112°22'59.376" W

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Trailside

Matt Perkins February 23, 2020

In the past couple of months, I’ve spent more time out in the Tonto National Forest than I have in the eight years since I moved here in 2012. There is such a rich variety of images to capture not only here but throughout Arizona that it is a destination for many photographers. This shot was taken, as the title suggests, trailside. I saw these two cactus’ that were so similar in shape and size I began to think of them as twins and they just naturally lined up with a peak in the background.

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The Trees

Matt Perkins February 16, 2020

It’s not that we don’t have trees in Phoenix. We do….many different kinds in fact, but in general, they are used as decoration in outdoor malls or lining our streets. To go out and stand in a forest, however, you generally need to get out of Phoenix, which is what I did a couple of weeks ago on a trip to Prescott. While there I visited and hiked the Lynx Lake trail for the first time. The hike itself is a very easy 3.3 mile loop but provides complete immersion in the woods beside the lake and that is where the trees in this shot were found. The cooler temps that day mixed with the surrounding forest definitely reminded me of wooded areas back home in Wisconsin and the silence, aside from meeting the occasional fellow hiker, was a great reprieve from the noise of the city and the chaotic assault of sounds that come with working in the ER.

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Marcos De Niza Trail

Matt Perkins February 9, 2020

A friend and I decided to find a less-traveled trail of the offerings on South Mountain. The Marcos De Niza Trail starts at the trailhead off of 48th street, climbs quickly and runs along the ridgeline on South Mountain until meeting up with the National Trail. This picture was taken at the terminal point of our hike but the trail continues on for another 1.5miles before meeting the National Trail at the Buena Vista overlook. The day also highlighted the challenge that is dressing for hikes in Arizona during the winter months. The temperature dropped from near 80 at the start to mid 50’s by the time we made it back to the car.

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