Nathan Arizona

Earth, Our Only Homebase

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I feel impressed to say this, that we as humans, do not own the world and it is not ours to trash and dominate; if that’s our outlook that would make Humanity hostile & malevolent. Deep within us, I don’t believe that is our true nature because, at that level, a true divinity resides that helps us grow with empathy to realize that we must preserve this world as our home. It is not just OUR HOME but also a HOME a& Sanctuary for all of our non-human relatives like the plants, birds, animals, & all living things that are part of our whole family.

We must grow & progress alongside them with love, concern, and empathy for their well-being, survival, and continuation as our true relatives. The pigeons, the hummingbirds, the carpenter & honey bees all repeat this truth to me; the #saguaros tell me the same truth of how fragile, yet #ageless, their existence is on this same home planet on a daily basis! This is the most important truth to our existence!

This #MotherEarth is all we have to call home. We have to consider the well-being of all our relatives & not just ourselves, as humans. We need to remember that all beings & entities that share this world are priceless, precious, sacred & irreplaceable & that the only way to avoid despair, destruction, & heartache is to protect & cherish everything that is sacred. All life is sacred…

Familiarity in the Deserted

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Abandoned places feel so comforting because their uncertainty to the indifference of time marching forward is similar to my own introspection about our place on this planet. It’s also a fact Man doesn’t control Nature…She always remains the boss!

Ghostriders in the Bootheel of Southwest New Mexico

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Camped outside this saloon and had the best sweet potato fries at this awesome joint. They let me camp outside on their lot in the dead heat of summer down in the boot heel of New Mexico near the border. The owner stated I was much better off at his place than camping somewhere in the boonies along the border due to the nocturnal activity that takes place in this part of the state due to coyotes and smugglers. I heed the advice of locals if they are friendly enough. They did had many stories to tell, the kind that would inspire the Coen Brothers to make a film. There is a lot of rugged untamed beauty in #bootheel!

El Charro Cafe, Lordsburg, New Mexico

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One of the most hauntingly beautiful towns in the American Southwest is along the borderland freeway of Interstate 10. It traverses from Tucson, Arizona to El Paso, Texas. You brush pretty close to the New Mexican boot heel of the state. Lordsburg is eerie and full of rural decay. It really clings to the past. I’ve voted New Mexico as being one of the best states in America for it’s historic remnants that still gives the #LandofEnchantment it’s true charm.

Walter White’s Meth Lab RV!?

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Man, it took forever! I finally located #WalterWhite’s RV in #SouthernArizona! 😆 – Captured by me with a @fujifilmx_us #XT30 & #Fujinon #56mm F1.2 lens shot wide open with an electronic shutter. Edited with #Afterlight2App for #iOS.

Extra hashtags:
#heisenberg #breakingbad#bettercallsaul #skyblue #desertlife #southernaz

Old Sentinal Saguaro of the Sonoran Desert

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It’s amazing how much #Saguaro #Cactus Plants survive in the harshest environments. I’ve been walking amongst these sentinels for years now. I observe how disease, fungus, drought, sun burn, frost-bite constantly challenge the deeply embedded lives of these beautiful creatures. I am genuinely concerned with how human encroachment is challenging their survival via development, invasive plant matter, wildfire, pollution, climate change, etc?

These cacti are resilient and rugged but they aren’t bullet proof. They can survive for centuries but Arizona rednecks have used them for target practice; I’ve seen initials cut into them. Western Cultural Dwellers don’t understand respect for these sacred beings & it shows in the aftermath of their arrogant actions. Nothing angers me more than what some idiot or groups of idiots would do to one of these beauties.

When I approach an old sentinel like this, I talk to it, respect it, give it a loving energy and thank them for enriching our world. The #SonoranDesert would be dead without them. These plants are the heart and soul of this land, in Arizona.

Photographed with a #FujiFilm #XH1 and #Laowa #9mm F2.8 #Ultrawide.

Frontier Motel in Truxton, Arizona

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A nice early evening capture of the Frontier Motel in Truxston, Arizona, along Route 66! I’ve taken more photos along this historic road probably than any other photographer in the American Southwest. I love old Americana and preserving the past in photos. This is a beautiful evening when there was a massive cloudburst during monsoon season just after a massive cloudburst full of lightning. The sun came out just in time to illuminate the front of the hotel in this crimson light.

Abandoned New Mexico Homestead

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Hey there, I’ve been working on Talking Tree Photoblog as well as 7 other websites here on Desert Dream Network & Talking Tree. Come check it out and tell me what you think? Some of the sites are still under construction but I’m working a few hours on it, daily. I’ve also set up Desert Dream Guestbook! Sign it if you get a chance?

This is an abandoned abode in Southwestern New Mexico not too far North of Reserve, New Mexico which feels like one of the most remote areas of Southern New Mexico.

Happy White Man’s Independence Day from Phoenix, Arizona

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Hello from Arizonaland where I have been living in the #PhoenixMetro area for a year now. I have to share a few thoughts about July 4th – That some may strongly disagree with but that’s the nature of the beast!

Happy White Man’s Independence Day, Everyone! But please don’t expect me to accept lies, myths, and an empire built on lies, enslavement of an entire race and the entire genocide and theft of sovereign lands from another which involved hundreds and hundreds of First Nations. All of Turtle Island was robbed – This is a Multiple Century Occupation built on an American Genocide and Haulocaust which can never be reconciled and this is the history that every American needs to take to heart. I will continue to talk about it and express my outlook, as a Warrior Spirit on this subject as long as Ignorance continues to dominate in my lifetime! I’m not being negative; I’m very positive and telling the truth as the real history states it. Besides, American Patriotism is super overrated and has been raised to the level of sacred but nothing so evil should have been elevated to this pitch because it is sanctimonious to do so. A lie no matter how big or small is still ALWAYS a lie and no body of mythifying it will ever compensate. The truth will prevail.

Bisbee at Night, Southern Arizona

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#Bisbee, #Arizona is about 30 minutes South of Tombstone, and 2.5 hours from Tucson. It’s a historic mining camp that is known for its Lavender Pit Copper Mine and legendary turquoise. It’s right on the border next to #Naco, #Mexico. It’s a great place to escape the heat of Phoenix in the Spring and for a photographer who likes shooting #CoenBrother like cityscapes reminiscent of their major film; #NoCountryForOldMen. 

Abandoned Church in the Bootheel of New Mexico

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Out in the quiet country of #NewMexico’s boot heel along the #SouthernBorder lazy communities bask in the desert heat daily and small townspeople go about their daily lives in a region pretty much forgotten by the rest of the country. It reminds me of Far West Texas enough to step into the past, which both locations give me an opportunity to do. We are surrounded by so much yet humans are overlooking these places and yielding their lives to backlit led screens. As an artist I’m compelled to edit and view images as someone telling the stories of our time in pictures.

Instant Film Polaroids from Route 66

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Here’s a few polaroids from about 6 years ago when I was going through an Instant Film craze and picking up some of these old #Polaroid cameras at thrift stores. There has always been something fascinating about #InstantFilm that stems clear back to my childhood? I often had a Polaroid Camera in my middle school years. These shots were captured along #Route66 in #Arizona.

 

Theft of Moqui Marbles in Grand Staircase National Monument

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These round balls are called moqui marbles are natural and take millions of years to erode out of solid Navajo Sandstone – They are hard concretions of iron that formed in the sandstone. After they are exposed to millions of years of sunlight they develop a dark polished patina called #DesertVarnish which takes eons to form.

Currently, these #moquimarbles are under threat because of their value on the #BlackMarket. They are also popular with the new age tourist trade and they can fetch a pretty penny by the piece. Last I spoke with a BLM Officer, they stated that over 30,000 lbs of these marbles have been stolen from off of Grand Staircase National Monument in Southern Utah. This is truly saddening, because I’ve actually gone to many of the locations where these marbles have gone missing and it destroys and scars the landscape where they were heavily removed. If you’re caught robbing these off of a federal monument, you may as well rob a bank because the consequences are just as severe!

While I do not believe that wilderness is virgin, untouched, or pristine – I do think that humans have an innate responsibility as stewards over the land. The people who rip off these moqui marbles do so for a quick buck. The beauty, once changed, is irreplaceable.

The image above shows a moqui marble out in the wild in an area where theft has occurred regularly for decades according to sources that live in the nearby community of Escalante, #Utah. Mostly what I was able to find here were bits of marble in a place that was once filled with shiny black marbles, smooth and baked in Desert Varnish.

Voigtlander Heliar 15mm F4.5 III Ultrawide is Favorite Landscape Lens

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I’ve had this lens for a few years now and must admit it is one of the best landscape lenses that I have ever owned and had the pleasure of using. The quality of my images easily beat previous wide angles that I have utilized in the past.

If you want a high quality lens for professional landscape photography – I highly recommend the #Voigtlander #Heliar #15mm F4.5 III lens for #Sony #EMount. This is perhaps THEE BEST #wideangle lens that I have owned to date and have been using for a few years now.

I was visiting with Stephen Gandy today who is the largest distributors of #Cosina / Voigtlander lenses over at CameraQuest.com. He runs an invaluable resource on vintage lenses through his website as well. Check it out!

I will post a few sample images here that I’ve captured with this lens and will post more down the road.

Testing Landscapes with the Nikon Coolpix P900

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I’ve been testing the capabilities of the Nikon Coolpix P900. So far the pictures are not looking too bad. I’ve had to send the one back that I had to see if I can find a factory brand-new copy. Anyways, it’s an impressive little camera with a mini-16 megapixel sensor. Having the world record long reach that it possesses at 2,000mm, there is nothing else to compete with it on the market. I highly recommend it as a superzoom. Heres a couple more test shots:

two of three of these images were shot on the long end at 357mm (2,000mm 35mm-film equivalent) to show that it is plenty sharp long end. The camera only produces jpegs with no raw capability and with rumors successor to this camera that can zoom to 3,000mm – I’m kind of disappointed they haven’t come out with it yet, because I would probably spring for it instead. I think I’ll be sticking with the P900 just for the reach alone for a few years.

Samyang-Rokinon AF 35mm F2.8 FE – Field Testing

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Two days ago I received the AF 35mm F2.8 for Sony Full Frame manufactured by Samyang from Rokinon and tested it on the Sony A7R last night. The images in this post are from that test shoot. I was on the phone today with the Rokinon letting them know about a concern I have with the autofocus noise that is coming from the lens. There’s been some complaints about it according to some reviews, and videos posted on Youtube.  This is not normal according to Samyang/Rokinon and they are working quickly to resolve. I will be getting a corrected copy from Rokinon with the next batch that comes in the next few weeks.

Rokinon is a great company in my opinion. I will be collaborating with them with some of my work using their gear. I look forward to working with them in limited capacity as a potential ambassador. So, I’m starting this off with some of the work I’ve taken with the new 35mm normal wide angle. It’s sharp! From what I’ve seen so far, I really have no complaints about the quality. Yes, there is some purple fringing and some chromatic aberration but it’s only noticeable at pixel level. I’m not worried about it, and all images were shot with the Sony A7R.


Initial first impressions of the lens is that it leaves very little to be desired where image-quality is concerned. It’s top-notch sharp and better than the first impressions I experienced with the budget Sony AF 28mm F2 FE lens for Sony Mirrorless. This lens seems to perform alright other than noisy autofocus which is being fixed in future copies from Samyang.

Let me know if you have any questions and leave them in the comments. I will try to respond in a timely manner.

Area 51 Tours & Research

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My life is starting to revolve around government secrets, ufo conferences and taking friends and strangers out to Area 51. The Alien Head above is part of the Grand Alien Shrine inside the Little A’Le’Inn in Rachel, Nevada. I take people to this heart-filled stronghold out in the high desert near America’s most secretive military base known as Area 51. Pat and her daughter, Connie are the owners of this esteemed cafe that has become world-famous in it’s 28 years of operation. The owners have their own stories to tell about ET Life and what goes on at the base. Anyone can stop in for an alien or saucer burger and look at hundreds of pictures of ufos or check out the evidence room. There’s plenty of conversation about UFOs at this central gathering place along Extraterrestrial Highway – A stretch of road that runs 150 miles without any services except for this ET Oasis!


In the adjacent valley next to Rachel, is one of the side access roads that lead to two different Northeast entrances to the base. Somewhere at the convening intersections between the unmarked dirt roads pops this directional sign signaling that the base is close by.

Dave Rosenfeld of Utah UFO Hunters gave me one of his emblems and here’s a photograph of my Suzuki named Badger at Area 51. We are planning a trip to Tikaboo Peak, the only legal vantage point where you can look into the base from the mountain tops and I’m looking forward to meeting up with fellow researchers and adventurers!

As a photographer, there are few places that I love to do photo safaris at that can compare and compete with Area 51. The minimalism of the landscape makes it so easy to practice composition and the history of the base really ads a silver lining to the whole experience. You can also stay at the Little A’Le’Inn if you wish to set up camp near the base. The starry skies are hard to beat in this far outpost on the Earth.