Saguaros and the Catalina Mountains

 

Saguaros and the Catalinas, Holga 120N

One of the things about my trip to the Sonoran Desert is that we stayed in Tucson for a week, and our rental cottage was less than 2 miles from Saguaro National Park East (SNPE).  We were also fairly close to the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area - as well as the road that takes you to Mt. Lemmon.  What a fantastic location to be staying at for that length of time.  

When I was packing for this trip, I almost didn't bring a Holga.  Then I thought about it some more and decided that I'd find a filter ring and use a yellow filter for the b&w shots.  For most of the trip, we had clear skies with nary a hint of clouds, but our final day there, we had beautiful cirrus clouds that added so much to the stark landscape.  Typically, a cloudless sky has very little drama - a gray featureless backdrop to landscapes or buildings.  In color, you have those azure skies that go on forever, but even then, some clouds add something.  

The day I took this was our last day in Tucson, October 16.  We drove out to Sabino Canyon Recreation Area and hiked a section of the trail that goes through some of the most beautiful Saguaro cactus "groves" that I have seen.  On top of that, the Catalina Mountains add a great background.  The day before, we had driven up the Mt. Lemmon Highway, and viewed some wonderful landscapes, as well as looked back and saw the entirety of the bowl that Tucson lies in - ringed by mountains in all directions.  

I think this shot of the Saguaros from the Sabino Canyon Rec. Area was the best one taken with my Holga 120N.  I used Arista 400 film and a yellow filter held in place with a Series VI adapter ring.  It was also the last roll of film that I scanned from this trip - 36 rolls, mostly 35mm.  

Saguaro friends, SNPE, 10/10, Holga 120N, Fomapan 400, yellow filter.

The image above was also taken with the Holga on our first full day in Tucson on Oct. 10.  The  SNPE is full of opportunities to explore these cactus forests at your own leisure. No clouds in the sky that day.