The Essence of Place – Exploring King’s Canyon in Saguaro National Park

Three Cacti

https://www.saiidzeidan.com/38qypxr Three Saguaro © 2014 Bo Mackison

Saguaro National Park is all about saguaros!

watch There are deep canyons, endless desert, blue forever sky, the play of light and shadow, but the biggest draw are the iconic cacti of the Sonoran Desert, the giant saguaros.

Saguaro Cactus - A View from Above

source url Saguaro Cactus – A View from Above © 2014 Bo Mackison

enter site It is not often the tip of a cactus arm is easily captured, but on the Kings Canyon hike in Saguaro National Park, the mountain path rises above a stand of mature saguaros.

King Canyon, Saguaro National Park

Buy Diazepam Powder Kings Canyon © 2014 Bo Mackison

Kings Canyon is dry on this sunny February day.

follow link But after a heavy rain, raging flood waters can fill this canyon and overflow to the surrounding desert. A rock dam blocks this part of the canyon.

King Canyon, Saguaro National Park

follow site Saguaro National Park © 2014 Bo Mackison

https://www.rmporrua.com/4qvgkle A stand of 50 to 75-year-old cacti, none yet sprouting arms. Typically a cactus will develop arms between 70 and 100 years, and can live 150 to 200 years.

Petroglyph Canyon Wall

http://lisapriceblog.com/4ib8ef3f Petroglyph Canyon Wall © 2014 Bo Mackison

Deep in the canyon, the desert varnish is marked with ancient petroglyphs. Snakes, spirals, human and animal figures are just a few of the many symbols.

Yipes Stripes, Saguaro National Park Visitor Center

Stripes, Saguaro National Park Visitor Center © 2013 Bo Mackison

Light and shadow is a large part of the desert experience, and even the buildings offer a light/shadow experience. The Visitor Center at the Tucson Unit of Saguaro National Park has a large outdoor ramada.

Stripes and saguaros!

Beginning to Blossom – A Lesson from the Desert

Barely Blooming - Ocotillo in the Sonoran Desert

Barely Blooming – Ocotillo in the Sonoran Desert © 2014 Bo Mackison

Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. Time to dream, time to contemplate what’s working and what’s not, so that we can make changes for the better. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

I go to the desert. Walking in the canyon, deeper into the wilderness, away from the few others who are also roaming the desert. I sit on a rock outcropping, settle into the earth. Before I take photographs, I take the time to contemplate my surroundings. It is winter in the desert, there is little color in the desert. Only a few blossoms, the earliest flowers, add a touch of color to a world of muted greens and grays. The time of first awakenings. It is during this time of contemplation that I discover not only the essence of place, but also my place.

The Essence of Place – Defined

Palo Dura Canyon

Palo Dura Canyon Abstract © 2014 Bo Mackison

https://www.amyglaze.com/6msg7r0s The Essence of Place, Defined

see url Essence of Place: A limited selection of photographs that, when combined, offer a unique glimpse into a place. The mood or emotion portrayed in the place is emphasized, and included are elements that are unique to the area. People also can be included to illustrate culture or connection.

https://www.prestoavenuedesigns.com/save/valium-roche-online.php Abstract. An abstract uses form, texture and color. Emphasis is more on the composition and less on the subject.

enter site Landscape:  The term landscape represents a segment of nature from a single point of view. It encompasses land, and can also include animals, buildings, and people. source

https://osteopatiaamparoandres.com/uy8xq9kn Intimate Landscape: Photographs typically do not include a horizon line, or when the horizon is present, conveys only a hint of where the image is photographed. The grandeur of nature is captured in a smaller space. Less is more.

Ordering Valium From Overseas Still Life: A photo which depicts inanimate subjects. Includes common objects in nature, such as rocks, sticks, leaves. Simplicity is key.

source link Macro-Photography: A close-up image of a subject. Technically, the image is at a 1:1 ratio (life-size) or larger, magnified up to 5 times the life-size image.

https://www.iql-nog.com/2025/01/19/kn9ps30o Wabi-Sabi:A Japanese aesthetic of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete…” ~ Leonard Koren. Includes objects connected to the earth: rustic materials, rich in raw texture; effects of weathering and aging by sun, wind, heat, cold; rusty, tarnished, warped, cracked or peeling surfaces; faded colors, muddy tones, or grays/blacks; simple, yet poetic. (source: Leonard Koren)

Combinations are also possible, such as:

see Intimate landscape + portrait: A portrait of a person or animal which includes landscape to provide a context for the subject, or defines a landscape by contrasting the human perspective in a natural setting.

To capture the essence of place, I did some basic research and pulled key words and concepts for which the region is particularly noted.

Here are my notes:

Palo Duro means “hard wood”. Southern high plains. Rim of canyon is shortgrass prairie, canyon floor has more trees, shrubs, tall grasses. Canyon is 800 feet deep, formed by erosion from Prairie Dog Town Fork of Red River. Rock layers of gypsum (white) and claystone (red) and is called “Spanish skirts”. “Grand Canyon of Texas” – second largest canyon in US. Erosion shaped lands, caps of erosion resistant sandstone creating mesas, pinnacles, buttes.

https://bettierose.co.uk/ignhgc668uv Landscapes:

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Palo Duro Canyon © 2014 Bo Mackison

Palo Duro Canyon

“Spanish Skirts” © 2010 Bo Mackison

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Prairie Dog Town Fork of Red River  © 2014 Bo Mackison

enter site Intimate Landscape:

Palo Dura Canyon

Juniper Tree in Red Canyon © 2014 Bo Mackison

https://thelowegroupltd.com/w81saywelhe Intimate Landscape + Portrait:

Palo Dura Canyon

Karate Chop © 2014 Bo Mackison

https://tudiabetesbajocontrol.com/relanzam/order-valium-online-from-india.php Macro.

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Yucca Seed Heads © 2014 Bo Mackison

https://hereisnewyorkv911.org/9l8f6ro4cky Still life.

Palo Dura Canyon

Red Earth © 2014 Bo Mackison

http://foodsafetytrainingcertification.com/food-safety-news/o78yp0pvv Wabi sabi.

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Twisted Wood © 2014 Bo Mackison

 

 

 

Bookmaking in the Sonoran Desert – Featuring Prickly Pear Cactus

Prickly Pear Book - Cover

Prickly Pear Book – Cover © 2014 Bo Mackison

Second in the series of hand crafted books, exploring the Sonoran Desert habitat. This accordion book features the Engelmann’s Prickly Pear Cactus, the most common of prickly pears in the US Deserts.

Prickly Pear Accordion Book © 2014 Bo Mackison

Prickly Pear Accordion Book © 2014 Bo Mackison

I used photographs in this book. These photos were taken in the back arroyo, and I have the pleasure of seeing cacti covered with blooming yellow flowers every May.

Prickly Pear Book - Text

Prickly Pear Book – Text © 2014 Bo Mackison

My intention with these books is to make a small collection of books focusing on the commonly seen plants, birds, and animals in the Sonoran Desert. Quick and easy, with simply done content. I used the accordion format for the first two books.

The first book in the series features the Greater Roadrunner.

Essence of Place – San Pedro Riparian Area

San Pedro Riparian Area

River Reflection © 2014 Bo Mackison

On a visit to San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area, I again captured the essence of the area in a few select photographs.

When I visit a natural area, I make a point of taking a variety of photographs including landscapes, intimate landscapes, portraits (wildlife or people), macro-photographs, abstracts, and details which capture the essence and personality of the place. I capture the essence of the place using one or two photographs in each of the categories.

Abstract.

The above photograph, the river with reflected trees, is abstract in feel. But it gives a feel for the area — river dependent, tall trees along the river banks, a quiet place.

Landscapes

The next two photographs, black and whites of the San Pedro River and its riparian corridor, are typical landscape photographs.

San Pedro Riparian Area

San Pedro River © 2014 Bo Mackison

The San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area encompasses a desert riparian ecosystem – a river flowing through a desert – rare now but once common throughout the US Southwest. Tall trees – mostly cottonwoods and willows – hug the river banks.

San Pedro River

San Pedro River © 2014 Bo Mackison

The San Pedro River is one of the few rivers with a perennial flow. Its headwaters are in Mexico and it flows north into the United States. The river is protected from the US/Mexico border to St. David, Arizona, a span of 40 miles.

Intimate Landscape

The next photographs are intimate landscapes — they show only a part of the landscape and focus on color, texture, patterns.

San Pedro Riparian Area

Log Dam on San Pedro © 2014 Bo Mackison

San Pedro Riparian Area

Aquatic Plant on San Pedro River Bend © 2014 Bo Mackison

 Macro-Photography in a Landscape

The close-up of the soaptree yucca dominates the photograph, but the background of desertscrub provides context.

San Pedro Riparian Area

Soaptree Yucca © 2014 Bo Mackison

The San Pedro River flows through the Chihuahuan and Sonora Deserts. Away from the water, the landscape is dominated by Chihuahuan desertscrub — soaptree yucca, creosote and agave are common. Mesquite and sacaton grasses grow in the bottomland.

Portrait in an Intimate Landscape

The portrait of waterfowl in this intimate landscape adds another dimension of place.

San Pedro Riparian Area

Waterfowl in Lake © 2014 Bo Mackison

The riparian corridor and its abutting lakes are home to 250 migrating birds, and over 100 breeding birds. Half the known breeding birds in North America have been spotted in this riparian region.

Macro-Photography and Detail Photographs

These photos capture the personality of the place, and often focus on wabi-sabi characteristics – textures and details.

San Pedro Riparian Area

Shindagger Agave © 2014 Bo Mackison

 

San Pedro Riparian Area

Branches in San Pedro River © 2014 Bo Mackison

 

San Pedro Riparian Area

San Pedro River Cottonwood © 2014 Bo Mackison

An added note: This area is also home to a significant archeological site – home of the Paleoindians or the Clovis Culture, the earliest known inhabitants of North America. They lived in this area and hunted mammoths in the last Ice Age, over 11,000 years ago.