I recently had the chance to venture down to Tucson and make the drive up to Mount Lemmon. I had seen plenty of images from around there, but when I actually got to see some of the sights, my mind was blown. It’s such a diverse area with plenty to offer. Rising from the Sonoran desert into the pines and aspen in a matter of miles was pretty interesting. While it’s not the tallest mountain, it certainly is a beautiful one. After checking out many sights and view points, I ended up at a spot called Windy Point. It is a pretty popular spot up here, and I have seen a few images from here, but again, actually walking out and seeing the views with my own eyes was just breathtaking. I will admit, I was a bit bummed that the city lights were visible, and that the road cut directly below. However, it sprung up an idea and something new for me to work on. I tend to enjoy car trail images when done well, and with the long stretch of road that lead towards the city, I knew this would be a good time to try it for myself. As many of you know, I prefer to keep the hand of man out of my images. This was one of the rare instances where I chose to include the hand of man, and probably not the last. Although, I will not shy away from the purity of nature and landscape altogether. This is also more of a creative piece for me as well. While you are able to watch the milky way rise above the mountains, I took some artistic liberties to shift it over a little bit to the right and incorporate it into my composition. It was a blend of three exposures. Two for the landscape, and then one for the stars. When I put the pieces together it made me think of two completely different worlds. The wilds of the mountains, and then the wilds of the concrete jungle below lit up. There was a thick haze on the horizon do to a wildfire, but that did not deter me from enjoying the milky way as it rose above the lights and mountains of Southern Arizona.
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Sig Nordal 