Author: Valerie Fall

I live part time in the San Joaquin Valley of California and in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona. California and Arizona both offer great opportunities for photography. I look forward to sharing images from wherever my travels take me.

Honoring Veterans #2

November 11 is Veteran’s Day in the United States. This image is from the Veteran’s Memorial at Anthem, AZ, where a ceremony is held annually on November 11, to honor veterans in all branches of the United States Armed Forces. The names of 1,750 veterans are inscribed on red bricks surrounding The Great Seal of the United States. See Honoring Veterans Post #1.

Honoring Veterans #1

This image from the Veterans Memorial in Anthem, AZ features 5 pillars honoring the 5 military branches of the United States Armed Services. Each pillar has an elliptical opening designed to allow the sun to focus on The Great Seal of the United States shown in my post Honoring Veterans #2. This occurs annually on Veteran’s Day, November 11, at 11:11 am. Amazing design!

Bee Heaven

A favorite place to photograph in Arizona is the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, especially in the spring, which seems a long time ago now. The bees were busy all over the gardens that include every type of cactus you can imagine, as well as many other plants well-suited to this desert environment. This cactus bee was so involved in pollinating this prickly pear cactus that he let me get up close and personal and even posed.

Fall in the Eastern Sierras

I don’t know any photographers who don’t enjoy taking photos in the fall and especially when colorful trees and water can be combined in the image. I had taken this photo several years ago and had not revisited it until recently. I particularly like the autumn leaves and the gently slowed water in the creek, but also the two stumps in the water, the mini waterfall between the two larger rocks and the pathway on the far side of the creek. Enjoy!

First Post – My Roots

The date of my first post with Passion for Photos happens to fall on my birthday. I wanted to post an image that means something personal to me and reflects my “roots”. I was born and raised in Bishop, which is on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. This image includes a field similar to ones I played in as a child, Mt. Tom (highest peak on the right) which was the view out the front window of my childhood home, and the beautiful “Sierra Wave”. The Eastern Sierra is one of my favorite places to photograph, and I’m thankful to be able to call it home.