joana's view in Arizona

My favorite place is behind a camera's viewfinder.

My favorite study is any aspect of rural Arizona. Arizona is a rugged, unpredictable woman who doesn't suffer fools well. There is not a more beautiful or more dangerous woman than Arizona.

She is photogenic. Her features are exceptional. She knows all this and she struts her stuff. She attracts all types of people, and quickly casts off those who don't properly appreciate her mercurial and dramatic nature.  I find that those who grow to earnestly love her become equally photogenic and attractive. All of her animal beings, insects, spiders, and even ants are also fun and easy to photograph.

This will be the best personal year yet for me. I've been in Arizona since 1995, have held down many jobs, and have lived all over the metropolitan Phoenix area. For the past year I have had to commute to work from Buckeye, AZ. I finally made the move to east mesa and now live within 4 miles of work. I have about 20 extra hours of time a week in which to enjoy and really 'live', now that I'm not commuting.

Even better is that I was able to move to BonVille, the Eastside Art Colony. I'm convinced that artists and other creative people suffer from peculiar and specific forms of paradigm distortion. Sort of a common lack of desire to fit into what could be termed a 'normal' lifestyle. Who else can you talk to about a specific shade and hue of green for hours at a time?


Now that I have recovered my free time, I pulled out my digital slr camera again, and have started learning a new skill: videography. I'm so excited! As a matter of fact, after work today, I'm meeting a country musician at Goldfield Ghost Town to shoot stills and video I can use to make a video for one of his sound tracks.