I WAS BORN & GREW UP HERE IN BISBEE, ARIZONA. WHEN I BEGAN TAKING PHOTOGRAPH,S, I HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM WHEN IT CAME TO PHOTOGRAPHING BISBEE. BISBEE DIDN'T RRLOOK LIKE OTHER TOWNS. THEREFORE, NO ONE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHS OF BISBEE. OR SO IT SEEMED TO ME. THE TRUTH IS THAT IT IS JUST THAT QUALITY THAT MAKES BISBEE A FASCINATING PHOTO DESTINATION. IN FACT, I AM, AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, EXTREMELY LUCKY TO LIVE IN COCHISE COUNTY. THE COOPERATIVE ART GALLERY I AM A MEMBER OF, BIZZART GALLERY, IS LOCATED IN BISBEE ON BREWERY GULCH, ONCE KNOWN AS THE MOST NOTORIOUS STREET IN THE OLD WEST. TODAY, THE GULCH COMPRISES A UNIQUE SHOPPING DISTRICT. THE GROUP OF BUSINESSES THAT LINE BREWERY AVENUE & O K STREET INCLUDE BIZZART GALLERY, PANTERRA GALLERY, THE ST. ELMO BAR, VAVOOM, ELDORADO (LODGING), THREE MEXICAN CAFES & THE BISBEE BICYCLE BROTHEL, A VINTAGE BICYCLE SHOP. ONE HUNDRED PLUS YEARS AGO, THE GULCH WAS A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE. THE LOWER GULCH WAS HOME TO NUMEROUS SALOONS & GASMING HOUSES AS WELL AS ROOMING HOUSES AND RESTAURANTS THAT SERVICED THE MEN WHO LABORED IN BISBEE'S COPPER MINES. FURTHER UP THE GULCH, THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT HELD SWAY. PEARL STARR, THE DAUGHTER OF FAMED OUTLAWS COLE YOUNGER (COUSIN OF FRANK & JESSE JAMES) AND BELLE STARR, RAN A BROTHEL ON THE GULCH. MY POINT IS THAT THIS AND OTHER PARTS OF BISBEE'S HISTORIC DISTRICT ARE A FASCINATING PLACE FOR TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHERS TO PLY THEIR TRADE. IN ADDITION, GREATER COCHISE COUNTY IS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS. NEXT TIME, I'LL DISCUSS TOMBSTONE, THE TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE, THE OLD COW TOWN WILLCOX, THE SAN PEDRO RIVER (CONSIDERED BY THE SIERRA CLUB TO BE ONE OF THE LAST GREAT PLACES ON EARTH), THE WONDERLAND OF ROCKS & KARTCHNER CAVERNS. BUT I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT NEXT TIME. MEANWHILE, IF YOU'D LIKE TO VIEW SOME OF MY PHOTOS, VISIT MY WEB GALLERY AT http://www.elkinsphotos.com/ (SEE DIRECT LINK FROM THIS SITE). SO LONG FOR NOW.

YESTERDAY, I PHOTOGRAPHED THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY'S BISBEE ARIZONA DOG RELAY FOR LIFE, THE BISBEE FARMERS' MARKET & THE BISBEE AZ EARTHDAY EVENTS. ON MAY 9TH, I'LL BE PHOTOGRAPHING THE VINTAGE BASEBALL GAME AT WARREN BALLPARK HERE IN BISBEE BETWEEN THE BISBEE BEES & THE PHOENIX SENATORS, PART OF THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE WARREN BALLPARK, THE OLDEST BASEBALL PARK IN THE UNITED STATES. THEN, ON MAY 13TH, I'LL BE FLYING TO L. A., THEN ON TO ECUADOR WHERE I WILL BE SPENDING ABOUT A WEEK PHOTOGRAPHING IN THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST, FISHING VILLAGES AND IN THE ANDES MTNS. THEN, ON MAY 29TH, I WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHING THE RELAY FOR LIFE, AGAIN AT THE WARREN BALLPARK. IN OTHER WORDS, I HAVE A BUSY FEW WEEKS AHEAD OF ME. I SUGGEST YOU CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE GALLERY AT THE FOLLOWING: www.elkinsphotos.com. IT CURRENTLY FEATURES SIX GALLERY PAGES. WHEN I RETURN FROM ECUADOR, I WILL ADD A SEVENTH, 'JOURNEY THROUGH ECUADOR'. ALSO, CHECK OUT THE TWO RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE WEBSITE, FREE PHOTO TIPS & ELKINS PHOTO JOURNAL. SO LONG FOR NOW. SEE YOU SOON.

I'M SITTING HERE AT BIZZART GALLERY IN BISBEE ARIZONA RECALLING WHAT IT WAS LIKE THOSE MANY YEARS AGO WHEN I RECEIVED MY FIRST SLR CAMERA, A MANUAL FOCUS MINOLTA, AND BEGAN TAKING PICTURES. I IMMEDIATELY WENT OUT AND SHOT A COUPLE ROLLS OF BLACK & WHITE FILM, SENT THEM OUT FOR PROCESSING, THEN WAITED ANXIOUSLY FOR THEIR RETURN. UPON RECEIVING THE CONTACT SHEETS, I TOOK THEM TO A FRIEND, TOM VAUGHN, AN EXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHER WHO, AT THAT TIME, WAS THE PHOTO CURATOR AT THE BISBEE MINING & HISTORICAL MUSEUM. I SHOWED THE CONTACT SHEETS TO TOM AND ASKED FOR HIS OPINION AS TO MY ABILITIES AS A PHOTOGRAPHER. TOM'S ANSWER WAS, "GO OUT AND SHOOT ABOUT A THOUSAND ROLLS OF FILM, THENCOME BACK AND SEE ME." IT TURNED OUT TO BE GOOD ADVICE. DECADES LATER, I HAVE BEGUN TO UDER- STAND WHAT TOM REALLY MEANT. IN THE QUARTER CENTURY PLUS THAT I HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN PHOTOGRAPHY, IF I HAVE LEARNED NOTHING ELSE, I HAVE LEARNED THAT PATIENCE HAS ITS VIRTUES. AFTER DECADES OF PRACTICE, EXPERIMENTATION AND STUDY, I STILL FEEL LIKE I'VE BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE. EVERY DAY, I LEARN SOMETHING NEW. WHAT I HOPE TO DO WITH THIS BLOG IS TO SHARE SOME OF THAT KNOWLEDGE. I HOPE TO POST BLOGS ON THIS SITE AT THE RATE OF ABOUT ONCE A WEEK. SO, PLEASE STAY TUNED.

SEE YA' SOON!!!

LOOK FOR FIRST JOURNAL APRIL 21. SEE YOU THEN.