We are very pleased to be parked right at the beginning (or end) of the 26.3 mile Valley Metro Rail System. What better to do than take this train from end to end and just photograph whatever looked interesting (or challenging). We planned to enjoy a brunch at N-Counter that is right at the Tempe and Mill stop, and then walk to Tempe Camera. From there we would re-board the train and check out Main Street in Mesa. We were surprised to find that the Mesa Center for the Arts was an interesting stop. We finished the day at Tempe Town Lake.
Each stop along our route has plants, artwork, shade and benches. Weekday ridership averaged 43,543 people in 2015, making it the 13th busiest light rail system in the USA. Both income and ridership has exceeded initial plans and expectations.
Mesa Center for the Arts
There is an area at the Mesa Arts Center where you can step on small disks in the tile and various musical sounds are emitted from speakers in the ground. I tried creating a mixture of beats by jumping around on different combinations of the disks. I needed partners to really get something good going but all they wanted to do was take pictures!!
Sailboat? Shade!
Right ch away we realized that we could each look at the same 'scene' and interpret it so differently. I kept thinking of sailboats. Which side of the pole gives a better composition? Lens?
We had quite a good discussion going on about how to capture the depth of field that we wanted. Can you tell where I focused? f/7.1
I was fascinated by the 'hole'.
Greg must have liked the individual profiles.
OK Tom!! Go fisheye!
Shot from the train.
Steve had purchased a great 'oldie' 2X extender while at Tempe Camera, a 'real find'. I would say he got his money's worth!
Have to stop for mud at a Mill Street coffee shop.
Old Main Street offers some interesting photo opportunities.
Drainage from Tempe Town Lake provides a small reflective stream.
I don't know what these items are on the left. Perhaps a buttress as they form the new dam for the Tempe Town Lake. They reminded me of artillery on some battleship!!
Aha! Greg used the infinity edge of the water pool to create this composition suggesting the rail goes into the water.
Lots of fun just playing around with ND filters.
The Golden Hour collides with blue lights on the bridge. Just so many compositions possible.
There are so many photo opportunities using the train. Consider that the route runs past such wonderful stops: ASU Sun Devil Stadium, the Phoenix Art Museum, the Heard Museum, the Chase Baseball Stadium, US Airways Center, Sky Harbor Airport rail, Tempe Mill Avenue, Main Street in Mesa and more!!! Not to mention downtown Phoenix and all the wonderful restaurants along Central Avenue. We found the vehicles to be clean and the fares very reasonable. The system uses a 'step on' access system but keep your ticket because they randomly check for fare compliance (reported to be 94%).