Jill Richards Photography | Arizona Commercial and Editorial Photographer: 2013

Friday, December 13, 2013

Experience Scottsdale 2014

Big thanks to Taliesin West for providing the perfect backdrop for a cover shoot for the Scottsdale Convention & Visitor Bureau's 2014 visitor guide — Experience Scottsdale.

Experience Scottsdale 2014. Scottsdale, AZ. 2013. ©Jill Richards Photography

Model: Sam Diaz of The Agency Arizona

Styling: Diane Aiello
Location: Taliesin West

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Exploring Bisbee with Arizona Highways

Ten minutes after parking my car along Main Street in Bisbee, I had made a friend — Nicole, a dress maker, artist, bodyworker and all-around good gal. In one brief conversation I had the lay of the land and a list of locals I had to meet.

Bisbee residents like to brag about their little town, and for good reason. With its steep, winding streets and patchwork houses, this old mining settlement is a place where it’s easy to feel inspired. People don't come to Bisbee to escape; they come to create. The town is crawling with artists and creative types, and not just in the galleries and studios. On a lazy Sunday I was invited to shoe-box bar for “Drink and Draw,”a weekly social gathering where artists and non-artists alike gather to fill sketch pads and drain beer bottles.

Locals in Bisbee are really good at welcoming you, but they’re even better at making it hard to leave their town. After four days of being invited into homes, studios and galleries, I was reluctant to hit the highway back to Phoenix. I'm grateful to all the folks who were so hospitable to me.

You can see the Arizona Highways feature on Bisbee here.

Retired miner Sonny Tovar & town of Bisbee. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Sonny Tovar was born in Bisbee in 1935. He was 40 years old when the Queen Mine closed. He is now one of several retired miners who give daily tours of the mine. He says he still loves the smell of the mine. "I enjoy the tours. I knew what I was talking about. I would put my heart into it. I felt proud to be a miner."

St. Elmo, Arizona's longest running bar. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Sue Sargent, St. Elmo bartender & 1948 Willys. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Sue Sargent has spent almost 25 years tending bar. These days you’ll find her at St. Elmo's Bar, the oldest continually operating bar in Arizona. Be sure to try one of her classic martinis. "I make them dirty," she said.

Artist Poe Dismuke. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Poe Dismuke is a big ol' kid and he's having more fun than all of us. He sketches, sculpts, designs Rube Goldberg machines and builds soap-box-derby cars. He is a collector of the coolest crap you've ever seen, including a fuselage. As if that wasn't enough, he's married to the amazing Sam Woolcott.

Artists Sam Woolcott and Poe Dismuke's work. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Painter and mixed media artist Sam Woolcott. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Sam Woolcott is married to Poe, and lately she can be found laying in a drainage ditch with a sketchbook, studying the pathways, power lines and house fronts of Bisbee from an entirely new perspective. She's an artist with an architect's brain, and she’s inspiring. I dare you to spend an afternoon at her old schoolhouse studio and not want to quit your job and move to Bisbee.

Poe Dismuke. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Pie from High Desert Market & Bisbee resident Nichole Welch. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

The Kenneth Brian Band traveling through Bisbee. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Optimo Hatworks. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

S. Grant Sergot with customer at Optimo Hatworks. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

S. Grant Sergot and his custom, hand-formed hats are a fixture on Main Street and a first stop for many visitors to Bisbee. Sergot is the authority on fitting hats for every type and his panama and fur-felt hats are a thing of perfection. Sergot was gracious enough to give me an afternoon tour of Bisbee and all its natural surroundings in his 1948 Willy Jeep.

Off Main Street. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Sculptor Art Herman. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Art Herman’s studio is located in a small dark room behind a garage-turned-gallery on Main Street. Art walks with a cane due to a bad back, most likely from years laboring as a commercial diver, a carpenter, an electrician and a plumber. He works with his hands. Always has. Now a full-time artist, Herman sculpts wood and bends metal and twists new life into found objects. Herman, a kind and soft-spoken man, is entering a new chapter in his life as an artist, and his political views are a big part of that. His latest work — wood sculptures of crows — is his personal statement against Nevada's open-season hunting of crows,highly intelligent bird that he refers to as “little darlings.” This activism isn’t a stretch for a man who discovered his passion for art while stationed in San Francisco during the ’60s at the height of the Beat Movement.

Artist Joe Klinger. 2013. Bisbee, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

If you've been to Bisbee, chances are you've seen Joe Klinger's place. It's a monument to found objects — mannequins, ice chests, benches, pipes, hoses, bed frames, etc. Bisbee's trash is his treasure. There's a certain freedom about his art. It carries over from his home and gallery to the makeshift dog park he helped create across the street. Joe’s art is not for everyone — including some city officials in Bisbee — butafter visiting with him I’ve found myself taking to second look at the discarded goods in the alley behind my house.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

My first Arizona Highways spread vanishes in mushroom cloud

Back in May I was hired by Arizona Highways to venture down to Bisbee and shoot "anything that strikes your fancy for a six page piece that will run this fall." This was a dream assignment from a magazine I've loved for a long time.

But unfortunately, the October issue with my Bisbee spread won't make it to newsstands due to an error in one of the other articles — a mushroom was labeled as edible when it actually has unpredictable psychotropic and physical effects. In an effort to protect readers, the October issue will not be sold on newsstands. Magazine subscribers will still receive the October issue, as well as information regarding the error.

While this is unfortunate for my project, it's a great example of a publication doing the right thing. Arizona Highways has always been a class act. I feel lucky to work with them.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

City Eats: Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar

Roasted duck. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Crafted cocktails. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Heirloom cauliflower risotto. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Chef de Cuisine Logan Weber. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Grilled rib-eye. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Firefly Living: Oregon Avenue Home

The creative folks at Firefly Living are approaching real estate in a very cool way. They're the only real estate company I've seen to advertise a home as being "the ideal place to wait out the zombie apocalypse." Now, that's funny. They brought me on board in April to photograph one of their groovy remodels — a gorgeous home filled with natural light. As if it couldn't get any better, they hired a pretty, red haired model and brought in chickens.

http://fireflyliving.com. 2013. ©Jill Richards Photography

Firefly Living Oregon Ave. home. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Charreada, A Mexican Tradition

Hiding behind a cinderblock wall off Broadway in South Phoenix is Rancho Ochoa Rodeo Grounds and just down the road from there is Corona Ranch and Rodeo. If you're lucky enough to get down that way on a weekend, then treat yourself to an authentic Phoenix experience — a traditional Charreada, a Mexican-style rodeo that shows off roping and riding skills. Everyone loves a rodeo, but this cultural event is truly something to be celebrated. Not to mention, you'll always find home-cooked Mexican food, cold cerveza and a crowd passionately cheering for its charros and charras. In April, I was lucky enough to catch a early evening practice, but I will be back for the main event. ¡Salud!