Photographer: Bret Spencer, Phoenix, Arizona Image Title: Arizona Barrel Cactus-erocactus acanthodes Best in Category: Plants   Technical Details: Canon EOS-3, 28-70mm zoom lens (at 70mm), Fuji Velvia film, f/22 at 1 second Location: Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona Description: This photo was taken while participating in a photography workshop taught by Richard Maack, the Photography Editor for Arizona Highways magazine. The first thing that caught my eye about this particular cactus was the symmetry of it, and the striking patterns of the needles. The unusually overcast skies helped bring out the additional color and detail normally washed out by the bright direct sunlight. It shows the beauty that can be found even in one of the harshest climates on the planet.     Bret Spencer is an amateur photographer currently from Phoenix, but who spent most of his life in suburban Seattle. Bret has a passion for shooting wildlife, and the innate beauty of the southwestern American landscape. Although he has been taking photographs for nearly 20 years, it is only in the last year that he has focused on photography on a professional basis.   When he is not a photographer, Bret works in the Information Technology industry as a Programmer and Systems Analyst for a manufacturing company in Tempe, Arizona. He is a former U.S. Army Infantry Sergeant, Paratrooper, and also worked in the field of Psychological Operations. Bret spent the majority of his active duty military career in Germany.   For more information and to see more of his photographs, please visit his web site. His stock photography is also available for commercial or private use at www.alamy.com.   Bret Spencer Phone: 602-795-6907 E-mail: bretspencer@cox.net Web: www.bretspencer.com   Return to 2003 Galleries | Return to 2003 Plants Gallery     Home | Contact Us | Copyright