Edward Abbey once wrote, “Our job is to record, each in his own way, this world of light and shadow and time that will never come again exactly as it is today.” The first time I read it, I understood. In a single sentence, Abbey spoke volumes about the photographic process, which really is a collaboration between time and light. In photography, light is the foundation, but it’s not just a raw material — it’s both the music and the dance. The great photographers learn to feel it, watching and waiting for magic to unfold. That’s what this portfolio is about. — Jeff Kida, Photo Editor
Golden reflections define an autumn view along Aravaipa Creek in the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. Governed by the Bureau of Land Management, this 19,410-acre wilderness area can be visited only by securing one of a limited number of daily permits.
Peter Coskun
CANON EOS 5D MARK IV, 1/6 SEC, F/14, ISO 100, 46 MM LENS
Hulsey Lake, a small reservoir just southwest of Escudilla Mountain in Eastern Arizona, reflects nearby tree trunks. The 4-acre lake is regularly stocked with rainbow trout.
Rusty Childress
SONY ALPHA 1, 0.3 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 150 MM LENS
Tall saguaro cactuses bask in the setting sun along an arroyo near the Antelope Hills, part of Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. One of the country’s largest wildlife refuges, this Southwestern Arizona site sees few visitors on account of its remoteness and harsh desert environment.
Jack Dykinga
WISTA FIELD 45DX, FUJICHROME VELVIA, 2 SEC, F/32, ISO 50, 210 MM LENS
Cardenas Butte, which overlooks the Colorado River, glows red at sunset in a view from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The butte is named for García López de Cárdenas, who in 1540 became the first European to see the Canyon.
Adam Schallau
CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 0.4 SEC, F/10, ISO 100, 300 MM LENS
Striated boulders and layered buttes catch the day’s first light in Blue Canyon, a section of Moenkopi Wash on Hopi Tribe land. Visiting this remote canyon requires a permit and a Hopi guide.
George Stocking
CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 1/15 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 16-35 MM LENS
At dawn, tufts of grass cast long shadows in Willcox Playa, a lake bed near the city of the same name. The playa is dry most of the year but floods seasonally, providing habitat for sandhill cranes and other bird species.
Jack Dykinga
WISTA FIELD 45DX, FUJICHROME 50D RFP, 5 SEC, F/45, ISO 50, 120 MM LENS
A rainbow forms over saguaros and other Sonoran Desert flora during a storm. While the Sonoran Desert is known for scorching summer temperatures, it’s also been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s wettest desert.
Suzanne Mathia
CANON EOS 5DS R, 0.4 SEC, F/22, ISO 100, 90 MM LENS
Healthy ocotillos reach skyward on a stormy morning at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. This shot was made near the refuge’s Pinacate Lava Flow, which features one shield volcano and hundreds of cinder cones.
Jack Dykinga
ARCA-SWISS F-FIELD C, FUJICHROME 50D RFP, 3 SEC, F/32, ISO 50, 75 MM LENS
Sunlight streams through lingering fog and forms shadows on evergreens at Luna Lake, a 75-acre reservoir near Escudilla Mountain in the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona. Hiking, fishing and wildlife watching are all popular activities at Luna Lake, which is just southeast of the town of Alpine.
Rusty Childress
HASSELBLAD L1D-20C, 1/240 SEC, F/6.3, ISO 100, 10.26 MM LENS
Sunlight illuminates the Colorado River as it flows through the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon. On average, high temperatures at the river are about 20 degrees higher than on the South Rim.
Adam Schallau
NIKON D800E, 1/30 SEC, F/16, ISO 100, 70 MM LENS