OUR 2015 PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS Plus the LITTLE COLORADO RIVER: a PORTFOLIO | 30 YEARS of PHOTO WORKSHOPS SEPTEMBER
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2015 OUR 2015 PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS plus THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER: A PORTFOLIO | 30 YEARS OF PHOTO WORKSHOPS SEPTEMBER ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE CHUCK ABBOTT on Photography An Excerpt From September 1955 — EUDORA— WELTY THE PHOTO “A good snapshot a moment keeps from running away.” “A ISSUE The Confluence, Grand Canyon National Park, by Jack Dykinga Grand Canyon CONTENTS 09.15 National Park Little Colorado River 2 EDITOR’S LETTER > 3 CONTRIBUTORS > 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR > 56 WHERE IS THIS? Flagstaff Montezuma Castle National Monument Prescott 5 THE JOURNAL 46 FRONTIER PHOTOGRAPHER McNary People, places and things from around the state, including a look Although his primary mission was to establish Sunday schools in back at iconic wildlife photographer Bill Ratcliffe, Montezuma Castle remote corners of the West, Albert C. Stewart spent a lot of his PHOENIX National Monument and Amelia Earhart’s unexpected landing in free time making photos with his No. 1 Panoram Kodak camera. Tucson McNeal, Arizona. BY KAYLA FROST McNeal PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALBERT C. STEWART Bisbee 16 THE MIGHTY COLORADO ... 48 YOU’VE GOT TO GO BACK POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE IT’S NOT WHAT YOU’RE THINKING Mention the Colorado River to most people, and they’ll conjure TO GET THE GOOD ONES images of whitewater rafters slicing through Lava Falls. It’s one of Sixty years ago this month, Chuck Abbott, a world-renowned the world’s great rivers. Less famous, but also impressive, is the Little photographer and longtime Arizona Highways contributor, shared Colorado River, which runs for 338 miles from a small spring near his thoughts on the art of photography and what it took to rise to Greer to its scenic confluence with the larger Colorado in the depths the top of his profession. He also discussed camera equipment, of the Grand Canyon. which, six decades later, is especially interesting. A PORTFOLIO BY BILL HATCHER BY CHUCK ABBOTT TEXT BY TYLER WILLIAMS 52 SCENIC DRIVE 30 BEST PICTURE 2015 McNary to Vernon: This scenic drive winds in and out of the And the winner is ... Peter Coskun of Phoenix. It’s not the first time Sit greaves National Forest, through stands of pines and spruce we’ve been impressed with his work. Peter was an honorable-mention interspersed with groves of aspens. winner in 2013, and last year, his photo of Lost Dutchman State Park was our Facebook Fan Favorite. Narrowing thousands of entries to a 54 HIKE OF THE MONTH single image isn’t easy, but when the final vote was tallied, he was the Hermit Trail: Although this trail will take you to the Colorado winner of our seventh annual photo contest. River and back, a more sensible day hike is the round-trip route EDITED BY JEFF KIDA & KEITH WHITNEY to Santa Maria Spring. 40 THE BEST OF FRIENDS It’s been 30 years since Jerry Jacka led a special photo workshop at GET MORE ONLINE Canyon de Chelly. It was the inaugural trip for Friends of Arizona www.arizonahighways.com Highways. Three decades later, the organization, now known as Arizona Highways Photo Workshops, has grown into a world- www.facebook.com/azhighways renowned nonprofit with outings as far away as China. @azhighways BY NOAH AUSTIN @arizonahighways ◗ A slender janusia (Janusia gracilis) blossoms. The delicate vine is native to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. | EIRINI PAJAK CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MARK II; SHUTTER: 1/800 SEC; APERTURE: F/5.6; ISO: 200; FOCAL LENGTH: 100 MM; 41 STACKED IMAGES FRONT COVER Below 6,365-foot Chuar Butte, the iconic light-blue water of the Little Colorado River approaches its confluence with the Colorado River near the eastern boundary of Grand Canyon National Park. | JACK DYKINGA CAMERA: NIKON D800E; SHUTTER: 1.6 SEC; APERTURE: F/16; ISO: 100; FOCAL LENGTH: 24 MM BACK COVER An Abert’s squirrel dines at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monu- ment. The squirrels are known for their tasseled ears. | EIRINI PAJAK CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MARK II; SHUTTER: 1/500 SEC; APERTURE: F/5.6; ISO: 1250; FOCAL LENGTH: 400 MM PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS AVAILABLE Prints of some photographs in this issue are available for purchase. To view options, visit www.arizona highwaysprints.com. For more information, call 866-962-1191. www.arizonahighways.com 1 editor’s letter contributors PETER COSKUN A Focus on Photography When it comes to landscapes, Arizona is a long way from Phila- SEPTEMBER 2015 VOL. 91, NO. 9 he bar is way up there somewhere. It’s a coincidence Photography Issue, we’re delphia. Distance-wise, it’s pretty 800-543-5432 far, too. So when Peter Coskun Right where Mr. Carlson left it in that we’re featuring rerunning the story. It’s www.arizonahighways.com T 1971. Although we’ve published the Little Colorado a good read that offers moved here from Philly with his some impressive words and photographs River exactly 50 years a glimpse into the life PUBLISHER Win Holden family in 2002, he says he was since he left, we still live in the shadow after Mr. Carlson of a landscape photog- EDITOR Robert Stieve “overwhelmed” by his surround- of our editor emeritus. Raymond Carlson. made it our cover rapher in the middle of ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, ings. “It took some adjusting, DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING Kelly Mero When he showed up in the 1930s, the story in 1965. The the last century. Many but in high school, I was able to MANAGING EDITOR Kelly Vaughn magazine was an acquired taste. How- inspiration this time things have changed take a photography course and ASSOCIATE EDITOR Noah Austin ever, he knew what was missing. “How around came from since then, but not the enjoyed it quite a bit,” he says. EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR Nikki Kimbel can we,” he wrote in July 1938, “through Bill Hatcher, who had long hours spent in “A few years later, I picked up a PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jeff Kida the medium of black and white, paint a been photographing remote corners of the camera of my own and began to focus on nature and wildlife. Eventually, my interest CREATIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Glynn Denney picture of the gold in an Arizona sunset, the river’s headwaters. state. Peter Coskun shifted primarily to landscape photography.” We’re glad it did. Coskun’s photo of the Kofa portray the blue of an Arizona sky, tell He’d just moved back knows what that’s like. ART DIRECTOR Keith Whitney Mountains (see Best Picture 2015, page 30) won our 2015 photography contest. Coskun’s the fiery red and green of an Arizona des- to Arizona, after living Peter was the win- DESIGN PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Diana Benzel-Rice photos have also appeared in Arizona Highways the past two years. His Lost Dutchman ert in bloom? We therefore resort to color in Australia for four MARKOW PAUL ner of our recent photo MAP DESIGNER Kevin Kibsey State Park photo was the favorite of our Facebook fans in 2014, and in 2013, he scored photography in this issue’s cover page to years, and was in the backcountry recon- contest. We don’t see a lot of stuff from PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Bianchi an honorable mention for his West Clear Creek shot. For his Kofas photo, Coskun had faithfully portray one colorful portion of necting with the state. In the process, he the Kofa Mountains — it’s one of the WEBMASTER Victoria J. Snow scouted another composition for sunrise, hoping to catch a “sun star” bursting off the the state.” started sharing some of his images with most rugged ranges in the Southwest — CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Nicole Bowman mountains’ spires. “When I got my shot, I got out of the sun and started looking around That shot — a shot of Oak Creek Can- us. Wow. Look at that. Spectacular. Those so we were impressed with Peter’s hustle, FINANCE DIRECTOR Bob Allen for other compositions,” he says. “I saw this downed ocotillo surrounded by teddy bear yon by Norman Wallace — was the first- were the reactions in our photo depart- and even more impressed with his photo- OPERATIONS/IT MANAGER Cindy Bormanis chollas leading straight to the mountains. The sun was still hiding behind the spire, yet ever color photograph in the magazine. ment, so we sent Bill out to shoot the rest graph. In Best Picture 2015, you’ll see why. the cactuses were highlighted by the backlight. I felt it was a unique take on this area, It was our humble beginning. A single of the river for this month’s cover story. It You’ll also see some of the runners-up, CORPORATE OR TRADE SALES 602-712-2019 which I haven’t seen photographed much.” Coskun is moving toward becoming a profes- photo that would turn into tens of thou- was a few weeks later when we realized which were selected from a collection of SPONSORSHIP SALES sional photographer full time. To see more of his work, visit www.pjcphotography.com. REPRESENTATION On Media Publications sands of photos renowned around the that the Little Colorado was our cover more than 5,000 entries. Although we’ll Lesley Bennett world. Metaphorically, Arizona Highways story in September 1965. always toil in the shadow of our editor 602-445-7160 is the Little Colorado River, which begins While the subject is the same, the emeritus, I think Mr. Carlson would TYLER WILLIAMS as a single drop in a nondescript spring stories are different, and the covers were appreciate the range of photographers we LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] Tyler Williams says his life has largely consisted of “seeking Arizona’s most clandestine 2039 W.