SEPTEMBER 2019 ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE ANSEL ADAMS, JOSEF MUENCH, R AY M ANLEY, CHUCK ABBOTT, ESTHER HENDERSON ... THE EARLY PHOTOGRAPHERS September 2019 2 EDITOR’S LETTER 14 THE EARLY PHOTOGRAPHERS GET MORE ONLINE Arizona Highways has been around since 1925, www.arizonahighways.com 4 LETTERS but it didn’t make much noise until it started showcasing the work of Esther Henderson and /azhighways 6 BEST PICTURE 2019 Josef Muench. They were the earliest of the early photographers, and they launched an era that @arizonahighways If you’ve been to our website, or if you follow us on ran through the mid-1950s, when David Muench, Instagram, this won’t come as any surprise. If you Josef’s son, set the bar for all who followed. haven’t, or you don’t, the suspense is over. After look- By Robert Stieve ing at thousands of entries in our annual photo con- Photographs by the Early Photographers test, we have a winner. Her name is Sara Wittenberger of Gold Canyon, Arizona, and her shot of Mount Ord is ... well, you can see for yourself. The runners-up are 22 ESTHER HENDERSON & CHUCK ABBOTT pretty impressive, too. By Matt Jaffe Edited by Jeff Kida and Keith Whitney 36 RAY MANLEY By David Leighton 46 JOSEF MUENCH By Kelly Vaughn 56 MARICOPA POINT By Esther Henderson Ray Manley’s Windmill Silhouette — Desert Sunset, a photo made on an old homestead east of Tucson, was featured in the December 1964 issue of Arizona Highways. FRONT COVER: “Monument Valley is a blend of a beautiful land and a beautiful people,” Allen C. Reed wrote in our April 1956 issue, which featured Reed’s shot of a Navajo woman on horseback. BACK COVER: Navajo shepherds tend their goats on a Monument Valley sand dune, as photographed by Esther Henderson in the mid-1950s. Arizona Historical Society www.arizonahighways.com 1 editor’s LETTER “No instrument so faithfully records our lives and Norman Wallace. Another pioneer was Hubert prospects, but how to reach them?” A. Lowman, who made his debut in July 1942. He went on to discuss the pros and the land we live in as the camera. Through the printed He grew up in Kansas City, but as soon as he cons of having an agent. Like most SEPTEMBER 2019 VOL. 95 NO. 9 was old enough to buy a car, he started making contributors, then and now, he chose page and the reproduction of the photograph the whole 800-543-5432 road trips to Arizona. “After a particularly suc- to skip the middleman. “While there www.arizonahighways.com world is brought into our living room. The most remote cessful trip in 1941,” he wrote, “I dared for the are notable exceptions, many freelanc- GIFT SHOP: 602-712-2200 first time to submit some of my stuff to several ers, including myself, feel they are places become as familiar as our backyards.” publications. I was overjoyed when I won the better off dealing direct with their PUBLISHER Kelly Mero — RAYMOND CARLSON annual cover contest from Desert magazine, the customers.” Ray Manley was one of the EDITOR Robert Stieve prize shot of Betatakin ruin being published on exceptions. SENIOR EDITOR/ the June 1942 cover. Then I was delirious indeed “There are two courses open to the BOOKS EDITOR Kelly Vaughn ack sent Jeff an email. when I saw myself on the cover of Arizona High- would-be professional,” he wrote. “To MANAGING EDITOR Noah Austin “You’ve gotta talk Robert into this. These little guys are being reintro- ways the following month, with several pages submit direct to the magazines and ASSOCIATE EDITOR/ VIDEO EDITOR Ameema Ahmed duced in farming areas. They’re nature’s natural insecticide. I have a col- inside, as well.” other markets on approval, or to turn PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jeff Kida lection of images, should Roberto have interest.” The cover shot for us featured the Grand Can- his material over to an agent, who usu- J July 1942, photograph by Hubert A. Lowman CREATIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Glynn Denney When Jack Dykinga casually mentions a “collection of images,” it’s like Bob yon, and the story inside was about the North ally charges about forty percent of the ART DIRECTOR Keith Whitney Dylan saying: “Oh, hey, I’ve written another song. I call it Blowin’ in the Wind.” Rim. After that, the new guy became a regular. gross. This fee sounds like a lot, but it will ensure more sales and usually at a MAP DESIGNER Kevin Kibsey Another song. Another collection. “In these pages, quite often in the past, has the better price than the inexperienced individual can command for himself.” PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Bianchi I think Jack could pitch us a portfolio of papier-mâché pinecones and we’d name Hubert A. Lowman appeared,” Editor The strategy seemed to work. Among other things, his agent was able to DIRECTOR OF SALES send him a contract. Not because of the Pulitzer that sits on his mantel. But Raymond Carlson wrote in February 1954. “He repurpose a lot of Mr. Manley’s images. One was a photograph titled Land AND MARKETING Karen Farugia because of the way he approaches a subject. “What sets Jack apart is that he’s has been one of our faithful contributors. We are Without Beginning or End, which featured a Navajo couple named Willie and WEBMASTER Victoria Snow always looking for a narrative,” says Photo Editor Jeff Kida. “He tells stories pleased herein to present a folio of his pictures Happy Cly, who rode their horses more than 40 miles to get to the photo shoot. CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Nicole Bowman with his images. Because of that, there’s an added layer of interest to his work.” and an article in which he tells of the trials and “After it appeared in Arizona Highways in December 1954,” Mr. Manley DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Matthew Bailey He’s also a master of lighting and composition. He understands the tribulations of a photographer, particularly one wrote, “my agent placed it with Trans World Airlines for use on a scenic OPERATIONS/ IT MANAGER Cindy Bormanis balance between art and technology. And he studies his subjects the way whose camera is his tool of trade and with which calendar. Then, on the strength of the Arizona Highways display, National Geo- Galileo studied Orion and the Pleiades. No one does it better than Jack. Nev- he has been able to make a living for himself and graphic bought a similar view taken the same day. This picture will continue ertheless, as a freelancer, he still follows a protocol that goes back to the ear- his family. He has no studio. The whole West is to have a market value for years to come, after the provisions of the ‘first CORPORATE OR TRADE SALES 602-712-2018 liest days of this magazine. Thus, the email to Jeff. He was pitching an idea his studio. Interpreting its beauty is, for him, a rights’ sales have been fulfilled.” SPONSORSHIP SALES about burrowing owls. business and a pleasure. We don’t know of a He had some thoughts on dealing with editors, too. “Just keep in mind REPRESENTATION On Media Publications There are two ways we work with photographers: stock calls and story nicer way to make a living. If you aspire to make that the editor who examines your transparencies will not be very interested Deidra Viberg 602-323-9701 assignments. The difference is simple. Story assignments are made with your living taking pictures, we think you might in how long it took to get the picture, or the tribulations you suffered for the individuals; stock calls go out to a pool of photographers. be interested in his ‘confessions of a freelancer.’ ” shot, or what make of camera you used, or how much you paid for the film. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] We’re doing a portfolio on fall color. We’re looking for verticals and horizontals. Turns out, it wasn’t any easier in the early The result and its application to his plans are alone significant to him.” 2039 W. Lewis Avenue Subject material can cover all parts of the state. We’d love to see anything you’ve shot years. “A file bulging with presentable material True. But it was Chuck Abbott, another early photographer, who offered Phoenix, AZ 85009 recently. That’s a stock call. They work best with general subjects — autumn will not earn a freelancer a dime unless he can what might be the best advice. “The would-be photographer,” he wrote, leaves, red rocks, waterfalls, saguaros, sunsets. Story assignments usually find customers,” Mr. Lowman wrote. “Newspa- “should start by taking the photographer’s oath. Is there one? Not that I know GOVERNOR Douglas A. Ducey have a tighter focus, such as Jack’s burrowing owls. pers, magazines, manufacturers of calendars and of, but if there were, it should go something like this: ‘From this day forward DIRECTOR, Although we get a lot of queries, only a handful make it into the magazine. postcards, publicity organizations, advertising I hereby do swear that I shall arise when all others are sleeping. I shall dash DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION John S. Halikowski Most of our assignments are based on stories that we come up with. And agencies, printers and publishers ... all are logical from my warm house without flinching and I shall drive miles before sun- who we choose to shoot them depends on the subject. If it’s rise. I shall be ready to shoot at sunup, and if the scene is not best rendered Arizona Highways® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published a story about the backcountry, we might call Dawn Kish, at this time, I shall return home unperturbed.