EDITOR'S LETTER

All in a Day's Work

One thousand twelve. That's how many miles we drove — in one day — to spend some time with David Muench. It all happened so quickly. Not the trip. That took us 17 hours. But the plan was all of a sudden. “Spontaneous” is probably the best word, even though it's a word that isn't typically used to describe anything we do at Arizona Highways. The pace around here usually allows for some advance planning. But not this time. We had just one day to meet with Mr. Muench before he left to teach a photo workshop in Glacier National Park.

If you're at all familiar with this magazine, you've seen the incredible work of David Muench. He's been shooting for us for parts of seven decades, and he got his first cover in January 1955, at the age of 18. He's 79 now, and he's as passionate about the art of landscape photography as he was in the middle of the last century. That's one of the reasons Kelly Vaughn, Jeff Kida and I made the long haul to visit Mr. Muench at his home in New Mexico. We wanted him to give us some background on the photos we'd be using in this month's special issue. Not just shutter speeds and focal lengths, but the backstories and the vision. We wanted him to walk us through those “timeless moments” when he made history with his camera. Why did he look left, when everyone else looked right?

So, we hit the road, met with the master and came back with everything we'd hoped for, including an even greater respect for a photographer who lives in the same rarefied air as Ansel Adams.

Until now, we've never done an issue dedicated to a single person. And it's unlikely we'll ever do it again. Not because there aren't other talented contributors — there are many — but because none will be as great for as long.

By the way, David Muench isn't slowing down or resting on his laurels. At one point in our conversation, when we were talking about the snowy ponderosas on page 14, he said to Jeff: “I think if you just lighten the left trunk it will be fine. And you could crop off a little on the left.” In our world, it was the equivalent of watching Monet walk into the Musée de l'Orangerie and add a brush stroke to Water Lilies.

It's that attention to detail that makes Mr. Muench one of the best ever, and it's the reason we drove 1,012 miles to see him. Although his legacy is far greater than anything we can summarize in a single issue, we think you'll like what we've put together. If not, we'll be back with another issue in January. Meantime, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or a few days off from work, happy holidays, and thank you for spending another year with Arizona Highways.