I made this photograph during a planned trip to Sabino Canyon. I routinely monitor the weather, and snow had been forecast overnight for the lower elevations in the region. When it snows at night in the lower desert, you have to move very quickly at, or even before, dawn — before the temperatures rise and the snow melts. Over the years, I have scouted locations in preparation for just such days. Each location has its own aesthetic, and I have to balance time, travel distance, the temperature and the amount of fallen snow with the particulars of the weather pattern to make it work.
I usually have two cameras with me on planned shoots. Each has a different lens — one long, one wide — and I adjust them to the appropriate settings for each. Both are typically on the front passenger seat of my vehicle, ready to go. I started doing that when I was covering hard news, and it’s a habit I will likely never break.
For days like this, I also have a heavy-duty umbrella that’s capable of handling accumulating snow and wind, as well as a lightweight, disposable rain poncho to cover both camera bodies and a weather-protected backpack with additional lenses.
This is the parting shot after a snowy day in the canyon. I don’t know what caused the birds to take flight, but the advantage of sporting dual cameras is evident — just get the shot.
The canyon and cactuses became shrouded with snow, and the filter on my camera lens became blanketed with fog as cold winter temperatures met the warmth of the rising sun and the clouds began to break. Those factors contributed to the creation of an interesting image as the birds took off.
Having worked for many years as a staff newspaper photojournalist, a freelance photographer and a producer of a news project documenting the border of Arizona and Mexico, I now prefer to satisfy my photo curiosity by capturing the abundance of the natural beauty that surrounds us.
The approach to both subjects, however, whether news or nature, is the same for me. It is always about “the moment” — the moment that conveys the heart and soul of the scenario before me.