Arizona Highways magazine has been delighting readers in the state (and around the world!) for more than 99 years, in some shape or form.

Every issue is chock full of gorgeous pictures and wonderful pieces of writing that really capture the zeitgeist of our state.  So you can imagine how delighted we were to stumble across the season’s greetings issue from December 1978. And the timing just couldn’t be better!

This installment stands out from the very first page. While a seemingly normal cover at first glance, it pulls out to reveal a spectacular shot of the Grand Canyon in all its wintry glory. Photographer Josef Muench captured this fantastic shot of the natural wonder of the world, with snow-dusted pine trees glistening in the foreground.

The theme of this issue is “A Symphony in Four Movements.” Stunning images of Arizona’s diverse ecological landscape across all four seasons are accompanied by a lovely poem about each weather interval. Spring speaks of “awakening and rebirth;” summer “rides on a chariot of fire;” autumn proclaims “(t)he seeds entrusted to Mother Earth have been watched, watered and weeded;" and finally winter declares itself “the birthday of the sun which led people from darkness.”

And since winter is where we find ourselves these days, let’s take a look at some of the snowy scenery included in this issue:

• A Joshua Tree finds itself in unfamiliar territory as the Mojave Desert receives a rare snowfall. Photograph by Pete Essick.

• A flock of sheep and their shepherd navigate the snow-blanketed terrain of Monument Valley. Photograph by Bob Bradshaw.

• The snow-capped San Francisco Peaks bask in the background among the glorious Ponderosa Pines. Photograph by Peter Bloomer.

And finally down below, a familiar site perhaps, to the desert dwellers of our fair state: A saguaro cactus decked out in holiday lights stands majestically at a resort in Scottsdale. Photograph by Dick Dietrich.

Overall this edition provides a fun trip back in time, but also reminds us of the charm and grace that have always resided right here in our exquisite State 48. 

The Arizona Highways December 1978 issue: On newsstands everywhere … 42 years ago.

Have you ever traveled far away and saw something familiar that you would never have suspected would appear thousands of miles from home?

It’s happened to a few of us over the years. One of our colleagues here at ADOT once traveled to Japan and encountered a subway rider wearing an Arizona Cardinals jersey. 

Random. 

Do you know what isn’t random? Finding a piece of Arizona as far away as Asia or actually on just about every continent on Earth (possibly even Antarctica). That piece of our iconic state is the world-famous Arizona Highways magazine. 

Pardon us a little humble-brag, but Arizona Highways is awesome and is published right here at ADOT.

It gets around, though. People all over the globe are familiar with Arizona Highways, which has outstanding photography, great writing, layout and design, and, well, it is just a cool publication all-around.

You don’t have to take our word for it. As a recent news release pointed out, Arizona Highways just took home not one, but at least two full armloads of awards for excellence. This photo is the cover to an essay it just won a gold award for. 

We would like to congratulate everyone who makes Arizona Highways come to life every month to show people all over our planet what a uniquely colorful state Arizona is in every way. 

And if it is in Antarctica, we hope anyone there who reads it feels a little warmer.

 

 

 

 

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Every year, Arizona Highways asks for amateur and professional photographers to share their most stunning images of Arizona’s scenery. But now the magazine, published by ADOT, is asking for something a little wilder.

Actually, the magazine wants only the wildest things in Arizona: photos of our wildlife.

The images are for the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 14th annual wildlife photo contest, which Arizona Highways is helping to promote. The top 12 of these photos will appear in the 2021 Arizona Wildlife Views calendar, published in that magazine’s November-December issue. And if your photo is judged the best in show, it will grace the cover of Arizona Wildlife Views. The photos may also appear in Arizona Highways.

If you’re looking for inspiration, you may not need to look any farther than your own yard. Just ask last year’s winner, Julie Curtis, who took her winning photo of two Harris’ antelope squirrels from an open window to her front yard. Julie shares the story behind her photo in this article from the May-June issue of Arizona Wildlife Views, which serves as a reminder that we can enjoy wildlife in our everyday lives.

We’d love to see your best wildlife photos. Keep in mind that photos must be of wildlife species that are native to Arizona and taken in Arizona settings. Also, images are evaluated on creativity, photographic quality, effectiveness in conveying the unique character of the subject, and whether the images meet basic size and formatting requirements. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14. See complete rules and tips at azgfd.gov/photocontest. 

Happy photographing, and we can’t wait to see your best!

Given a camera, what natural beauty can you find across the state of Arizona?

Every year, Arizona Highways magazine, published by ADOT, asks that question to thousands of professional and amateur photographers, and it's safe to say that we are never disappointed with the result.

That certainly holds true this year as the magazine has released the top three photos from its 2020 competition. As we told you about last week, the top prize goes to Joe Vermette of Tucson, who with a little preparation work and astronomical know-how, captured a truly stunning shot of the Milky Way over Monument Valley. That's his image here, at top, which will also grace the cover of Arizona Highways this September. Aside from that exposure, Vermette also received an in-state photo workshop worth $2,500. Not too shabby.

Judging is based on the fundamentals of photography – composition, lighting, framing, etc – but there's also a "wow" factor. We think you'll agree that this arch of stars and nebulae above the majestic buttes is the definition of "wow."

But "wow" is also where the second-place entry comes in. You won't be surprised to know that Vermette's photo fell into the landscape category of the contest. But the runner-up went a different way and entered a special shot in the macro, or up-close, category. Joe Neely from Phoenix managed to capture a candid moment of two pollen-covered bees snuggled up with each other inside of a flower along US 60 near Globe. It's a fantastic shot in an unexpected place.

Finally, we have something unexpected, but in a familiar place. The red rocks of Sedona are known around the world, but there's always a special thrill seeing them dusted in white. Michael Wilson from Prescott went a step further and found this small waterfall into a semi-frozen pond. That's his shot there to the lower left and manages to make Sedona look all the more inviting, even during the winter. Both Wilson and Neely have won prize packages from Tempe Camera. 

This is Arizona Highways' 12th annual photo contest, but the magazine has been delivering fantastic shots of Arizona for years. It started as a trade newsletter in 1921 before being spun off into its magazine form a few years later. A few years ago, we even did a blog taking you behind the scenes to talk about its operation and, yes, those gorgeous photos. 

Nearly 4,000 people submitted photos for this year's contest. You can check out some of the honorable mentions at ArizonaHighways.com. While you are there, feel free to also sign up for a year's subscription of the print edition – just in time to get a physical copy with Vermette's Milky Way photo splashed across the cover.

This summer, the DeGrazia Foundation celebrated its namesake’s 110th birthday at the artist’s Gallery in the Sun in Tucson. Collaborating with Arizona Highways magazine, published by ADOT, the gallery has put together a collection of the dozens of works featured in one of Arizona’s most treasured publications.

“It was clear even from early issues that (Arizona Highways editor) Raymond Carlson made friends with DeGrazia and tried to promote him,” Curator Jim Jenkins said. “Just being aware of his relationship with the magazine, I always wanted to do an exhibit. So when we got the request from Arizona Highways magazine, it was perfect synchronicity, and I just thought, ‘We’ve got to do this.’”

Working with Arizona Highways, Jenkins collected back issues of the magazine and combed the archive for stories involving DeGrazia – and there was plenty to choose from. In addition to the online resources Arizona Highways made available, a board member to the foundation had collected thousands of issues of the magazine over the years and donated them to the gallery. Jenkins was able to find every single issue that featured DeGrazia’s – 70 in total.

“There was so much,” Jenkins said. “So much information, so many stories didn’t make it into the final exhibit. I could’ve filled two rooms, but I just didn’t have the space.”

DeGrazia’s relationship with Arizona Highways was a mutually beneficial one. The magazine exposed his paintings to an international audience, and DeGrazia’s growing popularity grew the magazine’s readership. Now with this exhibit, interest in the artist’s work has been refreshed.

“People who grew up with DeGrazia have gotten older and possibly passed away,” Jenkins said. “That legacy has started fade, but this exhibit has revitalized it.”

With such a wide diversity of fans, Arizona Highways magazine has long served as a common ground, according to Jenkins. Whether it’s DeGrazia’s social realism from the 1940s or his much-loved works for the magazine’s Christmas issues starting in the 1950s, the exhibit of the artist’s work for Arizona Highways has found a modern-day audience.

“The exhibit has had a very warm reception,” said Lance Laber, executive director of the DeGrazia Foundation. “The opening of the exhibit coincided with the issue featuring DeGrazia’s work, and it was a big event. About four or five hundred people showed up to the opening, and people are still enjoying it.”

Laber has extended a warm invitation for anyone and everyone to see the exhibit for themselves. “Come in and see some of these beautiful, original oil paintings and water colors DeGrazia painted over the years. You won’t be disappointed.”

The exhibit at the Gallery in the Sun in Tucson will run until Jan. 29, 2020.