Scottsdale is that rare city offering a consummate blend of Western to modern art, active adventures and a wild, vibrant landscape known worldwide. Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, Scottsdale features experiences that will immerse you with nature on water, trail, backroad and even in the air. And the public art scene will amaze you with its variety and accessibility. The very best thing for me as a veteran travel photographer is that these richly photogenic locations are worth returning to time and again. I’d like to share my favorite Scottsdale locations with you, and some tips for taking great pictures too.
SCOTTSDALE’S MCDOWELL SONORAN PRESERVE
At 30,500+ acres, Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve is the largest of its kind in the United States. You can explore here on foot, mountain or road bike, even on horseback, from eight well-sited trailheads. Summer is of course hot, so go out early, but the rest of the year is very comfortable, and the spring flowers can be glorious. Monsoon season brings storm light and the chance of rainbows. Carry your fave camera in a hip or sling bag and record your natural moments and discoveries. I never go out to the desert without a camera!
WATERWORLD IN THE DESERT?
A river does run through it, in our case the Salt River, flowing east to west from the White Mountains watershed starting near New Mexico. Linking a chain of lakes (Roosevelt, Apache, Canyon and Saguaro) that provide water to the Valley of the Sun, this lifegiving river is easily accessed for kayaking, SUPing and even floating on inner tubes. As the gentle current carries you along you may well see wild horses along the shore or feeding in the river, and will often see herons and other bird life. Bring a camera in a dry bag and you’ll be rewarded with unforgettable images. Paddle on!
ABOVE IT ALL
One of the best ways to gain an appreciation of the scale and majesty of the Sonoran Desert environment is from the air, but to feel it fully takes a hot air balloon floating a few hundred feet high in the hour after sunrise. From here you can glimpse coyotes, wild burros, circling hawks and stands of saguaros while gliding silently in space until the time comes to land and share in celebratory champagne toast. Locally, Hot Air Expeditions and Rainbow Ryders are top-notch outfits for balloon adventures. When I fly, I bring a camera with a wide-range zoom lens to photograph the 360-degree vistas from the balloon’s gondola, as well as other balloons floating above the desert landscape. Always keep an eye out for wildlife below and be prepared to click the shutter as the balloon’s shadow drifts their way. It’s magical.
PUBLIC ART ABOUNDS IN OLD TOWN
Park your car and go on a walkabout in Old Town (download your copy of the free Public Art Walking Tour). Invariably, you’ll meet up with icons like “JackKnife” by Ed Mell and “LOVE” by Robert Indiana, two of my all-time sculptural faves. Their energy and artistry set the scene for many more public art discoveries that range from colorful murals and monumental sculptures to fountains and mixed-media pieces. The mix is eclectic and, if you’re in tune with the vibe, visually electric. Shoot in color or convert it to black-and-white using apps built into your cell, tablet or home computer. Change the sky, amp up the color, simplify or composite as you will, since art is by definition both subjective and personal. You just might glean more about the original artist’s intent and insight from adding your own.
ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS
Taliesin West is Frank Lloyd Wright’s visceral vision of living with the land, not just on it. Book a tour, wander the grounds and soak in his ideals and designs, and stay into late afternoon, as the shadows and warm hues bring his structures to life daily. My respect for his legacy grows on every visit I make to Taliesin West.
MUSIC OF THE WORLD
Don’t miss the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), which is billed as “The World's Only Global Musical Instrument Museum.” Here you’ll marvel at over 15,000 musical instruments and related art objects, collected from close to 200 countries. Music, like art, is literally everywhere on Earth, and to have such an acoustic and cultural resource at hand is a luxury you should not ignore. Allow at least three hours to tour and begin to absorb the wealth of musical creativity at MIM, and use that cell phone to visually record your own favorite outlandish musical instrument. And don’t forget to listen along the path. MIM is bewilderingly rich in proof that humans live to make music, and share it with the world.
