The beauty of Arizona

Before I became a photographer, I was just like everyone else. I thought the only thing Arizona had to offer was desert landscape and lots of heat!! I was wrong! Once I started scouting locations for my photo sessions, I quickly realized how diverse and beautiful Arizona really is. I mean we have people travel all over the country to visit and live here half of the year. I know there is a 3 month period of intense heat but honestly the rest of the year we have it pretty good. When most of the country is under snow, we are happily at 70 degrees. We can still wear shorts in December and January and golf year round. Now, this is why I am going to share some of the most beautiful locations that you can shoot photos at year round here in Arizona. Even in the heat, if you plan it right you can still manage to have a photo session at a gorgeous location.

Salt River, Arizona

The Salt River runs through the Tonto National Forest and is one of my favorite spots in Arizona. It is located off of the 202 Freeway and Power road. Once you exit the Freeway you head North on Power Road and you will run into the miles of River with multiple Recreation areas. You do have to buy a parking pass. They usually cost $8.00 per day and you are able to purchase at one of their kiosk or at one of the retailers listed on their website www.fs.usda.gov.

There are several areas where you can do photo sessions. The most popular Recreation areas are Phon D. Sutton, Coons Bluff, and Water Users Recreation site (this is my favorite). If you time it just right, you can get into the water at some of the areas when the river is low. You get desert views, mountain and greenery at these sites. It is a gorgeous place and when you are there it often seems like you are not in Arizona. I have done several sessions at Phon D. Sutton and Water User's Recreation Site. I love the mountain Back drops at the Water User's site. I also love that their is a paved path to get to the river. At the other locations there is a bit of hiking down. Please let your clients know that the location is very rocky and they should plan to bring comfortable walking shoes. I usually do not recommend heels at these locations. Below you will see some of my favorite photos from this location.