Arizona Through the Lens of David Muench
If your image of Arizona is countless strip malls interspersed with numerous golf courses, expensive destination resorts and endless suburbs filled with cookie-cutter houses, you have never seen Arizona through the lens of photographer David Muench.
The Arizona he sees is a complex world of stone and water, air and light, almost totally devoid of people. It is an Arizona few urbanites or visitors see because they do not have the patience to spend 200 days a year in wild places waiting to capture that one moment when light and land and sky and spirit unite into an image of unspeakable beauty and undeniable truth.
Fortunately for us, many of Muench's images have been collected in Arizona, the first of the state series of books from Graphic Arts Books to be fully redesigned. Even better, David himself will be on hand to sign your copy of this wonder-full coffee-table book on Tuesday night, December 18, at Changing Hands Bookstore between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. Changing Hands is an independent bookseller located at 6428 S. McClintock Dr. in Tempe.
The 192 page book contains more than 120 color photographs revealing the strength and striking beauty of natural Arizona. From the Grand Canyon to the Sonoran Desert, Muench's sweeping landscapes bring the spirit of the land to life and shows iconic Western images from saguaro cacti to mysterious cliff dwellings in new and unique ways.
It is difficult to describe the Arizona Muench sees and photographs.
"What I aim for, I couldn't put into words for a long time," Muench explained to Photomedia.com in 2005. "I'd rather speak through images."
His images have been speaking for more than 40 years making him one of the most renowned landscape photographers. He is also something of a maverick, following his senses and intuition. The son of Joseph Muench, a pioneer in color landscape photography and, like his son, a frequent contributor to Arizona Highways, the grand dame of Arizona travel magazines, David is a constant innovator travelers can learn a great deal from.
He spends significant amounts of time pre-planning his trips, especially as he gets older. It isn't just getting the right permits and permissions or making sure to pack the right gear. It's talking with locals, researching the cultural and geological history of potential destinations and seeking out expertise from rangers and visitor centers that prime his travels for success.
Muench is also emphatically dedicated to the preservation of wild spaces. Through his breathtaking and awe-inspiring landscapes, he hopes to educate others about the value and importance of preserving such places across the American West and around the world.
As he told the Arizona Republic: "For me, making photographs is always a total and continuing involvement. Underlying my need for expression of a spirit of the land are certain patterns of discovery and exploration. Intense creative awareness, along with the patience in waiting for dramatic forms of sun and shadow, unusual angle of light, or a decisive moment of mood challenge my mind's eye."
