If the Southwest’s gorgeous scenery isn’t within driving distance of your place, this Arizona-based photographer will take you there.
Joanna Proffitt’s images came to our attention when we profiled 2019 world champion hoop dancer Cody Boettner in our January 2020 issue. Her action shots of the Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest wowed us and we figured her for an accomplished sports photographer. But it turns out that Phoenix-based Proffitt mainly focuses on landscapes, nature, and wildlife.
“I shoot a lot when I travel, mostly places within driving distance, mostly Arizona,” Proffitt. She doesn’t care for air travel, so it works out nicely that she can reach so many striking locations by car.
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Sedona - People from all over the world gravitate to Sedona for the one-of-a-kind red rock views. This image of Courthouse Butte was made from the passenger seat in the summer of 2019.
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Stormy Superstitions - Superstition Mountains in Apache Junction (2018).
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Grand Falls - Grand Falls is located on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. At 185 feet tall, this waterfall system is taller than Niagara Falls. It is fed by spring melt from the Little Colorado River and due to the brown water, are also called Chocolate Falls. Taken in 2019.
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Dust Devil - A dust devil is a whirlwind that is visible due to the dust or sand it picks up from the ground. This phenomenon is relatively harmless and short-lived but very interesting to witness. Taken in 2019.
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Grand Falls aka Chocolate Falls on the Navajo Nation (2019).
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Hitchcock Pinnacle - This 40 foot column is located on the road up to the summit of Mount Lemmon in southern Arizona. Mt. Lemmon is considered a "sky island" which is a term used to describe a mountain surrounded by a "sea" of desert. Hitchcock Pinnacle can be climbed by those who dare. (2020)
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Lockett Meadow in Flagstaff (2016).
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Navajo Nation 2019. I call this one, "Big Sky."
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Lockett Meadow in Flagstaff (2016). I call this one "Sweet Surrender."
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Grand Canyon - The Grand Canyon National Park celebrated its centennial in 2019. (2017)
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Grand Canyon - I call this one, "Bucket List" (and it should be on yours!) (2017)
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Grand Canyon (2017)
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Grand Canyon - The Desert View Watchtower is a 7-story stone tower designed in 1932 by architect Mary Colter. The Colorado River can be seen meandering below it. (2017)
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Grand Canyon (2017)
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Monument Valley - Merrick Butte (2018)
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Monument Valley (2018)
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Monument Valley - Totem Pole, stunning pillars or rock spires which are the remnants of eroded buttes. (2018)
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Monument Valley - The iconic West Mitten Butte located in Monument Valley. (2018)
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Monument Valley - The popular western, Stagecoach, starring John Wayne was filmed in Monument Valley in 1938. (2018)
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“I like sharing iconic locations that everyone wants to see but might never get to see — the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Superstition Mountains in Apache Junction. And I like capturing dramatic weather. A stormy sky can be so much more interesting photographically than clear sunny skies. Clouds and storms at sunset are some of my favorite things to capture. It’s always serendipity when it comes together by happenstance because I’m planning these trips ahead of time without knowing what the weather will be like.”
We invite you to take a few moments to pull over and check out some of Proffitt’s scenic vistas of the Southwest.
Find more of Joanna Proffitt’s photography at joannaproffitt.com.
Photography: Images courtesy the artist