September 2012 – Page 2 – Paul Van Helden Photography

TUCSON, ARIZONA – To the unfamiliar, mention the words summer in Tucson, Arizona, visions of an arid desert and vapors of dry heat usually come to mind. Most outsiders would be surprised to learn that summer is actually the time of year when this region gets most of its annual rainfall. It is also when the surrounding desert is the greenest.

To Tucsonans, summertime is synonymous with the Monsoon Season, an ebb and flow of thunderstorms that provide much needed rain, cool relief and an awesome spectacle that slowly concludes, with the summer heat, near the end of September.

I love being outdoors, in the wilderness. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise, that Monsoon storms fascinate me! One of my ambitions is to one-day concentrate an entire summer, photographing them exclusively. Until then, random serendipitous moments, like the half-hour depicted in the photos below, will have to do for now.

Clouds, Catalina’s — When I arrived a trailhead, west of the Santa Catalina Mountains, an eeriness began to loom overhead.

Billowing Clouds — I observed these cloud clusters build quickly, overhead and to the south, like dishwashing detergent under running water.

The Downfall — A spotty monsoon storm dumps rain in one spot, while leaving areas around it dry, waiting for the next round to arrive.

The Pending Storm — One storm ends, while another one begins to form. As the sun sets, the clouds turn orange.

Monsoon, Mountains — Monsoon clouds in the distance appear as reversed ridges of the Catalina’s Mountains, silhouetted in the foreground.

Looking west, a Monsoon cloud forms, like a giant mushroom. If you look closely, a sliver of the moon is recognizable to the top right.

The Bright Night — It was almost complete nightfall, when I took this image. A lighting bolt, above the clouds, created the bright area. Rain makes landfall, to the left.

All previous images are from August 19. I took the two images below on August 31. I decided to include them here, as the theme is similar.

The Range — Remnant Monsoon clouds, hover over the Catalina’s at sunset. Most of the precipitation has already been drained out of them.

Many of the previous images feature the Santa Catalina Mountains, western slopes, viewed from the valley below. I took the image below, while atop of the Catalina’s on September 2. It looks west, to the Tucson Mountains and vividly depicts the conclusion to an active day of Monsoon showers.

Signed Limited Edition prints will be made available for “Monsoon Horizon”. Contact Paul for information.

Month: September 2012

Monsoon Mountains