Butch Mazzuca, BPSA
April 2026 - Sabino Storm
About the Image(s)
Canon R5,Canon 15-35@15mm, ISO 800,f8, 1/160th Tv
This image was inspired by Japanese Canadian photographer George Noebeshi. His distinctive “through-the-window” approach to creating a narrative/story in his images isn’t just about out-of-the-ordinary framing??”it’s about placement, i.e., where the frame itself becomes part of the narrative, and everything including the frame is from the viewer’s point of view.
Noebeshi doesn’t just show you a scene??”he puts you inside it. The viewer is no longer just an observer, he or she becomes an active participant in the image. In this type of photography, the frame isn’t just decorative??”it is an essential part of the story. And in this image I chose the perspective of a passenger in an automobile driving into a storm because it’s something we’ve all experienced.
I knew what I wanted so I waited about two weeks for one of Tucson’s famous late-afternoon quasi-stormy days with intermittent sun & showers in order to heighten visual interest and create a mood. So, to be clear, this shot was staged.
For location I chose the access road about ¼ mile from my home leading to the overflow parking lot in Sabino Canyon State Park ??“ I wanted a “C” curve in the image for visual interest and positioned the car with a point of eye-grabbing interest (the saguaro cactus) right at the bend in the road. I also waited two weeks to get the weather I needed for this shot ??“ good light with intermittent clouds and sun, something the Tucson skies are often blessed with ??“ I also wanted a wet road and a sprinkling of rain.
The sprinkling rain was on again off again so I parked the car in the middle of the access road, turned on my flashers for safety, but I doubted anyone would drive by because it was late in the afternoon and the morning hikers would be long gone especially with the advent of afternoon rain.
Then I waited for a few drops of rain and turned on the wipers - my car’s windshield wipers are uneven in their sweep, so it I took about twenty images at 12 fps and captured one frame with the wipers symmetrically even with bottom of the windshield /top of the dashboard. Also, because the sprinkling rain was so light I got a couple of great smudges on the window which to me are a minor hero in the frame ??“ and that was pure serendipity, not planning :-)
??“ I look forward to your comments
10 comments posted
Amazing approach, so much planning and almost perfect execution. I did feel that I was watching the approaching storm from within the car. The colours are great and the windshield idea was the highlight....a wish list...just a few drops on the windshield along with the smudged curve would be the cherry on the cake. I just thought that the dashboard was a tad on the bright side and so darkened that a bit to still give the presence of being in the car and yet not taking away anything from the spectacle that Mother Nature presented you with...!!! Great job. Posted: 04/13/2026 19:24:29
Here you set up and found an interesting storm in a good location that would be a good image of only that. It is adding the car's interior that uses the through-the-window approach that really makes the image.
From the comments above and your replies, you wanted the realism of the wipers, water droplets and wiper streak. You did not want and do not want the image cleaned up, which is your choice as the artist. I am looking forward to seeing more images using this approach. But, I do have a suggestion. I would darken the dash some to make the storm standout more. Posted: 04/18/2026 15:43:08
Posted: 04/18/2026 15:50:49