Background of the Photographer
Joseph Cyr is a language teacher at an American secondary school. Born in South Korea, he spent his childhood living in various locations including Germany and the United States, specifically Georgia and Arizona. As an adult, Cyr has resided in Seattle, Paris, and Nicaragua before returning to Arizona.
“As an adult I have lived in Seattle, Paris and Nicaragua before moving back to Arizona,”he says.
The Photograph and Location
Cyr took the photograph during a trail run in Saguaro National Park, located on the edge of Tucson, Arizona, approximately an hour north of the US-Mexico border. The image features an enormous and unusually human-like saguaro cactus.
It was a school holiday, and Cyr was running on a quiet trail where he encountered only a few horseback riders and this distinctive cactus. The saguaro is the largest cactus species in the United States and grows exclusively in the Sonoran Desert, where the national park is situated.
Details About the Saguaro Cactus
“They can grow as tall as a six-storey building and live for more than two centuries,”Cyr explains.
“Their first arms don’t usually appear until the plant is 70 years old.”
This particular cactus exhibits a rare mutation known as a crested saguaro. According to the National Park Service, out of an estimated 2 million saguaros in the park, only about 75 crested saguaros have been identified.
“One can’t help but anthropomorphise these plants – their silhouettes often look like people with outstretched arms. This cactus looks as if it’s proclaiming, preaching, pointing outward and upward.”
Reflection on Nature and the Photograph
Cyr remarks on the impressive scale of the cactus and notes that nature can evoke humor as well as awe.
“Not everything is ‘sublime and majestic’. It can be awkward and whimsical, but still leave us with our jaws open.”
