My August 2026 Photo of the Month is LM1233, another typical monsoon-season image from the Laguna Mountains.
LM1233 Background
I struggle with Summer. It is my least favorite season. My day job is at its busiest. It is hot, of course. Then there is timing.
This was forecast to be a decent monsoon season, possibly due to the 2026–2027 El Niño (no, I refuse to call it super or anything of that sort). The monsoons have been okay so far, and perhaps September will be better.
One issue I run into with monsoons concerns the work week. I can get a drink around lunchtime, and look East to see some impressive clouds building, but I still have to work. Later in the afternoon, after the “day” is complete, I head out East and the clouds have already dissipated, or turbulent air has blown apart those impressive columns. Then I would find any open weekend days to be completely absent of cloud-building. A little luck is needed in photography.
Finally, I found a Monday where I could leave and enjoy some of the remaining clouds. Even on this day, I apparently missed something, as a person at the 3rd overlook told me they got hit with hail earlier in the afternoon. I maybe got a few raindrops on the windshield, so I missed out.
I was hesitant to pick this composition. There were other images, perhaps not framed with the same strength, that I considered. My thought here was that I had made Granite Mountain enough of a muse over the years that I felt this was a bit formulaic. But then again, due to a nice remaining cloud system, combined with its Northerly direction and sidelight, once again made for a great view.
Alas – I took a call from a friend at the overlook only to find I got nailed by a fire ant again. Luckily, it was only 1, but oh man it hurt for the rest of the evening. I may need to rename this one Fire Ant Overlook.
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the image.
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T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.
An excellent photograph! Sorry about the fire ant.
Photographs taken from a great distance spurs something deep down inside of me and cause me to want for adventure.
That’s very nice and I’m glad that you got “something with monsoon clouds in the Lagunas” this season. My photography luck was even poorer than yours, unfortunately. I like “Fire Ant Lookout”, that’s a great name.