The Birds and the Bees
Writer Joseph J. Airdo // Photographer Bruce Moore
Every parent dreads it — that awkward conversation, the one that starts with stammering and ends with relief when it’s finally over. But for photographer Bruce Moore, “the talk” is less about fumbling explanations and more about quiet observation. Armed with his Nikon Z9 and the patience of a man who’s learned that the best moments can’t be rushed, Moore has spent countless mornings documenting the Sonoran Desert’s most photogenic residents: the birds and the bees.
This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating his work — not because his images capture torrid love affairs or elaborate courtship dances, but because they remind us that connection happens everywhere, even when we’re not looking for it. A cardinal perched on a saguaro. A bee making contact with a desert marigold’s stamen. These aren’t grand romantic gestures, but they’re intimate nonetheless — quiet moments of purpose and partnership that unfold just outside our windows.
“I love photographing mourning doves,” Moore says. “An interesting fact about them is that they mate for life, which in today’s world of disposable relationships is somewhat comforting and reminds me of days gone by.”
When asked how love has shown up in his own life, he offers an Albert Einstein quote from his undergraduate days: “You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.”
“Love takes work,” he adds. “You have to accept that maintaining a loving relationship requires effort from both people. I’ve had my ups and downs like most people, and I’ve learned to rely on my photography to help me through the down times while simply enjoying the good moments when they come.”
Perhaps that’s the real lesson of “the talk” — not the mechanics of attraction, but the understanding that connection, whether between doves or people or a bee and a bloom, requires showing up. Moore shows up at dawn with his camera. The bees show up for the lavender and desert marigolds. The mourning doves show up for each other, year after year. And in capturing these moments, Moore reminds us that sometimes the most romantic thing we can do is simply pay attention.
Meet the Photographer
Growing up in Vandalia, Ohio, Bruce Moore watched his grandfather document family gatherings and became intrigued enough to buy a red plastic camera with money he earned selling flower seeds door-to-door. But life — military service during Vietnam, raising a family, building a career — got in the way of that childhood fascination.
It wasn’t until later, after moving from Ohio to Hawaii to Texas and finally to Anthem, that Moore picked up the camera again, this time with the kind of focus that only comes from having lived long enough to know what matters.
“I have always leaned toward a creative process,” he says. “I could never draw or paint, so photography was a perfect outlet for me.”
These days, Moore shoots primarily with Nikon Z8 and Z9 mirrorless cameras, often using a 105mm f/2.8 macro lens for close-up work or a 70-200mm f/2.8 for birds in flight. His approach is decidedly old-school in an age of digital manipulation — he uses a free app called Snapseed for basic post-processing and avoids the “plug-ins and swap-outs” that dominate contemporary photography.
“I believe my job as a photographer is to capture what God has created, not to take bits and portions of nature that don’t exist in that image and plug them in to make something that isn’t really real,” he explains.
That philosophy has served him well. As a member of the Photographic Society of America, Moore has won numerous first-place judging competitions, competing against photographers who are experts with Photoshop and Lightroom. He’s also recently become a PSA-sanctioned judge, evaluating submissions for camera clubs throughout the country — proof that composition and vision can triumph over technical wizardry.