Tim Cota of Mesa is among 12 photographers whose work is included in the full-size 2026 Arizona Game and Fish Department’s wildlife calendar.
“As a child, my grandfather was a photographer, and we spent many trips in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County where I discovered my true home in nature with any small animals that I could set my eyes on,” Cota said.
“I was handed a small hand-me-down point-and-shoot camera when I was in high school, which I carried everywhere until I could afford my first DSLR. My first photos were of spiders, lizards, and landscapes on occasion…