Randy Johnson’s photography on display in Scottsdale

Randy Johnson is a well-known baseball pitcher of the World Series-winning Arizona Diamondbacks, but he is also showing the world his other talents. Johnson is also a longtime photographer, and many of his works will be on display at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts through spring training.

The display will showcase images from Johnson’s travels, which have allowed him to capture everything from motorsports to major musical artists. This exhibition focuses on scenes from multiple African safaris.

His background in photojournalism began when he studied the subject from 1983 to 1985 while attending the University of Southern California, where he had a full athletic scholarship for baseball.

When asked what kind of challenges he might face as a photographer, Johnson said, “It parallels what I’ve seen in pitching, and photography is having tunnel-focus and being prepared and knowing what to expect. And being prepared to capture that moment.”

“And just like my pitching back in the day, I knew my opponents, I knew their strengths and weaknesses based on video I watched and stats that I looked at. And it’s no different than when I go to Africa; I know where I’m going and what to expect. And I’m hoping that things present themselves, but you know, you’re dealing with animals,” Johnson said.

Along with animals, Johnson has filmed tribes in Ethiopia, and he said Africa is one of his favorite places to take photographs.

Johnson’s photos will be on display from Feb. 23 to Apr. 28.