Texas Cowboys

One of my most favorite photographs was taken for Vanguard Investments.  They sent me out to Amarillo Texas to do a campaign surrounding cowboys on the ranch.  I've been to Texas many times on shoots but usually to the larger cities.  So this was my first time - on a shoot -going into the Texas "outback".  I spent a week in Palo Duro Canyon shooting cowboys - mostly riding & working in and near pickup trucks.  The shots were being used for a "feel good" campaign - ads & brochures all for the midwest.  Well as I was shooting these three cowboys in back of one of these pickups the youngest of the three started jumping through a rope.  I was really intrigued.  I asked the A.D. if she mind if I shot some of this kid jumping.  She was fine with it.  Shooting this wasn't in the schedule but it turned out to be the main image in the ad campaign.  

There are many times where I start shooting with a client with a preconceived idea as to what they/we want.  And as I'm shooting I see something that peeks an interest and I always try to find ways to capture it.   

Our guide in the canyon was this 70ish year old Texan Cowboy.  He had broken his back years before and had a few of his vertebra fussed together.  At least that's what he told us.  He couldn't turn his head side to side but instead would move his whole body to peer left & right.  It made driving in & out of the canyon quite the experience!  Going down steep dirt roads with hairpin turns - no more then a foot of road between you and a 70 foot cliff made for a lot of thanking G-d and drinking at night!  It was a great trip!  Got to love Texas!