A Giant Thirst: Grocery Store, Colorado

Grocery Store, Colorado

We needed milk and eggs, but I never made it into the store.

Typical.

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Cowboy and Dog, Eddyville Rodeo

Cowboy and Dog, Eddyville Rodeo

My friend Jane Bell at Texas Tech is a fan of dogs, and the day after I made this image, I sent her a note with the image attached. I couldn’t resist the image opportunity, what with the cowboy and his rough-and-tumble boots, the grass-and-dirt texture of the rodeo arena, the miniature canine so daintily attached to the cowhand with a pet-store retractable leash and a paw raised in preparation for motion. Irony incarnate, say I.

The PlainSky, Nebraskans Show: The Complete Works No. 22

Leif and Claire: PlainSky Nebraskans No. 22, 10.5″ x 15.5″ on Canson Infinity Velin Rag

Leif and Claire: An unposed, genuine photograph of the past and future of the American West. For many who know my images, this is their favorite image, if even for nothing more than its ability to provide a brief glimpse into the heart of the High Plains.

Opening at Texas Tech: Leif and Claire

Leif and Claire: Showing at the International Cultural Center at Texas Tech University in November, December and January.

A while ago, my friend Melinda Green Harvey (quite the accomplished photographer herself) tipped me off toward entering a few photos for the juried High and Dry 2012 show at the International Cultural Center at Texas Tech; as I told Melinda, over the years I’ve come to understand the most important part in being an artist is becoming used to rejection and disappointment.

That didn’t happen this time; my image Leif and Claire No. 2 was not only selected for the show, but was also selected among the 13 finalist prints, and even better, so was Melinda’s.

The show opens on November 23.

PlainSky, Nebraskans: Leif and Claire No. 2, Lusker Ranch

Leif and Claire No. 2, Lusker Ranch

Every photographer should have a day where he or she “shoots out of his or her shoes.”

Monday, May 28, 2012, was mine.

Leif Meidell and the family dog, Claire, were standing together on a sandy knoll behind the garage at the Lusker Ranch, and I was making images of the two when Leif looked to the southwest horizon in an unguarded moment.

Without any doubt, I think this is the best image I have ever made. It’s better than I am, far better, but that’s irrelevant.

My only hope for it, however, is that others may just see it with the same sense of emotional intensity it holds for me.

PlainSky, Nebraskans: The Kiss, Klemer Ranch

The Kiss, Klemer Ranch

Honestly, how could I turn down an opportunity like this?