Flower Moon May 29, 2018
Robert Draper and I were assigned to go to Boquillas. The story was that this border village just across the Rio Grande from Big Bend National Park was going to get electricity from the United States. It was easier for us the run electricity from our side than to get it from Musquiz about 75 miles away. Everything was in place. Then some conservation group protested and the whole idea was scrapped. The narrative was about how they were not getting electric. I had already made my images for the story, but laying in bed Friday night I got this idea to photograph a man on a horse in the bar. I headed back Saturday morning and tried my best to convince Francesco, the bartender, in to letting me to do that. His firm answer was no, and no matter how I begged and bribed he wasn't having it. In my frustration I went outside to gather my thoughts for round two, when a woman approached and asked me if I would photograph her baby. "Sure, of course," I said, and she walked me to her home. There I photographed Eliot in a bassinet and then, still sleeping, we sat her on the bed and made this photograph. You know when you know you just made an amazing image? I knew. I went back to the bar, thanked Francesco and went home a very happy man. This is photograph is in the collection of the Art Museum of El Paso.
I learned from Alan Tennant and Bill Montgomery how to look for, find, and handle reptiles on the road. I am still good at it, and I rarely go by a snake that I do not remove from danger. I was heading to the park and found this beautiful road killed specimen with no real visible damage. It was about lunch time so I got out some peanut butter and coated the bread, and somehow the two just came together. I've only made a very small prints of this, like 3 1/2 inches. Anything bigger just doesn't look right.
Thank you all for your support of my life in the desert.