The Wild West Archives | Page 5 of 12

Lonesome Dove

West Texas, Texas – 2024

Archival Pigment Print

“The quiet comfort of being alone on the move, with the sense of security offered by a saddle, were seemingly attractive to cattle drivers heading north from Texas in the second half of the 19th century. Ostensibly, it was a lonely and poorly paid job, conducted in tough conditions, and while the cowtowns at the end of the road offered every vice, the original cowboy’s life delivered little consistent joy. The life imbalances are easier to consume in a modern Taylor Sheridan production than they were when lived out for real.

Louis L’Amour- the doyen of contemporary Western novels – believed that the self-image of the first cowboys was influenced by the “code of the cavalier” that emerged in 19th century writers such as Sir Walter Scott. The commitment to duty, and the sense of pride that became integral to the lore of the frontier cowboys, came from somewhere and L’Amour suggests that it came from stories and folklore passed down the ages.

If he was right, novels such as Ivanhoe have played a material role in the evolution of Americana. The early cowboys were rough, wanderlust characters often possessing no moral compass, but they had a code of honour that history now looks fondly on and this has propelled the cowboy image from a shiftless, unkempt character to the noble good guy and most enduring symbol of the United States.

That extraordinary shift in perception is here to stay and that works for me. To spend time with proper cowboys – as we often do in West Texas – is to immerse oneself in a culture with duty, manners and commitment at its heart. Over and above that, to watch a cattle drive live, in its birthplace, is one of the great spectacles I know.” – DAVID YARROW

Available sizes

Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 37” x 100” in (93.98 cm x 254 cm)
Framed Image: 52” x 115” in (132.1 cm x 292.1 cm)

Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 28” x 75” in (71.12 cm x 190.5 cm)
Framed Image: 43” x 90” in (109.2 cm x 228.6 cm)

We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.

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Cowgirl

West Texas, Texas – 2024

Archival Pigment Print

“The credit for this cinematic picture must go to the West Texas cowboys who kept the herd tight to the model but were also in full control of her safety. The fact that Brooks Nader and I knew the cowboys well, and had total trust in their herding skills, allowed us to focus on our jobs and that ultimately made all the difference. The one constant was the backdrop, which offered an emphatic sense of place.

We filmed this project 25 miles from the Mexican border and 25 miles from the drive by town of Van Horn, which is marooned in the middle of nowhere. I believe we were in virginal territory for this kind of production and I am so appreciative of the local ranchers who allowed us to put everything together, they have enough on their hands in this region right now. I would imagine we were the first legal visitors on this land for quite a while.

Location scouting is an integral part of the job but in ecosystems as vast as this in this part of Texas, we must subcontract the initial work to locals otherwise we would have to give up our day jobs. I thank Craig Carter and his team for understanding our creative needs.

When I watched Kevin Costner’s Horizon, I thought Sienna Miller stole many scenes, not just with her beauty and screen presence, but with her styling; its refined simplicity offered a stark contrast to the untamed and merciless Wild West. That was my prompt for Brooks in this sequence and I think the white lace dress worked well against the backdrop of dust.” – DAVID YARROW

Available sizes

Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 54” x 103” in (137.2 cm x 261.6 cm)
Framed Image: 69” x 118” in (175.3 cm x 299.7 cm)

Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 37” x 71” in (93.98 cm x 180.3 cm)
Framed Image: 52” x 86” in (132.1 cm x 218.4 cm)

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Cattle Drive

West Texas, Texas – 2024

Archival Pigment Print

“This photograph smells of West Texas and that was the intent. I think there normally needs to be a sense of place and a mood for the story within a still to stack up. It’s so dusty in this ranch just 25 miles from the Mexican border and the dust adds a character for free, provided the photographer is prepared to shoot towards the sun in the last hour of sunlight.

But there are logistical issues: firstly, the herd are coming right at my ladder and secondly, the wind direction needs to be right. If the wind is moving in roughly the same direction as the cattle and there is speed to that wind, then not only am I not going to get a picture, I would also be in danger as the cattle would not see me until it was too late.

So there is some amount of maths involved and I think that this is as close as I can responsibly get, even if the wind is blowing left to right. This is not something to try without the help of good horsemen and the cowboys in Texas are the best equipped in the world to be a photographer’s accomplice.

It is a special place down here and we recognise it. I often refer to some of John Steinbeck’s quotes and I will unapologetically do so once again, as he nails it every time:

“For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study, and the passionate possession of all Texans.” – DAVID YARROW

Available sizes

Large: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 52” x 103” in (132.1 cm x 261.6 cm)
Framed Image: 67” x 118” in (170.2 cm x 299.7 cm)

Standard: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 39” x 77” in (99.06 cm x 195.6 cm)
Framed Image: 54” x 92” in (137.2 cm x 233.7 cm)

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Kochevars, Crested Butte

Crested Butte, Colorado – 2024

“Nestling in at 9000 ft and with only one road out in the winter, the former coal mining town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Colorado is not mainstream. But what it lacks in accessibility, it makes up aesthetically. It is an amphitheatre of pristine, uncluttered grandeur that reminds me somewhat of the Dolomites in Italy. This is one hell of a location and well worth the trip.

It is only 18 miles, as the crow flies, from Aspen, but by road in winter it is a 202-mile journey. Such is the nature of the topography in Colorado. I think it is rather appropriate that there is such a distance in winter between the most famous ski resort in the world and the small community that is now dubbed “The last great Colorado ski town” because they couldn’t be more different. At the last census, only 1700 people claimed Crested Butte as home, but it is a known known destination.

What both places have in common, however, is a mining past and with that goes dive bars that have stood the test of time. In Crested Butte, the infamous watering hole is Kochevar’s, established by Jacob Kochevar back in 1886. He seemed an interesting man with a keen eye for what his customers were looking for – women.

In its early life it was transformed from a brothel to a bowling alley, to a bar. Not many bars can lay claim to that level of adaptability at such an early stage in their history.

But perhaps the bar is most famous for housing Butch Cassidy and the Wall Gang. Butch left his gun, which is now displayed proudly inside the saloon. No better place, therefore, to bring my bunch of morally impaired misfits.

We did, however, acknowledge that the joint had history with femininity and what fun it was to bring one of the world’s most celebrated supermodels – Alessandra Ambrosio – to the bar at the end of the road”. – David Yarrow

AVAILABLE SIZES:

LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 56" x 88” in (142.2 cm x 223.5 cm)
Framed Image: 71" x 103” in (180.3 cm x 261.6 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 37” x 59” in (93.98 cm x 149.9 cm)
Framed Image: 52” x 74” (132.1 cm x 188 cm)

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The Border

Big Bend National Park, Texas – 2023

Big Bend National Park on the Texas/Mexican border is one of America’s least visited National Parks whilst also being one of its most spectacular. The issue is that it’s just not that easy to get to, even for Texans who consider a three-hour drive as a work commute. There is no commercial airport within a four-hour drive of Big Bend and those living near the entrance either appear to be in a cunning witness protection programme or auditioning for Breaking Bad. It’s all a bit sketchy down on the border.

To my eye, the most visually dramatic part of the park is the Santa Elena Canyon where the Rio Grande has shaped towering cliff faces worthy of such a storied and relevant National border line. There is no need for a wall when the canyon runs 1000 feet deep.

The problem with filming here and many, including the Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones have tried, is that it has to be an early start to get into the canyon pre-dawn and pre-tourists. I think we left our motel at 3 am.

There is something rather special about filming on the Rio Grande. We could cross back and forth into Mexico by wading out a few steps from the bank. I sense the proximity to the border makes for tough folk in this part of Texas and it certainly adds to a sense of belonging. As John Steinbeck said “Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all else, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word.

AVAILABLE SIZES:

LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 56” x 66” in (93.98 x 167.6 cm)
Framed Image: 71” x 81” in (180.3 cm x 205.7 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image Size: 37” x 44” in (93.98 x 111.8 cm)
Framed Image: 52” x 59” in (132.1 cm x 149.9 cm)

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Parts Unknown II

Durango, Colorado – 2023

When we shoot in the winter, weather plays a large part in our planning, but given the speed at which weather can change, it does not pay to be too prescriptive too far out from shooting days. But we continually check weather patterns and within 36 hours of a shoot, we tend to home in on a certain plan.

There are, I guess, four or five weather possibilities in the winter: melting snow and sunny, which is horrid; cold and sunny, which is better but restricts filming time; a snowstorm, which is exciting, but can impair detail or, ideally, the end of a big snow fall.

In the Rockies, I guess there are about a dozen days a year when a big storm passes through and clears, leaving behind a winter wonderland and kind gentle light. This is the film maker’s big opportunity, provided the props are in place and access is still possible. It is always challenging, but these are the days we wait for. They don’t come that often.

We know the Durango to Silverton steam train well and have built up a strong friendship with the owner Al Harper and his wonderful team of engineers in Durango. I sensed there was an opportunity at this jaw dropping location made famous by its appearance some 50 years ago in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We were in town and waiting as the storm system pushed through. It had lasted 36 hours and left 18 inches of new snow in the San Juan Forest that the old steam train cuts through.

We had to operate fast, as the light was picking up all the time and both teams worked quickly to get everyone in position early in the day. The Native American and the horse had the toughest job – that was no easy brief that day.

When I look at this photograph, I feel some sense of pride, it is a hell of a shot. But not pride in myself, pride in all the people that made it happen. A real team effort.

Available sizes

LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image size: 56" x 70" in (142.2 cm x 177.8 cm)
Framed Image: 71" x 85" in (180.3 cm x 215.9 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP

Image size: 46" x 37" in (116.8 cm x 93.98 cm)
Framed Image: 61" x 52" in (154.9 cm x 190.5 cm)

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1905

Marathon, Texas – 2023

In our research for the oil set we were building in West Texas, we tried to find prompts from old monochrome pictures of early oil derricks. This type of computer work appeals to me, whether wearing the hat of an amateur historian or indeed a photographer. Historical black and white images from the Wild West of 120 years ago or more have long had a pull on my visual sensibilities and I am proud to own two original Edward Curtis portraits.

Cameras 120 year ago were operationally limited at every level, and no more so than when trying to freeze action. It dawned on me that if we were to build a set based on our understanding of wildcatting in the early years of the 20th century, we could then use that set to take the actions shots that were simply impossible to capture in the era to which we were playing homage.

My leaning was to be as immersive as possible and have action across the frame. I just hadn’t seen this concept played out in a still image and that encouraged me. Of course, we took hints from Paul Anderson’s Oscar winning movie There will be Blood and in particular the scene when oil was struck for the first time. My sense was that there would be a degree of panic in the crew amidst all the excitement and that panic must be conveyed.

The irony with this photograph, is that despite everything that is going on, and our current anxieties about drilling for oil, there is beauty and romance. The story is a good story and that will always be so. Without oil, where would we be now?

AVAILABLE SIZES:

LARGE: Edition of 12

Image Size: 56” x 81” in (93.98 x 205.7 cm)
Framed Image: 71” x 96” in (180.3 cm x 243.8 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 12

Image Size: 37” x 53” in (93.98 x 134.6 cm)
Framed Image: 52” x 68” in (132.1 cm x 172.7 cm)

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THERE WILL BE OIL

Marathon, Texas – 2023

West Texas is the hub of the American Petroleum industry – so much so that West Texas Intermediate ( WTI) is a benchmark crude oil futures contract traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).

Oil was first discovered in West Texas at the turn of the 19th century and the reserves in the Permian basin are so big that the region still produces 4m barrels a day – a third of US oil production.

With oil came a story book of characters. My sense was that drilling sites in West Texas in 1915 were loosely governed and uncompromising places, where avarice and sin lurked around most corners. Wildcatting in the wild west came with little cultural refinement and probably a cavalier abuse of unchecked power.

To incorporate all this in one vignette required using the space on our set efficiently. There were many thoughts in my mind that morning near Marathon, Texas, but the overarching one was to offer a sense of place. It is not such a challenge in West Texas, which is why so many acclaimed movies, such as Paul Anderson’s Oscar winning There will be Blood, were shot in the area. We return here regularly to tell stories and each time our ambitions have broadened. It is a place that has traditionally not rewarded modesty.

As a photographer, I try and resist the urge to both “show and tell”. I prefer to just “show” and then it is up to the audience to interpret.

I am not sure of the relationship between the woman and the oil man, or indeed any of the drillers, or what she was doing in town. But at this very moment in time, the crew had more important matters to deal with and whatever her game, it was going to have to wait.

AVAILABLE SIZES:

LARGE: Edition of 12

Image Size: 56” x 79” in (93.98 x 200.7 cm)
Framed Image: 71” x 94” in (180.3 cm x 238.8 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 12

Image Size: 37” x 52” in (93.98 x 132.1 cm)
Framed Image: 52” x 67” in (132.1 cm x 170.2 cm)

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Village People

Manhattan, New York – 2023

Half of the proceeds will go to John McEnroe’s philanthropic endeavors.

“McSorley’s Old Ale House in the East Village is one of the most celebrated Irish bars on the Eastern Seaboard of America. Founded in 1854, it seemingly hasn’t changed much in 170 years and if the walls could talk, it would – “to be sure” – be one very long monologue.

The interior is a museum of the Irish in Manhattan and the joint has such a discernible vibe that Martin Scorsese and his crew did their press briefings for The Gangs of New York in the front bar. In the Great War, young soldiers heading to Europe in 1917, left a turkey wish bone on a wire above the bar; the bones of those who never returned still hang there in front of various JFK memorabilia.

The pub has been in the same Irish family hands for three generations and I was honoured to discover that the current custodian – Gregory – was a collector of my work. Naively, we tried to visit him on St Patrick’s Day, but couldn’t get within 200 yards of the pub. The next day, we had more luck and I was charmed not just by Gregory, but by the whole vibe of the joint. It is a truly special place and I knew I had to film there.

I didn’t have long to wait for the opportunity as John McEnroe – one of the most loved and talented of all American sporting legends and a truly uncompromising New Yorker – had agreed to be filmed by me in the city. Although the McEnroes are of Irish origin and therefore McSorley’s seemed like an appropriate destination, the reason that the location made sense went far deeper than that; John personifies the gritty, uncompromising New Yorker who fights for what he believes to be right – he always has. My leaning was the sawdust laden floors of McSorley’s offered a far more appropriate platform to film this blunt, quintessential, street fighter than some smart Upper East side Italian restaurant or cocktail bar. We were going Irish and tough.

McEnroe’s most famous rebuke to an umpire was the “you cannot be serious” line and I thought those words somewhere in McSorley’s – no matter how incongruous they would be to the rest of the décor – would complement John well. I asked him to bring his Gibson guitar and not a tennis racket, as music now defines him as much tennis and besides, we did give a nod to his rival Bjorn Borg in the photograph.

We were on a creative roll now and I sensed we could add further to the visual overload. The band Village People seemed like a good additive, after-all, we were in the Village and they were of the McEnroe Borg era. Then, since we were playing to a sense of community, I thought we may as well throw in a lady of the night. Luckily Vivian from Pretty Woman was on hand to help.

It is a bar full of Village People, which is what McSorley’s presumably was in 1854. McEnroe looks pure Rock and Roll bad ass. To anyone that says, I would not want to be in that bar, I would simply reply “You cannot be serious.”

AVAILABLE SIZES:

LARGE: Edition of 20 + 3 AP

Image Size: 56” x 90” in (142.2 cm x 228.6 cm)
Framed Image: 71” x 105" in (180.3 cm x 266.7 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 20 + 3 AP

Image Size: 37” x 59” in (93.98 cm x 149.9 cm)
Framed Image: 52” x 74” in (132.1 cm x 188 cm)

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Cara and the Robbers

Durango, Colorado – 2023

Photographing a famous person next to something visually outstanding represents a riddle as there must be a debate as to which subject to deprioritize.

The best images tend to favor, both subjects equally – an example perhaps being Diana Spencer – the then Princess of Wales – against the backdrop of the Taj Mahal. She is dwarfed by the magnificence of what is behind her but is central and pivotal to the story.

Cara Delevingne cannot be taken up to a remote forest, fresh in new snow and then asked to play a secondary role. She has too powerful a look to be relegated to the role of a contextual extra, but equally, the Durango Steam train in winter is one of the great props a storytelling photographer can have. In scouting the journey the day after an intense snowstorm, I found a spot that I thought could offer a balance; I would just need Cara to be strong and sure footed on the banks of a river in a huge amount of fresh snow.

There is a confident swagger to her and my best narrative was that she could be celebrating a robbery before it had even occurred – hence the cigar in her mouth. She can smoke a cigar like the best gambler in Vegas.

It was a cold afternoon that day. This was no studio and as always, it was an honor to work with Cara, she is one of the very best in the business. It’s not a bad backdrop either.

Available sizes

LARGE: Edition of 20 + 3 AP

Image size: 56" x 71" in (142.2 cm x 180.3 cm)
Framed Image: 71" x 86" in (180.3 cm x 218.4 cm)

STANDARD: Edition of 20 + 3 AP

Image size: 37" x 47" in (93.98 cm x 119.4 cm)
Framed Image: 52" x 62" in (132.1 cm x 157.5 cm)

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