Shootout At The Stillwell Museum

Hey, everybody! Sorry I've been away, but I've been out shooting with Alexa, my new photographer buddy from Austin (seen here at a benefit we attended in Terlingua). We've been out and about the park for the past couple of days, but took today off for me to do my laundry at the Stillwell Store, so I coerced her into visiting Hallie's Hall Of Fame Museum. I didn't tell her much about it, trying to keep it a surprise, and we did pretty well in there until we got to the back room (kitchen), where a form of photo dueling ensued. It was great fun, blasting away in this little 8x10 room full of the precious stuff of a lifetime of ranching out here in the desert.


I started out on a window-lit still life of plastic flowers. The lighting and illuminated petals of the flower display were too much to pass up, and I ended up taking about 25 or more pictures of it and its surroundings. I don't think Lex spent nearly as much time shooting this as I did -- if any. This was my third shot.


And here we have the final product. I really liked the previous shot because it gave the flowers their true due, but this one celebrates them and their environment. Isn't that lighting great? And what about that glass jar hand-crank butter churn? I've never seen one of those before.


Here's one of the shots we dueled on -- a stovetop still life of coffee pots and other heating ware. There was an unspoken rule that all subject matter had to be left exactly where it was -- even up to that stupid spoon, which bothered me mightily. God, I wanted to move that thing!


Here's yet another dueling subject, and one that Alexa spent quite some time on. Is this not a great shot? The boots themselves have so much character, and the lighting just couldn't be better. This would be a great ad shot for a boot company.


And where would any self-respecting cowpoke be without his hat and lariat? Yet another artistic display of well-worn western wear. All of these items were actually worn and used by various Stillwell family members throughout the years while working the ranch. Pretty impressive, huh?


Now I know saddles aren't the most comfortable thing to sit on, but this one really takes the cake. I don't think I've ever seen this particular model before, which almost looks unfinished. Such a great contrast of materials, though.

The shootout ended with little or no bloodshed, thank goodness, and both parties retired to their respective corrals (computers) to put the day's bounty behind bars. We didn't make it out into the park at all today, as the sky was just too hazy to afford any real photographic possibilities, so this worked out really well -- and I got my laundry done, to boot. (To boot . . . Get it? Ha, ha!) Anyway, As soon as Lex heads out and I can sit down and dive into the hundreds of shots I've taken over the last three days, I'll put up a photo album for all to see. Keep checking in, though. You never know what'll happen.