Last summer, my wife, Lisa shared that she was thinking
about taking a writing class at the University of Washington. She mentioned
that there was a photography class too. So, for nine months, we went back to
school. To anyone thinking about doing this, if you’ve been out of school for
say 30 years, it’s hard even if it’s “just photography.” I heard that
description occasionally from someone taking a real writing class. It was nice
though. Every Tuesday we had date night with dinner at a little Thai restaurant
near campus. My class also met on Thursday nights and with additional darkroom
time on the weekends, the schedule was time intensive. But, I loved it …most of
the time.
I signed up for the class to make better images and to focus
on photography beyond life’s other distractions for an academic year. I’ve been
playing with photography for years. My first serious camera was an Olympus OM-1
that I bought in 1980. Going to Japan in 2010 to photograph and document the
dolphin hunt and following the work of the International League of Conservation Photographers, made me realize the power of a strong image and the impact it
can have on viewers.
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HomeDepot security watching day laborers make breakfast
while they wait for work. |
The photography class had homework and darkroom assignments.
We were to pick a project and work on it. I started to photograph the day
laborers who wait in front of Home Depot. I spent mornings and lunch hours with
them, winning their confidence until they allowed me to take a few photos. I
wasn’t able to get close like I wanted and I was hearing and seeing things that
were best left undocumented. Next, I thought I’d play with rain in Seattle. It
didn’t rain for weeks. After winter break, I showed the class some photos I
took in Nevada at a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustang roundup. My
classmates made it pretty clear to me that I should be concentrating on horses
and helicopters and, with over 2000 photos, I had plenty to work with from my winter
trip.
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Wild mustangs being driven into the trap.
Wranglers hide, waiting to chase and close them in
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The Tri-State Calico Complex is over 1 million acres at the
intersection of Oregon, California, and Nevada. The days I was the there, the
roundup targeted horses north of Winnemucca and west of Denio Junction, a big
chunk of land that butts up against
the Sheldon Wildlife Reserve. Our caravan of BLM PR people, Rangers, and two
animal advocates arrived after they had already driven in the first horses into
the trap. For this trip, I splurged and rented a 600mm lens and it was a good
thing I did. The viewing area was setup approximately one half mile from the
trap. The other challenge was that we had to shoot into the sun. Not the best
situation but the big lens helped.
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| Horse obscured by exhaust |
I had the honor of standing alongside blogger Elyse Gardner.
She’s witnessed many roundups and it was an opportunity to learn. Be sure to
check out her blog, Humane Observer. There’s a lot of standing and waiting at
roundups. You can hear the helicopter working a band of horses over the ridge
before you can see it. My goal was to capture the fear and exhaustion of the
horses and to give the viewer insight to what is happening on public land. What
is more difficult to capture is the compassion the horses show for one another
and their defiance against the helicopter. After a group was driven into the
shoot, I relaxed but then heard a crash. By the time I focused the camera back
on the trap, a stallion had jumped out. He didn't run far. He turned and waited
for his family to follow. They didn't. He worked his way down the hill toward
us and actually got quite close. I didn't know why a wild animal would seek us
out. I wanted to think he was asking for help.
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| Calico Escapee |
This photograph received honorable mention and won the
people’s choice award in an equine photo contest. It’s now part of a traveling
exhibit along with my talented classmates’ photography. I also sold two copies in
an auction to help a friend. This stallion means a lot to me. Looking into his
eyes and being in the presence of his strength were humbling and I could only
mutter, "I’m sorry." On a subsequent drive, he was captured. He’d been chased for
hours that day and his head was hanging as he entered the trap. It was
difficult to watch. Days later, as I edited photos, I hoped he was the one that
stood up to the helicopter or the one that walked alone over the hill at the
end of the day but in reviewing the details it was clear it wasn’t him.
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| Calico Complex Burros |
The next day, I arrived ahead of the caravan to photograph
burros. The burros were scheduled for removal the next week. Joining Elyse and
me was Laura Leigh of Wild Horse Education. In recent years, Laura has been to
more roundups than anyone else including BLM employees. Laura works hard on the
legal side for the horses. The Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of
1971 was enacted to protect the horses and give them land to live on. The 2004 Burns
Amendment changed enough language that the horse population is now suffering
and the BLM continues to remove horses. It’s estimated (because there is no
census) that more horses exist in holding facilities than in the wild. It's wrong when
laws are manipulated to serve a special interest and not held to the spirit
that drove the original law into being. Conrad Burns, the Senator that wrote
the amendment, is a cattleman.
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| Trap Site in the Tri-State Calico Complex |
On my last day at the roundup, they moved the trap. The
viewing area was closer to the trap and the sun was behind us. Perfect, except
much of the area was behind a mountain so our view was limited. The sweaty
horses made the slow death march from behind the mountain to the trap, their
heads hanging low. I believe the helicopter had the first couple groups exhausted
and staged for our arrival, waiting to just push them over the hill. After the
first few drives the horses were less cooperative. A stallion escaped at
the mouth of the trap. He followed the trailer, containing his family, down the
dirt road. When the helicopter returned, he ran toward it. It was the thing
that took his family. I have huge respect for these animals.
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| Stallion pacing, trying to gain access to his family |
Driving home, I took a wrong turn and drove through the
Sheldon Wildlife Reserve. I saw wild horses not being chased by a helicopter.
They were beautiful in the evening light and so tender with each other. I was
thrilled to find these healthy equines and to spend a short amount of time with
them. I was so happy that these horses were safe in this reserve. I was wrong. On
August 4th, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) began removing these horses
from Sheldon. FWS plans to remove all them in five to ten years.
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| Horses of Sheldon |
For more information on the issues and roundups, I recommend
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign. They also do a great job with
letters and petitions and are supportive of my travels and photography. Laura
Leigh has been an invaluable resource in planning my trips. My fellow
photography classmates have been tremendous supporters of my work. They often
ask, “Where are you going next?” I’m not sure. Sadly, wild horses and burros are
continually rounded up, the Japanese dolphin drive starts September 1st,
and our government persists in eradicating wolves, buffalo, sea lions… There is
no end to the suffering of wild animals or photo ops.
On a happy note: Elyse stayed until the Calico roundup ended
and witnessed the release of our captured stallion, Calico Escapee, and his return
to the range.
Special thanks to Lisa Lorden for the editing help
