A Lesson In Inspiration
A 100-Year-Old Ranch & a 9-Year-Old Vision: A Lesson in Nurturing Inspiration as a Photographer
If you know me, you know I love music.
While I started my photography career early (my first paying job was at age 15), it coexisted with music as a sideline. My parents were music fans, so I was exposed to it early and often. After two years of piano, I decided I wanted to be a drummer, but my father couldn't stand the racket of just a snare drum in my room. I eventually ended up on bass guitar—the drummer's accompanist in the rhythm section of a band. Today, I'm married to one of the most incredible singers you'll ever hear.
Introducing Danny Everitt
From 1970 to 1973, Danny Everitt was one of my bandmates in Austin. When that band finally broke up, Danny soldiered on as a solo artist—a true Texas singer-songwriter. In fact, he was "Texas Singer-Songwriter of The Year" in 2014, a title bestowed by The Texas Music Awards. I, however, returned to photography and effectively took a 20-year hiatus from playing music. From day one, Danny gave me the honor of doing photography for his recordings.
Here is the cover of his first album, "Fire Down Inside," from the late 70's.
I also provided the cover for 2007's *Cold Wind, Cold Rain* and promo images for 2013's *Acoustic Souvenir.* However, only recently did I have the opportunity to bring an image that had been percolating in my mind for almost ten years to fruition.
When Inspiration Strikes a "Chord"
In 2007, I started working for Bob McClaren at his beautiful Angus beef ranch, 44 Farms, near Cameron, Texas.
On my very first visit to 44 Farms, I spied the remnants of a long-lost farmhouse. The land has been in Bob's family for over 100 years, and I knew right away it would make a great photo. It wasn’t until 2016 that the vision came to life.
A 9-Year-Old Vision Realized
In 2016, when Danny told me about his upcoming release "Dream Big," I told him we needed to take a little road trip.
On October 21, a cold front had pushed through Texas and cleared the air, so Danny, his wife Patrice, and I headed to 44 Farms. My idealized photo would take place at twilight.
While we waited for the sun to creep down, I suggested we make use of the glorious weather to get some shots "in the can."
As with client assignments, I completed the shots as planned but also tried to capture additional images that might or might not work for the main use.
We started with Danny down near the chimney and the pond, but with the sun directly behind him. I used a battery-powered Alien Bees flash head with a beauty dish to illuminate his front, which would have otherwise been in shadow.
Then, as the sun dipped just above the horizon during the golden hour, we shifted to a hillside behind us where the warm light raked across Danny and the golden grass of a Texas autumn.
Finally, we set up for the shot I had envisioned all along—Danny in front of a fire, strumming his guitar, singing softly, and with the occasional accompaniment of the Angus cattle that came down to the water to drink.
For the technically minded, I placed a battery-powered head inside the fireplace with a warming gel to simulate the glow of a fire. The aforementioned Alien Bees head and beauty dish, equipped with a honeycomb grid, gently opened up the side of the chimney to reveal some detail.
I was pleased with the results and even more excited when I started processing the images back at home. I knew this would make the perfect wraparound cover for a CD titled *Dream Big*.
May the Best Photo Win
Unfortunately for me, it *would* have been the wraparound cover—if I hadn’t gone the extra mile and captured other scenarios while waiting for the sun to set.
Danny's wife Patrice, or "Pete" as she's commonly known; Jack Saunders, Danny's music producer and engineer; and Houston graphic designer Kenny Ragland, who I enlisted to create the CD package, all liked the first setup best.
That image became the cover of *Dream Big*—and here it is. The full image shown earlier does wrap around to the back cover.
Thankfully, all was not lost. My originally envisioned image, with the addition of a real crescent moon judiciously placed above the horizon, became the inside spread, leaving plenty of room for the CD production credits to be reversed out.
The hillside image is also being used in Danny's promotional material and his Bandcamp page, where you can buy all three of his recent CD releases:
Lesson in Inspiration
There are two lessons I want to impart:
First, trust yourself and your vision. Even if, like in this instance, it takes years to bring it to fruition.
Second, the image you set out to capture may not always be the one that ends up being the best or the one you use. Be open to surprises and inspiration—it’s what keeps the process fresh and often leads to happy accidents.
As an addendum, Danny, most of our old bandmates from Austin, and I did a new CD that we finished in 2020 to prove that we could still rock and roll. You can find *Belle Of The Bar* by "The Volume Dealers" here: Belle Of The Bar