THE SHERIFF’S DAUGHTER
Montana, USA - 2022
The intricate layout for this picture was preconceived before I went to bed the previous night. I knew that as soon as the sun rose above the buildings the light would be too harsh to work and that there could be no time for compositional pondering during the shoot. The camera angle needed flat light not aggressive shadows and the weather forecast suggested that we would need to be finished no later than 8.15 am.
So, it was cold conditions when the cast began assembling at 6.15am. Josie Canseco - a girl I often use in shoots - is tough and she showed it that morning. We know each other well and we can swear at each other without offence. It was minus 20 degrees on set and she wasn't wearing much but that is how Josie rolls. I like familiarity; to call on new talent that I did not know for a shoot like this would have been commercial suicide.
We did indeed wrap by 8.10am, just before the sun started to dart around the set. This photograph is a keeper. I can look at it for a long time without losing interest and that is always my acid test. There was so much information to include in one still frame without losing Josie’s sovereignty and we all needed to work very quickly because I was racing against the rising sun. The whole team did a great job that day.
I do think Westerns have been too male dominated, almost to the point of parody, and in my anthology to the Wild West, there is much more of a balance. We have, however, been most selective with the women we have used. They have all been blockbuster women with presence, intelligence and attitude; no more so than the Sheriff’s daughter in this image.
But I am making no major point in this image; I am having fun and telling stories. There are no lofty ambitions other than to entertain and execute well.
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