Last time on my “Update from the Road”, we had just left The Big Easy  –  New Orleans Louisiana.    We left town  just as Mardi Gras was reaching it’s fever pitch.    Just in time it would seem,  as we got to enjoy some of the mayhem and see a ton of parades but before the entire town shuts down and everything comes to a standstill while everyone parties at max levels.    We had work to do,  so off we went.     This time,  we headed north to Northern Louisiana/Texas Bayou country on a quest to meet some interesting back woods bayou fishing guides.

After getting a recommendation that Caddo Lake in the little town of Uncertain, Texas was the place to go to find such a person, we met Billy Carter.   Billy is the owner and proprietor of Johnson’s Landing Marina.   We had a great shoot with Billy touring the swamps around Caddo Lake.   Below is a few sample images from that shoot.   In case you missed it, I blogged earlier this month with a more in depth look at this shoot and info on Billy and the historic town of Uncertain, TX  Click Here to see this blog entry.

While we were there we also had the opportunity to shoot with a local legend in the area, who is simply known as Mr. Henry.   Mr. Henry was quite a character…  At almost 80 years old, he is the oldest bayou fisherman in the area.  He has spent most of his life fishing the waters around Lake Caddo fishing primarily for crappie.   He’s definitely one-of-a-kind.  I think the pictures speak for themselves.  Here’s a quick teaser image but please stay tuned on my blog as I will be showing more of his pictures in the coming week.

After leaving Uncertain we headed West….   The following days turned out to be very eventful as we crossed the great state of Texas.   We had the good fortune of being contacted a week prior by an ad agency client of mine who heard that I was going to be in the area.  They had a shoot they needed to get done for a major energy client of theirs and    asked “if I would be interested in shooting in Texas while we were there?”   Well of course the answer was yes, and as such we jumped at the opportunity to quickly pull together a stellar crew out of Dallas to do a quick shoot “Deep in the Heart of Texas” in the giant wind farms that dot the countryside of this huge state.    The initial use for these photos is internal but plans are that they will become part of an ongoing ad campaign that will be released later this year.   As with most advertising assignments,  I cannot divulge the client name or show any of the photos that we took until they have been released to the public.     So at least for now, you will just have to use your imagination…  🙂

However, I am allowed to say that we shot giant windmills and it was super cool!   I  know,  it’s not much,  but here’s a quick teaser shot I can show…

These things go on for miles and miles… Hundreds and hundreds of them.   If you’ve never seen one up close… well let’s just say they dwarf you.    To say they are impressive is an understatement.   They are absolutely massive.  Standing at over 300 feet tall,   each one has three giant blades, (each weighing almost 20 tons) that are constantly spinning as the wind blows.   Each of these tall windmills is capable of producing upwards of 3.6 megawatts or enough power to light up 3000 homes.   That is a whole lot of power.

From there we pushed on through to new Mexico where we did a quick overnight Boondock in the strange little town of Roswell New Mexico.   For those who don’t know,   Roswell is famous for its claim to have an abundance of alien and UFO activity.     Everywhere you go in this town there are little green men and UFOs.

From here our little wagon train pressed on westward to White Sands National Park to shoot some new personal work of the amazing landscape,  and also to do some car photography for the portfolio.    If you never been there,  I highly recommend it… it’s quite a sight to see.     Giant white sand dunes made up of the finest sugar sand you’ve ever seen,  that go on for miles and miles.  It is strange to see them in the middle of a giant desert plain.  The thought of “where the heck did these come from?” crosses your mind.  Upon educating yourself to local geological history, you find that they are a natural occurrence from millions and millions of years of erosion washing gypsum from the nearby mountains followed by the strong prevailing southwesterly winds that blow across the valley floor pushing the sand up onto itself forming these huge dunes.     They are quite unique as they are the only pure white sands dunes found anywhere on earth.

Our next stop on the map found us in Sedona Arizona for a week enjoying the sights, hiking and the serenity of the red rock formations.    Here we did a bunch of shooting for stock, social media and the travel book.   I also began scouting & brainstorming for a shoot for my American Worker Project that we will be returning to shoot later this spring.   If all goes well and we can arrange it,  I hope to shoot a person who owns and operates his own hot air balloon company that runs tours over the picturesque area of Sedona.   Stay tuned for photos on that one… should be cool!   Here is a quick teaser iPhone photo.   More to come…..

From Sedona, we headed northward up past the Grand Canyon.  We did our best to put the blinders on and not look at it, as we will be returning here for a proper exploration later this spring and did not want to spoil the “oh my god” moment you hear so much about when you first see it.   This of course proved to be easier said than done,  as the drive itself is quite amazing just going past the area.   We did however stop to snap a few teaser photos and also hit Big Bend in Glen Canyon to shoot the following photos.  (see below)

Stay tuned for a proper blog post with more images from here later in the spring when  we return in early May for a week of photo exploration.     I am currently working on making connections with a Canyon river guide who guides rafting and camping trips down the Colorado River.   This is another example of someone who has an amazing job and will be a perfect addition to my American worker project.   Fingers crossed on this one as it is a bucket list item for me!

But that is what this trip is all about…..   Creating amazing new images and getting to see and do all the cool things that this country has to offer.       It’s been an amazing experience for myself and my family so far and is now becoming a self perpetuating machine as clients are starting to take notice and job requests are coming in based on the images we are creating.

In a way it has been a very educational and moving experience.    You really appreciate the fact that you can create your own destiny.     Thoughts are things….   build it and they will come!     These words have meaning.   They are not just bumper stickers…..   The  proof is in the pudding!

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures on my next post where we find ourselves in Park City, Utah for the entire month of March and most of April shooting some really cool outdoor adventure type stuff,  catching up on the ever important office work, driving the sales and marketing machine and even shooting a couple assignments.

But as I always say…  that is a story for another day!    Until then… “May the Schwartz be with you!”

If you are not following me on Instagram please do,  or turn on a friend who might be interested in following.   My instagram handle is @PeteBarrettPhoto click here to follow along!

Our 7th installment into The American Worker Project found me shooting in a very cool place named “Uncertain” Texas.     The subject of this particular shoot was a man named Billy Carter.    Billy is a backwoods bayou fishing guide and owner of Johnson’s Ranch Marina on Caddo Lake in Uncertain TX.

Billy was really great to work with and totally into the project from the moment I called him.   We met at Johnson’s Ranch Marina predawn one chilly morning in early February and loaded our gear into Billy’s Go Devil fishing guide boat and set out deep into the bayou to catch the sunrise and shoot out and around beautiful Caddo Lake.

Billy has lived on Caddo Lake his entire life and has been a fishing guide for at least 35 of those years.    As Billy will tell you,   we don’t go fishing,  we go out “catching”.     He certainly seems to know his stuff.    He knows where all the good fishing holes are and has the knowledge on how to catch them once you are there.    This is a totally different kind of fishing than I am used to being a Yankee fisherman myself used to clear water.   In the murky bayou waters you have much better luck running your bait on the bottom.

Riding around with Billy was awesome as he recounted all his knowledge of an area steeped in history.     Caddo Lake was originally created when an earthquake opened up a hole in the earth.    It caused a wave that rose upstream causing the Mississippi River to run backwards for a couple days.   The lake was actually the first natural lake in Texas prior to the days of dam created lakes and as such quickly became a sportsman’s paradise.

Billy told countless more tales about the lake’s history…Back in the 1800’s large steamboats used to ply the tannic waters of Caddo Lake taking travelers to the then bustling town of Jefferson and return with loads of cotton.     Oil was discovered under the lake bottom and was the first over water or offshore drilling operation in history.   There are still hints of the old rigs found on parts of the lake today.   For more info on the history or Billy and his guide services click here.