Thank you! These were shot near Del Rio.
Things have changed quite a bit in the last 10 years though. I still have several friends there and periodically visit a very good friend that still handles serpents (rattle snakes and copperheads) in church and seen people get bitten. Been there and seen that many times. There are some truly nice people in that area that would do anything for you if you were in need. Some of the finest people I’ve ever known. Very hard working folks.
And yes there are some pretty rough people. Plenty of poverty, mentally ill, drugs, theft and moonshining. I connected with a group of cock fighters and was allowed in to photograph provided I didn’t show faces. Also connected with 4 moonshiners and was allowed to photograph the entire process. I have some other things though that you wouldn’t believe. I was allowed to photograph a KKK cross burning and a private meeting between the Klan and neo nazis. Along with the kind and wonderful people there are some seriously bad folks there that wouldn’t hesitate to terminate you and toss your body in the river. It still happens.
Incase you’re wondering, I don’t participate in any of these activities. I’ve donated a huge number of prints to a special collection of my work at the East Tenn Historical Society. They produced a touring show of nearly 100 prints along with artifacts and audio tracks to accompany the prints that toured museums for seven years. When I depart this earth my entire archive of north of 100,000 negatives that I’ve made dating back to 1953 of the region and people will go to the History center and be available for educational purposes. What better use of photography than to preserve the culture.
Bookmarks