Vince Lupo's Mapping the West

Not so sure about this one -- I took a bunch of photos of Jim and Randy this particular morning. It was pretty overcast and gloomy out, so it was kinda dark to begin with. Trying to strike a balance between maintaining the integrity of the scene as it was, but not having it so dark that it looked underexposed.


Randy and Jim2 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

I look at a photo like this and it makes me hesitate a bit about 'upgrading' to the new M10 Monochrom. I'm sure the new sensor is amazing, but the 246 is pretty darned good.
 
Hi Vince --

Stellar work! How do you get access and how do you approach your subjects? Do you just randomly drive around and ask people "Can I take a photo of you?" or do you plan ahead, get acquaintances to introduce you, etc?

Thanks!
 
giganova said:
Hi Vince --

Stellar work! How do you get access and how do you approach your subjects? Do you just randomly drive around and ask people "Can I take a photo of you?" or do you plan ahead, get acquaintances to introduce you, etc?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Many thanks! As far as ‘access’ goes, up until this past year it was driving around, chance meetings, and sometimes mutual connections through the friends that I now have here. In the case of the farmers, that was quite a connection indeed. Back in April of last year I was out there driving around and found myself in Hatch (southern NM, home of the famous chiles). The wind must have been blowing 60mph, my truck was shaking back and forth, dust and tumbleweeds careening across the two-lane highway. Out in the fields I notice these workers crouched down, faces covered with kerchiefs, toiling away in this dust storm. On the one hand I felt sorry for them being out there working amidst all this chaos, but at the same time I wished that I was out there with them taking photos. Of course I wasn’t about to venture out there and do just that, as I didn’t want to get myself or them in trouble. I didn’t know anyone down there who owned a farm, and none of my New Mexico friends knew anyone either. Ah well.

Fast-forward to a few days later, and I’m up in Santa Fe at the motel I normally stay at when I’m there. It had snowed the previous evening and I was out in the small gravel parking lot brushing off the snow from my truck. Another fellow was also in the parking lot brushing off his truck. We get to chatting about the weather, etc, and then he notices my license plate, what are you doing out here from Maryland etc etc. I tell him about my project and show him a couple of small photos/postcards that I keep in my camera bag. I then ask him where he’s from - he replies that he lives near Las Cruces. I then tell him that I was down in his neck of the woods earlier in the week, and I recount the story of being in Hatch etc. “And boy I wished I knew someone who owned farms down there!” “Well, I own farms down there.” “You do?!” “Yes I do. Anytime you want to come down and take pictures, just let me know. I have a place you can stay and you can do whatever you want.” And that was pretty much how it started.

As a result of this amazing connection, I’ve met other people through them. Plus their son has 20,000 acres in West Texas and I’ve developed a relationship with him and his people. I’ve pretty much become part of the family and am very very thankful!

In January of next year I’ll be spending 5 weeks living in Carrizozo NM as part of an artist in residence program. That will be another unique opportunity to become part of a community for an extended period of time, create new work as well as exhibit while I’m there. Going to bring the whole shootin’ match out there - computer, printer, matting and framing materials. Looking forward to that new experience!
 
A big, big thank you from me, Vince, for posting this superb body of work. I would love to see the originals in an exhibition in London!

Keep up the good work. Wonderful!
 
Brian Atherton said:
A big, big thank you from me, Vince, for posting this superb body of work. I would love to see the originals in an exhibition in London!

Keep up the good work. Wonderful!
Click to expand...

Many thank-you's Brian -- If you can find me a gallery in London that would show them, I'd be more than happy to send them on over!
 
Great story

Great story

That's a great story Vince. When I told it to my wife this morning, and mentioned you didn't get ax murdered and have your Leicas stolen she said my New Yawker was showing :)

Vince Lupo said:
Many thanks! As far as ‘access’ goes, up until this past year it was driving around, chance meetings, and sometimes mutual connections through the friends that I now have here. In the case of the farmers, that was quite a connection indeed. Back in April of last year I was out there driving around and found myself in Hatch (southern NM, home of the famous chiles). The wind must have been blowing 60mph, my truck was shaking back and forth, dust and tumbleweeds careening across the two-lane highway. Out in the fields I notice these workers crouched down, faces covered with kerchiefs, toiling away in this dust storm. On the one hand I felt sorry for them being out there working amidst all this chaos, but at the same time I wished that I was out there with them taking photos. Of course I wasn’t about to venture out there and do just that, as I didn’t want to get myself or them in trouble. I didn’t know anyone down there who owned a farm, and none of my New Mexico friends knew anyone either. Ah well.

Fast-forward to a few days later, and I’m up in Santa Fe at the motel I normally stay at when I’m there. It had snowed the previous evening and I was out in the small gravel parking lot brushing off the snow from my truck. Another fellow was also in the parking lot brushing off his truck. We get to chatting about the weather, etc, and then he notices my license plate, what are you doing out here from Maryland etc etc. I tell him about my project and show him a couple of small photos/postcards that I keep in my camera bag. I then ask him where he’s from - he replies that he lives near Las Cruces. I then tell him that I was down in his neck of the woods earlier in the week, and I recount the story of being in Hatch etc. “And boy I wished I knew someone who owned farms down there!” “Well, I own farms down there.” “You do?!” “Yes I do. Anytime you want to come down and take pictures, just let me know. I have a place you can stay and you can do whatever you want.” And that was pretty much how it started.

As a result of this amazing connection, I’ve met other people through them. Plus their son has 20,000 acres in West Texas and I’ve developed a relationship with him and his people. I’ve pretty much become part of the family and am very very thankful!

In January of next year I’ll be spending 5 weeks living in Carrizozo NM as part of an artist in residence program. That will be another unique opportunity to become part of a community for an extended period of time, create new work as well as exhibit while I’m there. Going to bring the whole shootin’ match out there - computer, printer, matting and framing materials. Looking forward to that new experience!
Click to expand...
 
chipgreenberg said:
That's a great story Vince. When I told it to my wife this morning, and mentioned you didn't get ax murdered and have your Leicas stolen she said my New Yawker was showing :)
Click to expand...

I still have quite a bit of the paranoid big-city Canadian in me, so I can appreciate your point of view! Knock on wood, I only ever felt ‘vulnerable’ a few years back when I made the long, treacherous journey to Mogollon (a ghost town between Silver City and Gallup) from Glenwood. Long story short, I will never go back there. Other than that, I’ve never felt threatened in any way out there. Most everyone is super-nice out there and will definitely talk your ear off. And I tell all my friends one very very important thing: You absolutely, most definitely don’t go to New Mexico to lose weight :)
 
I'd love to hear that story some time Vince. I drive out west a lot. Never felt threatened. But not everyone is comfortable seeing a dozen cars an hour and going an hour or two between available gas stops.


Vince Lupo said:
I still have quite a bit of the paranoid big-city Canadian in me, so I can appreciate your point of view! Knock on wood, I only ever felt ‘vulnerable’ a few years back when I made the long, treacherous journey to Mogollon (a ghost town between Silver City and Gallup) from Glenwood. Long story short, I will never go back there. Other than that, I’ve never felt threatened in any way out there. Most everyone is super-nice out there and will definitely talk your ear off. And I tell all my friends one very very important thing: You absolutely, most definitely don’t go to New Mexico to lose weight :)
Click to expand...
 
A dozen cars an hour?
Is that a lot or little? I spent many days driving roads of NM and saw much fewer than a dozen cars a day. Sometimes none.
This is changing. Way too many people coming to NM
Vince is however always welcome.

But I also have a story or two about the Mogollon part of the state. We lived, but wow. I feared for my friend even more than myself.

West TX/east NM is another story. Once you understand the culture, very kind and generous people there. But so nice and sparse so we can have some time just us and the aliens without all them "city types" getting in the way. Oops, I think I've said enough....
 
Vince Lupo said:
Many thanks! As far as ‘access’ goes, up until this past year it was driving around, chance meetings, and sometimes mutual connections through the friends that I now have here. In the case of the farmers, that was quite a connection indeed. Back in April of last year I was out there driving around and found myself in Hatch (southern NM, home of the famous chiles). The wind must have been blowing 60mph, my truck was shaking back and forth, dust and tumbleweeds careening across the two-lane highway. Out in the fields I notice these workers crouched down, faces covered with kerchiefs, toiling away in this dust storm. On the one hand I felt sorry for them being out there working amidst all this chaos, but at the same time I wished that I was out there with them taking photos. Of course I wasn’t about to venture out there and do just that, as I didn’t want to get myself or them in trouble. I didn’t know anyone down there who owned a farm, and none of my New Mexico friends knew anyone either. Ah well.

Fast-forward to a few days later, and I’m up in Santa Fe at the motel I normally stay at when I’m there. It had snowed the previous evening and I was out in the small gravel parking lot brushing off the snow from my truck. Another fellow was also in the parking lot brushing off his truck. We get to chatting about the weather, etc, and then he notices my license plate, what are you doing out here from Maryland etc etc. I tell him about my project and show him a couple of small photos/postcards that I keep in my camera bag. I then ask him where he’s from - he replies that he lives near Las Cruces. I then tell him that I was down in his neck of the woods earlier in the week, and I recount the story of being in Hatch etc. “And boy I wished I knew someone who owned farms down there!” “Well, I own farms down there.” “You do?!” “Yes I do. Anytime you want to come down and take pictures, just let me know. I have a place you can stay and you can do whatever you want.” And that was pretty much how it started.

As a result of this amazing connection, I’ve met other people through them. Plus their son has 20,000 acres in West Texas and I’ve developed a relationship with him and his people. I’ve pretty much become part of the family and am very very thankful!

In January of next year I’ll be spending 5 weeks living in Carrizozo NM as part of an artist in residence program. That will be another unique opportunity to become part of a community for an extended period of time, create new work as well as exhibit while I’m there. Going to bring the whole shootin’ match out there - computer, printer, matting and framing materials. Looking forward to that new experience!
Click to expand...

Very interesting, thanks for sharing. I was going to ask you the same question (but afraid to be too intrusive!) because from your photos it is clear there is some kind of connection with your subjects, which I think is important when you photograph people. Not always easy when you are not in yopur place, at least for me!
 
Robert I think for me it comes from possibly being a chatty person (my wife does call me a Chatty Cathy!), and being open to talking to and meeting new people. The other thing that did help me in the beginning was having my little portable Canon printer with me. I was then able to give someone a photo on the spot, so in a sense it 'legitimized' me with them. With the farming family, it's been incredible, and the 'web' of people I've gotten to know through them is growing with each visit. As I say, very thankful.

Chip, as far as Mogollon goes, let's just say it was a very uneasy feeling I experienced with this one particular person there. I wasn't overtly threatened with a gun or anything like that, but Mogollon is very very isolated, and if anything did in fact happen to me out there, it's possible no one would have found out. I'm sure in reality it's a perfectly pleasant place with perfectly pleasant people, but in some cases I've found that certain people might live in those areas for specific reasons - partly to not be bothered by anyone, and partly not to be found. With this particular person, I think it was more of the latter than the former -- he was making numerous references to government surveillance, the CIA etc etc. I'll just leave it at that!
 
Vince there certainly are some nuts out here. But I can't say there were less suits when I worked in the photo district in NYC!


he was making numerous references to government surveillance, the CIA etc etc. I'll just leave it at that![/QUOTE]
 
Roswell is one of my favourite towns in New Mexico, and it has this neat little industrial area. Seems to be the repository for corrugated metal.


Roswell 2019-2 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


All the guys at the Mesilla and Dell City farms had these fleece-lined canvas Carhartt vests. I must have gone to about 5 different places between Dell City and Artesia before I found one. Gotta fit in with the crowd of course :)


Vinny by the Tracks2 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr


At the chile sauce company in Las Cruces.


Chile Sauce2 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr



Chaffhaye3 by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
 
Mapping the West is supposed to be on exhibit at the Smith House Galleries in Harrisonburg, VA from July 3rd thru July 31st. It's still up in the air as to whether it will be a physical show at the gallery or an online 'virtual' show. Stay tuned!


The Way to Hondo by Vince Lupo, on Flickr
 
Update on the exhibition at the Smith House Galleries in Harrisonburg, VA: Due to the ongoing situation, we've decided to strictly do a 'virtual' exhibition.

Prints will still be available for sale (matted or matted/framed) for those of you who are interested.

The show isn't 'officially' up yet and is not yet on their gallery site, but should be there July 3rd.
 
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