Welcome

A celebration of the photographer’s art—where else but West Texas? We provide the scenery, the wildlife, and the characters for books, magazines, postcards, and more. From our picturesque cowboys to our wide open spaces and our colorful ever-changing skies, we are home to the authentic and the beautiful. A host of well-known locals as well as photographers from Austin, New York, California, and Europe have regularly lugged their equipment through our mountains, from the Rio Grande to Guadeloupe Peak, from the Pecos River to the Marfa flats. Our clear, dry atmosphere combines with our mile-high elevation to produce sparkling photographic light to die for. We are the old Texas, the historic, the culturally rich and the proud. Our night skies are some of the darkest in the world. When you hear someone sing “the stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas”–they are singing about us. And in September our red rock mountains are graced with the golden glow of Indian summer. Bring your camera!

This year's Keynote Address will be given by T.J. Tucker, award-winning Creative Director for Texas Monthly magazine. During Tucker’s stint the magazine has taken home three coveted “Cover of the Year” awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors and in 2009 Texas Monthly picked up the prestigious National magazine Award for General Excellence. That same year Ad Age named Texas Monthly’s January 2007 cover one of the “Top Ten Magazine Covers of the Decade.”

During presentations our professionals will be sharing the secrets of equipment and technique for improving everything from timeless works of photographic art to grandma’s Little League snapshots. Perhaps the most valuable gift from the professionals will simply be your own renewed sense of wonder and appreciation for light, weather, old buildings, Mother Nature, and human faces. With the advent of film-free digital cameras and chemical-free computer darkrooms, photography has evolved into a growing hobby, small businesses, and wonderful outdoor recreation.

Bring us your best framed photo for our photo contest. Bring a portfolio of your best shots for expert evaluation by some of our featured photographers and sponsors. Register early as workshops sell out. Only paid audience members are eligible for the photo contest, workshops, and portfolio review.

We have modeled our event after the successful 22-year-old "Shooting the West" in Winnemucca, Nevada. www.shootingthewest.org