Don Russell

Member Spotlight - September 2018

• Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?
  I was born near Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Kentucky and central Pennsylvania. I trained in photography at the University of Kentucky and The Maryland Institute, College of Art. I also hold a BS in electrical engineering. Now, I live in McKinney, Texas, with my wife and daughter. [Portrait of Don Russell above © Dennis Fritsche]

• Why did you join TPS, and how long have you been involved?
  I have only recently joined TPS, although I have known about it for a long, long time. It took a friend to motivate me into joining. Lessons learned don’t wait, so encourage your friends. TPS offers such a broad range of opportunities and services, every photographer should take advantage of their network.

• Why did you become a photographer, and where do you find inspiration or motivation for your work?
  I began photographing in my late teens; photography grabbed my imagination. It came through the picture magazines and books like The Family of Man. It became something I had to do. I had to take pictures, look at pictures, read, and learn about photographers and photography. That journey started and has been a constant throughout my life.
  I find photographic inspiration from aesthetics of living life from an artist’s perspective, every day, a way of life. It's ideas and imagination that open the creative process. Looking at art, painting, photography, and most importantly reading. People today don’t read enough. Motivation only comes through developing a solid work ethic. Everyday you need to do something, keep pushing the activities forward. Most days nothing good happens and inspiration is hard to find. Just keep working, you only have so much time you know.
  
  

• How would you describe your photography and/or working process?

  My work is project based. I’m always looking for new ideas to develop into something. These can be short-term mini projects (little side glances) or long-term projects that take years to complete. I really like traveling and shooting pictures, but travel photography rarely develops into a fine art project with deep exploration of imagery, themes, and emotion. In pre-history, humans were hunter gathers; but at some point, we settled down and learn to cultivate crops. As artists/photographers we must learn cultivate our art.

  

• Please tell us about your most recent photographic work.
  My last long-term project is a portfolio of portraits of African American rodeo cowboys. The project, Cowboys of Color, took two and half years to shoot, publish, and market. The images were shot at the live rodeos with a full studio set up behind the bull chutes.