|
|
Spotlight on
Stoecklein
Well-known Western
photographer David Stoecklein steps out from behind the camera
to share a glimpse inside his 30-year career.
By Kindra Gordon |
Most people know David Stoecklein through the Western images in
his coffee-table books, calendars and prints. Stoecklein, who
has made his home in Sun Valley, ID, during much of his career,
has been capturing portraits of cowboy life – from horses and
cattle to boots and saddles – for nearly three decades.
How has Stoecklein achieved his success?
It’s been an idyllic journey for a young man who grew up in
Pittsburgh, PA, and is largely self-taught behind the camera.
Stoecklein says his love affair with taking pictures began
during his third-semester of college when he took his first
photography course. Shortly thereafter, he dropped out of
college to pursue his passion. An avid skier and outdoorsman,
Stoecklein pointed his camera at the subjects he knew well –
skiing, fishing, hiking and biking. In 1970, he moved west to
Colorado and expanded his career selling stock photography;
assignments with the likes of Ski Magazine, L.L. Bean and
Timberland soon followed.During that time, Stoecklein made moves
to California and Utah before settling in Sun Valley in 1979.
Reflecting on the start of his career, he says, “I took pictures
of whatever I could, and it escalated from there. I’ve always
lived in the mountains and photographed lifestyles and people.
There are a lot of clients for that.” He recalls that his “big
break” came in the mid-80’s when he landed the Jeep account and
the Coca-Cola account in the same year. “The two assignments
were unrelated; they just happened…after that I was able to move
into Chevrolet, Copenhagen, and several other corporate
accounts,” Stoecklein says.
Today, he continues to work as a commercial photographer and
accepts about twelve large assignments annually, which averages
about one per month. (When we visited with him, he was preparing
for a trip to New Zealand in December for a JanSport shoot.)
Stoecklein says, “I originally started as a lifestyle
photographer, and I still enjoy doing that today for my
commercial projects.”
Western Wonders
When not on assignment, Stoecklein still has his camera in hand
but his focus is on capturing the Western lifestyle. Captivated
by the cattle, horses, landscapes, and cowboy culture that
surrounded him in the West, Stoecklein began taking Western
portraits over 20 years ago of everyday cowboys and cowgirls on
real, working cattle ranches. He says documenting the ranching
heritage of the American West has become his personal mission.
“I’m very passionate about preserving the Western heritage and
culture through my photos. I hope that people will look back at
my images and say, ‘That’s the way the West looked at that
period of time.’ That’s my goal,” Stoecklein says.
He has parlayed his preservation effort into a beautiful series
of coffee-table books with simple titles like The Cowboy Hat,
Saddles of the West, and Western Fences as well as a series of
state cowboy books including Montana Cowboy, Idaho Cowboy,
California Cowboy, and Texas Cowboy. Among his most recent
releases is Cattle, which showcases several of the different
breeds across the U.S., along with photos of everything from the
feedlot industry to cattle fed on winter range.
His business, Stoecklein Photography and Publishing, is based in
Ketchum, ID, and beyond the books also produces calendars, note
cards, fine art prints and other Western memorabilia that are
sold around the world through traditional stores as well as a
mail-order catalog and on-line at
www.thestoeckleincollection.com. His stock photography
collection includes over half a million images. With that
sizeable of a collection, Stoecklein admits the continual
challenge is to keep the images fresh – but he enjoys pushing
himself to do better. He says, “I wake everyday and ask myself
‘What can I do differently to make my photos more beautiful?’
That’s what keeps you alive and going is looking for different
ways to shoot a photo.”
Over the years, he has learned that realism is the most
important element. He says, “In the beginning I was a skier
before I was a photographer. Because of that I knew everything
there was to know about skiing, and as a result my ski pictures
were real. When I started with Western photography, I didn’t
know anything about it. So I immersed myself in the Western
world – reading, studying, and hanging out with cowboys. I
believe I’ve gotten to know the culture of Western ranches. I
try to capture that realism in my photos and that’s what makes
them different.”
Looking ahead, Stoecklein says he hopes to finish the Wyoming
Cowboy book and a book on buckaroos in Oregon and Nevada –
however, he keeps getting sidetracked with other assignments.
But he concludes, “Those are important books to me, hopefully
next year will be the year I get them done.”
More about David Stoecklein
Family Values – David Stoecklein not only
enjoys taking photos of ranch life, he and his wife Mary and
their three sons also have a ranch about an hour from their Sun
Valley home near Mackay, ID. They own several horses and a pack
string for mountain trips and enjoy fishing, hunting, skiing,
roping and riding together. The Stoecklein’s two oldest sons are
students at Montana State University. Drew is studying
photography and is an avid skier; Taylor is a roper on the MSU
rodeo team. Youngest son Colby is a sophomore in high school.
Stoecklein admits balancing family and work is difficult,
especially since he travels about 200 days/year. He typically
does not mix family with his photography assignments, and says,
“When I’m home I spend a lot of quality time with my family.”
Going Digital – As the
photography industry has moved to the digital age, Stoecklein
has made the transition as well. He used to shoot slides, but
has virtually switched to all digital because that’s become the
standard in the industry. He does admit it’s somewhat
frustrating because there is so much computer technology to
learn. But, on the flipside the growth of the Internet and
digital equipment has made the publishing industry more
streamlined, and he is able to operate his business with just a
handful of staff.
Favorites – Stoecklein ranks shooting
photos in Idaho during the fall among his favorite photography
activities. Throughout his career, Stoecklein says he has not
had a specific mentor, but he has admired many people’s work in
Western photography. He names work by Kurt Markus and Jim Arndt,
both of whom have published Western lifestyle books, as being
inspirational to him. |
|
|
|
