Twenty-five years ago I started photographing cowboys and the Western way of life. At first I was just looking for a change of subject from the active sport lifestyle photos I had been creating for the previous 15 years. I had no idea when I took those first photographs of my buddies at our hunting camp in the Smoky Mountains of Idaho that my life would be changed forever.
What I found was truth, honesty, courage and a way of life- a culture that was first built on age-old principles. It is a culture where the people live by a code, where people rely on each other for help, support, and friendship, where people give respect and people earn respect. This is a culture where you help your neighbor do his work and he helps you. You watch his cattle and he watches yours.
Cowboys are not judged by how much money they have, but how they care for their families, their land, their cattle and their dogs. It is romantic and exciting, as well as heroic, dangerous and just plain hard work. I have become consumed by all of this and more. I love the horses and the cattle; I meet some of the most interesting people; I see the most fantastic landscapes and unique ranches.
I am so very proud to have spent the last 25 years documenting the West and I hope I will be able to do it for years to come. I am thankful to all the people who have invited me into their lives, their homes, and their ranches, to simply take photographs. My dream, my mission, my goal in life has evolved with this work to document the West as it is during my brief stay here.
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I have created a Western library of more than a million photographs. This visual display stands as a record and a testimonial of people who have worked hard to preserve a way of life that started many years before there was the United States, or the West, or even the cowboy.
My hope is that the folks who don’t understand the western lifestyle will come to respect it, embrace it and help preserve it. Maybe, just maybe, my work will help to slow down the destruction of the West.
I am lucky to have a family that supports me, and a staff that backs me up on this visual journey. It has not been easy, nor should it be and nor do I expect it to be. It is a challenge but I am committed to it with all my heart. Thank you to my readers, for all your support and encouragement over the last 25 years and please stay with me for the next 25.
I exclusively use Canon cameras & lenses and Epson printers, ink & papers. I shoot Canon EOS ID Mark II and Canon EOS IDS Mark II cameras, and the following lenses: 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, 20mm f2.8L IS USM, 35mm f/2.8L IS USM, 400mm f/2.8L IS USM, 300mm f/2.8L IS USM, 200mm f/2.8L IS USM. Epson printers include the 3800, 4800, 9800 Professional series printers and the Stylus Photo R2400. All giclees are printed on Epson Somerset Velvet paper and UltraChrome K3 inks.
STOECKLEIN PHOTOGRAPHY & PUBLISHING
Hopefully I have captured all that the western way of life exemplifies and have communicated this to you through my more than 35 coffee table books, and thousands of calendars, prints and cards. My work has been published in many newspapers, magazine articles, and countless advertising campaigns for products that celebrate the spirit of the West.
My photography has been featured at many prestigious museums across the country, including The National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma, Cowboy Artists of America Museum in Texas, International Museum of the Horse in Kentucky, and The American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum in Texas.
Over the year’s my clients have included, Coca-Cola, Marlboro, Kodak, Canon USA, Jeep, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Pontiac, Bayer Animal Health, Budweiser, Annheuser – Busch, Dos Equis, Vogt Silversmith, Caymen Island, United Artists, Ariat International, Wrangler, JanSport, Twentieth Century Fox, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, Hatteras Yachts, H.S. Trask, Timberland, Browning, Remington, Merial Animal Health, Platinum Performance, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Sony Pictures, Justin Boots, Epson and Intervet.
In addition to the products published by Stoecklein Photography, my images have been profiled in magazines such as Outside, Backpacker, Men’s Journal, Communication Arts, Photo District News, American Photo, American Quarter Horse Journal, American Paint Horse Journal, Western Horseman, Cowboys & Indians, American Cowboy, National Geographic, Travel Holiday, Travel and Leisure, Sports Afield, Heartland USA, Working Ranch Magazine, Dally Times and many others.
Website: http://stoeckleinphotography.com
Blog: http://stoeckleinphotography.com/blog/
Upcoming Tours
First Fall 2010
Mackay, ID – September 20 – 22, 2010
Second Fall 2010
Mackay, ID – September 24 – 26, 2010
Triple Creek fall 2010
Darby, MT – October 29 – 31, 2010
First Winter 2011
Mackay, ID – January 28 – 30, 2011
Second Winter 2011
Mackay, ID – February 25 – 27, 2011
First Spring 2011
Mackay, ID – May 20 – 22, 2011
Second Spring 2011
Mackay, ID – June 10 – 12, 2011
See photographer’s website for complete details.
