Southern Beauty at High Noon

Beyond the miles of grassland that floods my vision of the North Texas country side, nestled in between where land and the pale blue sky meet is the nostalgia that clings on to my memory. A sensation filled with warmth and security began to strike my awareness as I was winding through the less traveled country roads. There were houses scattered amongst the land from as far as the eye can see; each house on no less than 10 acres. Cattle occupying sections of the land, grinding their teeth together in a synchronized rhythm. Black, brown with white spots and white cows moving slow with grace and simplicity, ignoring the few trucks speeding by. I can only imagine the history that is embedded in the soil as a continue to cruise along barbed wire fences on narrow roads. The stench of grass and earth penetrated my nostrils through the crack of the window on the driver and passenger side of my truck. The late morning sun is far from bashful, creating a natural haze through the windshield, the wind makes a brief presence every so often, easily mistaken by the corresponding aerodynamics.

I’m headed towards 50 miles northeast of my home towards a small town near the Sherman- Denison metropolitan area. It was my first time visiting this little Texas town and I figured it would probably be my last, but the motto “ Never say never” continues to flash across my third eye. Southern authenticity began to rear over the hill as I pulled into the Shell gas station that sat on the side of HWY 75. It was imperative to fill my gas tank and grab a bite to eat before I continued my journey. At this point, I have occupied the road for over an hour and my stomach began to betray my thoughts. I succumbed to its calling and grabbed a large fry from the local McDonalds. I would’ve been better off with a protein bar and a ripe banana. Five miles and an empty McDonald’s bag later, I found myself driving smooth past my destination. One of the most common mistakes I make when traveling through small Texas country towns is assuming that the downtown area is bigger than from what it actually is. My awareness kicked in at the beginning edge of this rural downtown area and within a blink on an eye, I was two miles past the establishments. I was a bit curious to see what was down the road but nothing caught my attention so I ended up turning around, back towards downtown. I texted Maci to let her know my arrival. She stated that she was getting close to being ready, I wasn’t in much of a rush at this point so I parked across the street from a small grocery store to set up my camera gear.

It now reached high noon, my favorite time to shoot. Contrary to the popular times to shoot photos, shooting at high noon offers full exposure to the subject and the surrounding areas of subject, nothing can hide at high noon. Shortly after scoping out the mildly deserted area, Maci arrived, parking just around the corner from where I parked. Although it was been a while since I have seen Maci, there was no way I was able to forget her rosy cheekbones that sat below her almond shaped eyes that carried the dark brown color. Her jawline perfectly outlines her round face that shows a tad bit of age that can only be noticed through an extensive period of direct eye contact, otherwise her youth radiates from her profile. Her slim yet curvy figure is carried by her long legs, accompanied by her athletic thighs that sits perfectly under her hips. Her height betrays her in a way; her torso holds the shorter half but it helps accentuate the rest of her body with every step she takes. Her pearly white smile is catered by her full pink lips that can make a stubborn man fall short of arrogance on a Saturday night. I noticed a change in her from our previous encounter; there was a heighten level of sass that laid dormant in my presence. I assumed that level of sass was acquired from her dealing with the inadequacy of the male species and just getting older with experience. Nonetheless, it didn’t obstruct my view of her, in fact, my awareness brought me to the conclusion that I was in the presence of an intolerant queen. Still, I will never forget some of my first few encounters with Macy when I first touched down in Denton many years ago. It was truly delightful to be in her presence again. Happiness began to mix with the moment at hand as we shared a hug, a hug reuniting old friends.

Weeks ago, when I contacted Maci via text message, I expressed the idea of a 70’s cowgirl photoshoot in a small rural town. I considered this beginning on polishing my signature style of photography. Together, Maci and I began throwing out ideas and influences related to the goal and agreed on the location, date and time of our shoot. Fast forward to the present, she was prepared to show me a few outfits of her own, an addition to what I had. The first outfit we began our photoshoot with hot pink, see through, silk bellbottoms hovering over black and white cowboy boots, white lingerie top ( from what It seemed like to me) and a straw cowboy hat. It was the perfect outfit to start the afternoon. We began shooting on what it seemed to be the south edge of downtown. Shot after shot, Maci was an absolute stand-out with the experience and talent to match. Although I was not sure of her modeling experience, if she were to tell me she spent the past five years in New York for modeling, a doubt wouldn’t dare cross my mind. The tiny downtown had a few hidden gems, but as time was slowly leaving us, I quickly made the decision to hit all of the spots that caught my attention without a hitch. It didn’t take as long as I expected to jump from one spot to the next but It worked out in our favor. After Maci changed into her second outfit. we headed north up the street. We stopped on the corner in front the Cola Cola painting on the brick wall. By this time, all males in the vicinity struggled to take their eyes off of Maci. It was a bit creepy but luckily, no one was intrusive as we proceeded with our shoot. We only ended up utilizing one side of Preston Ave with a handful of outfit changes but within the block we had a lot of fun. I became a pretty decent hypeman as Maci exercised her skills in switching to different poses every shot that I took. It’s amazing to work with a model that knows what they are doing, it makes the process of the shoot much easier. It’s difficult to mention any favorite moments that I had during the shoot, due to the lack of dull moments. Before long and what was an unwanted surprise to me, it was getting close to the time of my departure. I had a few more errands to run before I picked up my daughter from school. The same applied to Maci as well. It is times like this I don’t take for granted; along busy schedules cramming our daily lives with tasks, goals and self-care (or the lack thereof), two friends found a way to make time for each other, doing what they do best…at high noon.