So These Photographers Walk Into A Bar, Tortilla Flat by Royce Howland

A woman walks along the old bar in the dim light of this crazily detailed old west location in Tortilla Flat, Arizona.

Story behind the scene:

Tortilla Flat, Arizona doesn’t have much going on these days. A former stagecoach stop along the Apache Trail, according to Wikipedia the community now has a population of 6 and is the smallest official voting district in Arizona with its own U.S. Post Office. These days, its small shop / restaurant called the Superstition Saloon, and its proximity to the Theodore Roosevelt Dam, are the main attractions. Sadly, the Saloon found there today is a reconstruction; the previous one was destroyed by fire in the 1980′s.

Our host Ken Ross brought me and Peter Carroll to the saloon on a hot day’s trip along the Apache Trail. Since I don’t drink, I contented myself with a Diet Coke to take the edge off the outdoor heat. But even more than the liquid refreshment, I drank in the visual delight of the wealth of crazy details covering every surface in the place. Naturally I had to try to capture something of it. The lighting was very dim and I had no flash or tripod, but I was able to keep myself steady enough for a few handheld shots of the interior.

This one shows another guest walking along the bar and line of stools made of horse saddles. The slow camera shutter speed due to the dark conditions blurred the woman’s motion, while the background details remained serviceably sharp. I liked the result after reviewing the take from the day, and in fact this blend of detail and movement became a signature for many of the photographs I selected for the exhibit. Wouldn’t this make a killer puzzle?