Billy the Kid Aerial Photo Due Diligence

April 11, 2011

Besides working the Cave Creek Rodeo last weekend, I also worked on an ambitious overhead view of Billy the Kid having his picture taken out back of Beaver Smith's Saloon in Fort Sumner.

Grabbed a bunch of old photo books and auditioned various bystanders and photogrpahers:

Got up this morning and bailed into a final. Brought it into the office to finish:

Not sure you can make it out, but Billy's pards, Chuck Bowdre and Tom O'Folliard are playing grab-ass to try and crack up the Kid. That's Manuela Bowdre in the doorway, and Pete Maxwell on the horse. Fun to do, could have been better, but the deadline looms (goes to press Thursday).

"A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a historic rendering can be nitpicked forever."
—Old Vaquero Saying