I looked over at the table behind my desk and saw a stack of mounted photographs that hadn’t been there earlier in the day. On top of the photographs were some well-read Leon Hale novels, and I immediately knew where they’d come from – Russell Autrey, one of the best photographers in the state of Texas.
Russell’s the Herald’s former head photographer, and he retired a few years ago. Back when we both worked full-time for the newspaper, we were usually the first ones in the newsroom in the mornings – Russell because he loved to drink his coffee in relative quiet and me so I could leave on time to pick up my boys from school in the afternoon.
Holding a cup of coffee in his left hand and the computer mouse in the other, every day Russell would pull up photos, crop and edit them for the newspaper and the Website.
With each picture, Russell offered me advice about what the photographer did right or wrong, and I soaked up every word.
After he finished his coffee, Russell picked up his camera and headed out the door to find a picture for that day’s paper. I don’t know how he managed to find a picture every day, but he did. And every one was a masterpiece.
Sometimes the photo would be of children playing in the park. Other days, he’d take a beautiful picture of people engaging in every-day life.
And that’s what’s so amazing about Russell – he captures the every-day in an extraordinary way.
When my Aggie boy moved into his own house, he asked me to help him find decorations with a Texas slant. I immediately knew who to call – Russell. He said he’d gather some photos for me, and his choices were spot on.
The first one is of an old house and a solitary windmill out in the country, both surrounded by dainty yellow flowers. Russell said he took it back in the 1980s. Thirty years later, the picture looks as fresh as it did the day he snapped it.
The next photo is of a grizzled cowboy standing behind a mesh fence. Only one eye is visible behind the boards in the fence, but Russell captured that cowboy’s steely gaze. The lines on that old man’s cheeks had to come from hours spent in the saddle under the brutal Texas sun.
The next one is of a lone rider in the middle of a canyon. The majestic mountains and sprawling desert practically overwhelms the man and his horse, and Russell perfectly captured that lonesome feeling.
When I got to the next picture, I recognized it immediately. An older cowboy is riding a white horse, herding cattle. The cowboy sits tall in the saddle, and his hat has seen its share of the sun, wind, rain and cold over the years.
This picture has been used in magazines throughout the county, and I’m so thrilled I have an original print. The photo reminds me of the story Russell and I once did on the new breed of cowboys in Fort Bend County. That experience remains one of my favorite feature story adventures with Russell.
The last print is a black and white, and it’s an old house that’s barely standing –paint barely visible on the weathered boards. Russell knows how to put just the right people in the photo, and this one has two riders – one wearing a modern baseball cap and the other wearing an old cowboy hat.
As I looked at the pictures, I remembered all the stories Russell told me over the year. My son grew up listening to Russell’s tall tales, and now he’ll always have a reminder of one of the best raconteurs and photographers in the state of Texas. Thank you, Russell, for allowing us to have you in our lives forever.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald where I first met the fabulous Russell Autrey.