“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”
— Ansel Adams
For me photography has been a journey of self-discovery, and through the optics of my camera, I developed a deeper understanding of life. It’s the only visual medium that captures the art of what exists as it shows up in our everyday life from moment to moment.
In the late 1980s, I took on the challenge of shooting the equestrian culture of the American West. A university friend had married into a prominent family steeped in the culture and traditions of Western horsemanship, and from that referral I was able to build a network of connections giving me photographic access to the people who live this extraordinary lifestyle. I have photographed cowboys, wranglers, horse drives, roundups, branding, pack outfits, trick riders, team riding, rodeos, and an assortment of subject matter related to the iconic and 100 percent American-grown culture. This work was on view in the exhibition The Equestrian West: Photographs by William Shepley at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in 2020.
As a fine art photographer, I have studied the rich history of the medium. By examining the prints of the masters, I began to appreciate the visual formulas they used to create enduring works of art. In the process of deconstructing the visual elements of the famous imagery and singling out those most admired, I was able to understand my
