Magnolia: A Classic Car, Fashion & Photographing the American West

In the early days of photographing the American West, I had a trusty sidekick named Magnolia, a classic 1962 Plymouth Belvedere I bought from an older woman in Seattle for $1,000. With her baby-blue interior, push-button transmission, and incredibly smooth ride, Magnolia was my dream car and quickly became my first true rodeo car.

At the time, I had just finished photography school in Santa Barbara with my sights set on fashion photography. Then a trip to Sun Valley, followed by an unexpected year as a rodeo queen, changed my direction. But fashion never left the picture.

I was fascinated by the style of the West. Rodeo queens, cowgirls, cowboy hats, boots, buckles, color, and all those individual details became as interesting to me as the rodeos, horses, ranches, and landscapes I was photographing. That editorial eye continues to influence the way I photograph the West today.

Magnolia carried me through those early years. Together, we crisscrossed the West from Seattle to Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and California. There was no air conditioning, no cell phone, and certainly no digital camera. Just miles of open road, film cameras riding shotgun, music playing, and plenty of unexpected stops along the way.

Looking at these photographs now, I see a time capsule. White sunglasses, pink prints, red cowboy boots, rodeo queen sashes and, yes, plenty of 1980s shoulder pads. Style was always part of the story.

I can still remember the feeling: the hum of the engine, windows rolled down, music on, and yes—the unmistakable 80s fashion of shoulder pads in t-shirts. Magnolia wasn’t just a car; she was a companion, a time capsule, and the vehicle (literally) that carried me into the work I still create today.