Picture Perfect Cowboy {Lubbock Style}

Lubbock, TX, Avalanche-Journal ^ | 05-22-06 | Gulick, Joe

[Theodore R.]

Picture perfect cowboy BY JOE GULICK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

A photograph taken of a Lubbock cowboy and his horse in front of a spectacular West Texas sunset has gained fame both inside and outside the Lubbock city limits and was honored in Austin last week by both houses of the Texas Legislature.

Employees of Visit Lubbock, the city's convention and visitors bureau, titled the photograph "The Legend Lives On" and used it as the cover of its current Lubbock Visitor Guide. The picture also has been used in several advertisements for Lubbock, including ones in People Magazine, Texas Monthly and Continental Airlines.

The Texas Travel Industry Association awarded Visit Lubbock its first-ever Excellence in Photography Award for Tourism in March for the use of the photo on the Lubbock Visitor Guide.

Artie Limmer/ Provided by Visit Lubbock This photograph of Lubbock cowboy Brice Chapman and his horse, Crossfire, silhouetted against a sunset on land Chapman owns east of Lubbock, was selected as the cover of the current Lubbock visitors guide. It won a state award for excellence in photography for Visit Lubbock, the city's convention and visitors bureau, and was recognized on the floors of both houses of the Texas Legislature.artie limmer t provided by visit lubbock

State Rep. Cheri Isett and State Sen. Bob Duncan honored the award for Lubbock's cowboy photo with resolutions that were read on the floors of the House and Senate on May 15.

Gary Lawrence, CEO of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, said the popularity of the visitors guides went through the roof with the cowboy photo on the cover. Visit Lubbock printed 100,000 copies of the previous guide and 200,000 copies of the current guide, he said.

"We had to reorder visitors guides twice last year. Even the Amarillo Visitors Center asked us for more of them," he said.

The award-winning photograph was taken of Brice Chapman and his horse, Crossfire, on land that Chapman owns east of Lubbock. Lubbock photographer Artie Limmer took it on behalf of the Thomas Agency.

"At the end of the day, we lucked out and some funny clouds came through," Limmer said. "And Brice was great because he could get the horse to stand up like that. Horses generally don't do that sort of thing."

Limmer, who works full-time for Texas Tech and does a lot of freelance work, said the type of clouds that

appeared were not really the type of clouds that he had been looking for, but he was pleased with the look they brought to the scene.

"As far as shooting the photograph, it was a matter of composing it - him getting the horse up and finding the angle where the clouds looked best," Limmer said. "In photography, most of the time nothing happens right. Fortunately for this shot, everything happened right."

Chapman said, "That horse has been my friend for about 13 years, I guess. It's an honor just to have a horse like that, and it's an honor and a privilege to have a picture taken like that.

Crossfire is 15-years-old and is a registered American paint horse, Chapman said. He has been trained to rear up, bow, count, nod his head yes and no, spin a rope in his mouth and do other tricks.

Chapman, 36, shoes horses and is a performer who does trick roping and routines with horses and his trained dog. He has been invited to go to the White House this week to do trick roping at a presidential picnic. Chapman has appeared at the South Plains Fair and performs locally at schools and rodeos.

The award from the Texas Travel Industry Association included a $500 honorarium, according to Marcy Jarrett, executive director of Visit Lubbock. She said the money would be used to frame a 30-inch-by-40-inch print of the picture, the award, the joint resolutions from the House and Senate and a special recognition from the city for office display.

Lawrence said Visit Lubbock is in the process of putting together ranch tours for people who come to Lubbock and want to see cowboys at work.

"We think that we in Lubbock are what's left of Texas," he said. "Let me give you an example. If you're in Kansas and someone tells you to close your eyes and say what Texas is like, you will be seeing horses, cattle, ranches and wide open spaces. You don't see it in Dallas, in Houston or in San Antonio. But you can see it here."

To comment on this story:

joe.gulick@lubbockonline.com t 766-8758

brian.williams@lubbockonline.com t 766-8717

[SouthTexas]

You beat me to it! :)

[Redcloak]

I was thinking the same thing. What the Sam Hill does he think he's doin'?! Must be one o' them cowboys what gets their salsa from New York City.

[ZephyrUK]

Any1 here know how to cantact Brice i met him 2 1/2 years ago when i came to the USA on holiday ,i went to his ranch met him and some friends but i cant get the email on his site to work any help would be good