White Elephant Ranch, Eastern Oregon, 1994

The New 100 Prints Project by Brooks Jensen New image added on 4 June 2009 New! Thanks to a web visitor, an experimental idea, Custom Folios. You pick the 5, 10, or 15 prints you want from the project and we'll build a custom folio for you and even include your name (or gift recipient's name) on the colophon. Fun! As much as I dislike admitting it, I cannot deny that photography is one of the great tools of propaganda. I've hesitated to use this photograph over the years because I know how easy it would be for some people to use it as a stereotype to ridicule those who live in the country, who own guns, who are "rednecks," those unsophisticated rubes. An image like this is so laced with political implications, with such potential to create a wedge between people — not at all what I hope for my photography. It is photographic quicksand that is almost impossible to avoid. I intend no political statement one way or the other, but I ultimately I know that we artists cannot control how others interpret our work — and sometimes people will see the opposite of what we intend. Audio Commentary White Elephant Ranch, Eastern Oregon, 1994