Writer Joseph J. Airdo // Photography by Bruce Moore
Like so many of us, Anthem resident Bruce Moore spent much of his childhood playing make-believe and dreaming about one day becoming the kind of cowboy he saw and idolized on TV.
“My older brother and I played ‘cowboys’ ever since I was old enough to stand,” Moore says. “For every Christmas that I can remember as a small kid, we always wanted a new toy gun and holster. We used to wait with anticipation for “Gunsmoke” to start so that we could stand in front of the TV and try to outdraw Marshall Matt Dillon at the beginning of each episode.”
Also like so many of us, those childhood dreams eventually dissolved into dust as Moore grew older and faced a real world in which boots and bandanas have been replaced by ties and pleated pants and conflicts cannot be solved with showdowns at high noon. Nonetheless, he has continued to hold onto the reigns in small ways.
“I have done some recreational horseback riding and have always worn Wrangler jeans, roper boots and Resistol cowboy hats,” Moore says. “Does that make me a cowboy? No, but perhaps a ‘drugstore cowboy.’”
Most notably, Moore uses photography to recapture that joy he had alongside his brother in front of the TV all those years ago.
“I love taking pictures of anything and everything Western,” he explains. “I guess I am just a diehard, wannabe cowboy at heart, as I totally relate to the cowboy way of life and their morals and values.”
This month, Images Arizona showcases a collection of Moore’s photography that may very well revive your own cowboy dreams.
“When I shoot images that are truly Western-themed, it makes me wonder what those early cowboys must have felt and thought as they rode hundreds of miles over desert landscapes, accompanied only by their horses,” Moore says.
“How scary and emotionally moving it must have been when coming up to something like the Grand Canyon at that time in early American history. There is no doubt that those cowboys who came before us were a very special breed of rugged men and women, facing incredible challenges to make a new life in the wild, wild West — and I admire that a lot.”
About the Photographer
Having grown up in Vandalia, Ohio — a small town just north of Dayton — Bruce Moore’s initial interest in photography was piqued at a very young age while watching his grandfather.
“He took all of our family photos and I was intrigued by it all,” says Moore, who, as a child, purchased a red plastic camera with an attached flash with money he earned from selling flower seeds door to door.
After graduating from high school, Moore joined the Marine Corps.
“I was not really college material at that time in my life and the Vietnam conflict was going full bore,” he notes. “While in the Marines, I started taking some college courses and, after an honorable discharge, I used my GI Bill and went back to school full-time while also working full-time to help raise my family.”
Moore eventually graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology. His life and career took him from Ohio to Hawaii to Texas and, finally, to Anthem, Arizona, all the while maintaining that interest in photography that his grandfather organically instilled within him as a child.
“I love shooting a lot of different things,” says Moore, who frequently views the world through his Nikon Z9 and a pair of Nikon Z7 mirrorless cameras. “My two primary focuses are landscape and wildlife, but I also enjoy shooting macro images of flowers, insects and anything else that captures my attention.
“I have always leaned toward a creative process. I could never draw or paint, so photography was a perfect outlet for me. It has given me the ability to share visual stories through the things I capture with my cameras. It is very satisfying when other people give feedback on how my images positively affect them.”
Comments by Admin