Durango is known for its shootouts in the Wild West days, and now, we’re about to witness a shootout – of the photographic kind. The gunslingers will be replaced by five local professional photographers, their guns, cameras. And Main Avenue at high noon will be Wednesday night at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.
The inaugural Colorado Pro Photographer Showdown is the brainchild of Director Jack Turner, who founded a similar event in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, in 1997. Called the International Pro Photographer Showdown, he said it’s focused around action sports.
If you go
WHAT: Colorado Pro Photographer Showdown, presented by Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday.
WHERE: Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
TICKETS: $25-$35. Available online at https://tinyurl.com/yk9spfup.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit https://photoshowdown.org.
“I had led a snowboard expedition to Iran in 1996 for a magazine. But we realized no one’s ever gonna see all these amazing pictures we’ve taken of people and landscapes and buildings and culture and lifestyle,” he said. “So we just went to a bar that we knew, and we threw a slideshow one night. All these people showed up and just loved it.”
Because of the popularity of the event, Turner said they took their idea to the organizers of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival, and the next year the first International Pro Photographer Showdown was held.
The Colorado version the Durango audience will see is based on that model: Five photographers were invited to pull together work that will fill 10 minutes. Their photographs are put together as slides that are set to music.
“You know, you never see slideshows anymore. Everything is video, and things are edited at 50 frames a second and everything’s fast,” Turner said. “One of the beautiful things about it is it’s just so unusual. When the last time you saw a slideshow?”
This event is made possible through the city of Durango’s Lodgers Tax Arts & Culture Fund and the Durango Creative District, according to a news release.
The five photographers selected for the show are, according to the event website:
Michael Lufty: A freelance photographer based in Durango whose portfolio includes landscapes, wildlife, travel and commercial photography. ... His passion for landscape and wildlife has led to many adventures around the world and Southwest, seeking those unique locations and dramatic light to capture a “sense of place.”
Shaun Stanley: Career highlights include inclusion in Pope John Paul II’s traveling press pool, coverage of Operation Enduring Freedom aboard the USS Enterprise after the Sept. 11 attacks and documenting the legacy of the Atomic Age in the American West. His personal projects focus on the dramatic light, people and landscapes of Colorado and the Four Corners. He is driven by his belief in photography as a force for creating an emotional response in the viewer for understanding and positive change.
Nick Kogos: A Durango-based photographer with more than 25 years of experience capturing the beauty of the American West. Originally from the Midwest, his career has taken him through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, where he focuses on landscapes, wildlife, action sports and lifestyle imagery.
Shanda Akin: A freelance photographer based in Durango whose work is rooted in a deep love for the natural world. After retiring from a 25-year career in the United States Air Force, she turned her lifelong passion for travel and storytelling into a full-time photography business. Her portfolio spans landscapes, fine art, commercial and real estate work, with images captured across 48 countries and counting.
Divine Windy Boy: A photojournalist and portrait photographer based in Ignacio. A member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe and a first descendant of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, she has worked for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe for the past seven years. Since 2022, she has served as a reporter and photographer for the Southern Ute Drum, covering community news and cultural events. She is a member of the Indigenous Journalist Association, Colorado Press Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Her photography reflects a strong commitment to honest storytelling and Native representation in media.
Not only are the five showing their work, they will be judged as well, with a total of $3,000 up for bids, with $1,000 each going to Best in Show, Audience Favorite and Best Train photo (must feature a Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train). D&SNGR is the show’s presenting sponsor and is putting up the $1,000 for the train photo, Turner said. Keep an eye out for the judges: Included is The Durango Herald’s own Photo Editor Jerry McBride.
“This event is a true celebration of the incredible talent and artistry we have in Colorado,” Al Harper, owner of the D&SNG said in a news release. “It’s a unique opportunity for the community to witness the power of visual storytelling on a grand scale.”
Between each photographer, there will be a party break with music by DJ Mowgli.
Turner said the photographers were asked to participate this year, but the hope is to have future show slots juried, where their work is selected.
Along with five professionals, there will also be students photographers, whose work will be featured during the Showdown in the Youth Photography Showcase, sponsored by Alpine Bank. Area middle and high school students were selected to have their photos displayed at the event and exhibited at Durango Arts Center (Nov. 17 to 22), where they can sell their pieces and keep the proceeds without paying a commission. There will be a reception at the DAC at 5 p.m. Monday, he said.
And for Turner, the evening is all about fun and celebrating the local arts community.
“In today’s society, everything is so fast. It’s nice to catch your breath,” he said. “We advertise this as a party, not a show. In a movie, you have to sit on your hands and be quiet so you can hear everything and catch all the imagery. In this program, we tell people, if you see something you like, clap, scream and yell, especially if you’ve got a favorite photographer there, because you might influence the judges.”
katie@durangoherald.com
