I’ve been in and out of shooting and getting married and traveling a bit and playing music for the past month, but it’s been a great month! I got one last blog out right before I left to be married to my wonderful Amanda, and after taking a trip following the event, I played catch up for two weeks. Among the catch up, I had the chance to photograph some more of the wine industry in West Texas.

Introduce the Newsoms. Newsom Vineyards is one of the oldest vineyards in the state, and they definitely have their operation in great hands. It is 95 acres of nothing but pure wine grape varieties, long, rolling rows of vineyard, offset only in color by a large field of sunflowers at one particular area of the farm and a field of cotton in another. The assignment was to get some portraits of Neal Newsom, the primary operator of the farm, and he and his wife, Janice, were wonderfully hospitable folks, driving me and art director, Mandy Garcia, all over the farm to find some picturesque places to work some portraits. We talked constantly about the wine industry, their family, and we even took a look at the surprisingly large grape picker Neal keeps in a newly-constructed barn.

Needless to say, I am going to be visiting again soon to photograph more of the vineyard in its vibrancy!

These are the type of people that totally attracts me to West Texas, Lubbock, and the surrounding areas. When I worked with Plains Cotton Cooperative Association as a magazine intern while working on my undergraduate, I was constantly in touch with amiable agriculturalists that understand the significance of what they do, but more importantly, the significance in educating others about what they do, trying their all to aid in the understanding of their industry. The Newsoms, as well as those that I have had great experience and interaction with has spurred a portrait project that hopefully will be my endeavor in to what they do day in and day out with non-agriculturalists, educate!

But back to what we are about with this post. Wine in West Texas? You bet. If you are one of those folks that believes in the mantra that there is nothing in West Texas except cotton and cowboys, think again. Lubbock alone is host to five great wineries (Llano Estacado, Caprock, Pheasant Ridge, La Diosa Cellars, and McPherson Cellars), and wine grape varieties grown here are some of the most desirable varieties in the nation. Just ask folks in California.

I’m back in some sort of way, and I’ll be posting more. There is definitely a lot to share! More to come!