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Alumnus captures life of ‘Hawaiian Cowboys’ in photographic journal |
| By
Vicki L. Kroll |
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Oct 7, 2008
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Mention cowboys and most think of the Wild West. Photojournalist Michal McClure kept heading west — some 2,400 miles from the U.S. mainland — and rounded up images and essays to tell the tale of cattle ranchers of the Aloha State.
Hawaiian Cowboys — A Photographic Journal is McClure’s first book. The alumnus will return to his alma mater to talk about the work and sign copies Friday, Oct. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the UT Bookstore in the Student Union on Main Campus.
“I’ve been going to Hawaii for a number of years for business and vacations. And on the Big Island where a lot of the ranches are I had seen these people hauling horses back and forth,” McClure said. “I got very inquisitive about it and then talked to a friend of mine who lives up in the ranch country about taking photographs of the cowboys and what they were doing. So I went up and started shooting and was really fascinated.”
So fascinated that he started interviewing the Hawaiian cowboys, known as paniolos, and decided to visit ranches on the other islands to create a book. McClure made three or four annual treks from his home in Old Mill Creek, Ill., to Hawaii over a three-year period.
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| McClure |
“I had the chance to learn about [the paniolo] culture and how they lived, and the wonderful relationships they have with their families, the kind of wonderful people they are — it’s another Hawaii,” he said. “It’s a Hawaii that a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to get to know because they’re down on all the beautiful beaches, but this is up in the mountains, around 2,000 or 3,000 feet high. A lot of people don’t have the time to take a drive and explore this magnificent land.”
The Toledo native took the time to soak in the paniolo lifestyle, to forge relationships with cowboys and their families, and learn about the traditions of cattle ranching that started 175 years ago.
McClure said he shot 15,000 photos to show the pride the paniolo families take in their work. The result: 120 pages filled with stunningly gorgeous photos of cowboys working in paradise. Paniolos may saddle up a horse and wear traditional cowboy attire, or they may mount ATVs and don baseball caps and T-shirts; but, he said, all love what they do.
“I wanted to show how beautiful it can be when you are fortunate enough to work in a community where you and your family can grow up together — generations of families all together and how they live and work and survive together,” he said. “That’s the reason I called it a photographic journal. It’s really a documentary of the life on the island and the way they live.”
His love for cowboys and horses began when he was a boy growing up on Toronto Street in the Glass City. He spent many afternoons at the former Paramount Theater.
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| Michal McClure took this photo of horses romping in the pasture on Parker Ranch in Hawaii. |
“I grew up in a time when you’d go to the movies and see the cowboys, and I always wanted to be a cowboy,” McClure recalled. “John Wayne was a real favorite, Randolph Scott, the old-timers.”
He started packing a camera and shooting photos at age 15 when he attended the Boy Scouts’ World Jamboree in Europe. But it was at Libbey High School where his passion really developed.
“I became fascinated in high school because we started experimenting with different kinds of film in physics class. So that really got me started,” he said. “But, unfortunately, we all have to work for a living.”
McClure went to Purdue University, where he received a bachelor of science degree in physics. He returned to his hometown and went to UT, graduating in 1965 with a master of science degree in physics. Then it was back to Purdue for a master of business administration degree.
After working as a management consultant and investment banker, he eventually started his own company.
“I sold my business when I was 58 years old. At that point, I was looking for fun things to do,” McClure said. “I like to do creative things, so that’s what led me to pursue the camera.”
He’s been back in the saddle as a photographer for six years. His work has been displayed at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyo., and appeared in several American and Canadian publications. See more at www.mcclure-studio.com, which also features photos by McClure’s sons, Brian and Christopher, photographers who helped on a few shoots for
Hawaiian Cowboys.
What’s next for McClure?
“I’m getting ready this fall to spend time with people who have been very successful with what they’ve done in their life; maybe they’re not well-known, household names, but somebody’s gone in and done a great job for example with helping in a community change school systems or teaching,” he said. “I want to interview them, take their pictures and maybe do some video of them, but basically try to understand why they have been successful in their pursuits in life, with the hope that if I can get 20 or 30 profiles it would be good for young people to see that to be successful you have to persevere; success doesn’t just come automatically.”
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