One of the highlights of my career was spending a week at Big Bend National Park in Texas with two of Eagle Bus company’s prized celebrity travel buses.
These buses cost right around $500,000 each. They were the mark of success for many of the top country western, and rock’n roll singers. At the time I did the photography. I owned a small regional sized ad agency. We created the theme of “Made in America” for them. What better place to show them off than the American West?!
It was a grueling week. Everyday the temperature soared to over 100 degrees. My crew and I worked from before sunup to after sundown. We photographed for the first two hours of the day and the last 3 hours in the afternoon. We spent the middle part of the day scouting locations, organizing props and talent for the next day’s photographs.
This is one of my favorite images from the shoot. It has everything: incredible light, real cowboys from a local ranch, and a gorgeous setting. I believe it does a magnificent job of portraying the heart, soul, and that MADE IN USA quality that goes into every Eagle Bus.
There is one incredibly sad note though. Only about 5 years after we did that campaign the economy began its downward spiral and even celebrities to whom money was of no object nothing quit spending. It seemed as though “quality” became an dirty word over night, unless it was attached to low cost or cheap. Eagle Bus which was the undisputed best of its kind was soon forced to close its doors.
This trend seems to have hit all businesses. Everyone is looking for the least expensive deal there is, even if that product doesn’t perform as it should. Hopefully we will soon start to claw our way out of this mindset and get back to recognizing that quality is what will carry the day and that generally you get what you pay for.