John Langmore: Open Range: America's Big-Outfit Cowboy

Returning to the ranch after three decades, a former cowboy captures the current state of the American West

"Every cowboy can instantly call up with fondness ... the smell of cattle carried on a dusty wind across sagebrush and juniper, and the feeling of a good horse underneath you as you work together to keep a herd moving," writes American photographer John Langmore. Langmore began cowboying in 1975 at the age of 12, the same year that his father, Bank Langmore, published the preeminent photo book The Cowboy. John spent 12 summers working across the west before transitioning to a more regulatory career. Then, in 2012, John began a six-year project photographing 14 of the nation's largest and most famous ranches in Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming. Of all those who have photographed the American cowboy, John is one of the few who came to it first as a colleague and then as a photographer. This large landscape book features 90 tritone plates along with Langmore's own poetic recollections of working as a cowboy. Open Range offers an unrivaled chance to witness a way of life that many dream of, but few experience.
John Langmore (born 1962) is the son of photographer Bank Langmore. He spent his adolescence working as a cowboy, then became an attorney. Turning to photography decades later, he focused his lens on the American cowboy and the big-outfit ranch. He co-directed and produced the award-winning film Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait and co-founded the Austin Center for Photography. In 2016 his photographs were exhibited alongside those of his father at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1936611163
• ISBN13: 9781936611164
• Release Date: November 2018
• Publisher: Twin Palms Publishers
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 4.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 14.3" x 11.3"

Customer Reviews

Do Cowboys Still Exist? Yes...and this authoritative work will correct what Hollywood lost

This book captures what my life was like in my 20's, and still is today for cowboys that can't be seen from the road. When it says "Big Outfit," it's referring to a cow outfit. One of the places I worked had 12,000 mama cows and ~70 full time employees including cowboys, a farm crew (to provide winter feed), a feedlot, a couple guys that worked on trucks and equipment, office staff, and even a full time veterinarian. What you'll find in the book are COWBOYS...not "ranch hands." They don't watch Yellowstone and they don't line dance. They drive ranch trucks that don't have radios or heaters...so there's no reason to stay in it. They ride colts. They pull calves. They have a culture most would not understand. Cross a boundary and you might get rim-fired, panty-hosed, or just roped off your horse. These men and women know what it is to suffer at the hand of Mother Nature and still love their calling. They're in tune with the cycle of life. My favorite thing was calving out 1200 first calf heifers and seeing the new life hit the ground and mama's instincts kick in for the first time. I also loved being out with a wagon, roping and dragging calves to the fire. I left this job 30 years ago, figuring I couldn't put a woman and kids through it. I got "responsible." My family said "Well, that was fun...now it's time for a "real job." (Tell me you don't "get it," without telling me....) And I've missed the life ever since...so I day work now and again when I'm given the chance. I've always kept horses. I rode yesterday. If you love good photography and you want to be a fly on the bunkhouse wall to hear a few stories, you should read this book. And you should check out the documentary that John did as well. It's available on all the streaming services and it's called "Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait." In a time when the world has lost at least some of its sanity, there are men who still know who they are and don't flinch about it. It's time America remembered its love for Cowboys. I can't wait to give these as gifts.