DOCUMENTARY RELEASE | Eclipse Outlaw Chase
Eclipse Outlaw Chase showcases award-winning photographer Noah Wetzel and his 250-hour project, creating a western outlaw chase scene with five horseback riders equipped with pistols and rifles riding full-gallop underneath the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8th 2024 in Hill Country Texas.
From conceptualizing the final idea, finding five committed horseback riders in Texas he'd never met, multiple days of practicing and testing, to the final moment with only three attempts during a 4-minute and 23 second window during Totality, this 46-minute documentary showcases a world-class pursuit to create and capture one of the most powerful and surreal images captured of the Total Solar Eclipse in 2024.
For more information on Wetzel and his work, or for limited edition artwork pieces, please visit www.WetzelGallery.com/products/eclipse-outlaw-chase , or email Info@WetzelGallery.com.
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Female Outlaws escape riding full gallop underneath the Total Solar Eclipse in Hill Country Texas. This project took over 250-hours to conceptualize, research, scout, and included three nights of test shooting, two additional nights of test shooting with the horses to get them acclimated to darkness and the powerful wireless flashes, and one final moment during Totality where this photograph was captured in the span of 4 minutes and 23 seconds.
The project began in January 2024 when the final concept came to mind. I envisioned a surreal western outlaw chase scene, a powerful visual and an ode to a foregone era filled with cowboys, outlaws, and the settling of the west. A juxtaposition of culture during that period, I cast the female riders as the outlaws, painting a unique picture and allowing exploration within the viewers imagination. Within this photograph, Lance and Stephanie Morris chase their twin daughters, also a planned metaphor of rebellious youth, and parents giving their children freedom to take the reins and ride off into the sunset.
Having never been to Texas, or familiar with local land owners or equestrians, it took investigative reporting and a small miracle for all the puzzle pieces to align. From roughly 30 conversations and dozens of hours of research, to connecting with two private groups in March on a separate scouting trip, this project took everything I had in me.
I was able to shoot a single frame exposure during Totality with 6 wireless flashes, along with a multi-image sequence without flashes to silhouette the riders naturally in one single exposure, and finally an in-camera double exposure (*pictured here) which required a very technical and risky move swapping out two lenses to increase the size of the Eclipse within a single in-camera photograph. The sunset-appearing light on the horizon, is daylight and the end of Totality racing towards our location.
The last Total Solar Eclipse in America leading up to 2024, was August 21st 2017. After capturing "Teton MTB Eclipse" which won the RAW Category of the Red Bull Illume in 2019 (World's Greatest Adventure and Action Sports Imagery Contest) I was highly motivated to capture another incredible image. Leading up to the next Total Solar Eclipse in America on April 8th 2024, I knew it would be the last Total Solar Eclipse in America until 2044 and the pressure was on to create and capture an unbelievable image.
In January of 2024 the final concept came to mind, a western outlaw chase scene underneath the eclipse, the goal being to create the most powerful and surreal image captured in the world. Over the next 4 months I scrambled and dedicated 250 total hours to the project. I was able to document most of the project and hire a cinematographer who ventured down to Texas, capturing the final three days of the project including three nights of test shooting with the horses.
Here are some behind the scenes images curtesy of Dane Cronin Photography.
One of my favorite aspects of the project, was the transition into Totality. I didn't know if my camera exposure settings and flash settings were going to line up with the darkness mid-day during Totality. With a 3 minutes until Totality, we watched the eclipse go from 97% to 100%... and watched the exposure settings balance out perfectly as planned. This transition showcases the alarming difference between 99% and 100%, a Partial Solar Eclipse versus a Total Solar Eclipse.
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