Get to know C&I photo contest judge Erika Haight.
Among her many other Western subjects, Erika Haight of Roundup, Montana, has devoted the past decade to documenting and spending time with her adopted Crow family. Her traditional black-and-white photographs evidence the Crow Nation’s bygone traditions and what remains in their absence.
Her images convey a celebration of human resilience, family, and a rich cultural heritage, capturing intimate moments of children at play, the faces of elders, and reservation life.
Haight has won numerous photography competitions, and her work has been featured in myriad of publications. A storyteller through still images, she combines a bold and clean perspective of the camera, using negative space and framing to elicit strong emotional response. Her work is modern, timeless, and historically significant in the context of our times.
Crossing the Little Big Horn
“I believe that black-and-white images remove distraction, forcing the viewer to look past outward appearances and into the soul of the subject,” Haight says.
We caught up with her for a Quick 6 conversation.
C&I’s Quick 6 With Fine Art Photographer Erika Haight
C&I: What do you look for in great photography? What makes a great photo?
Erika Haight: A great photo in my mind is that which consists of thought-provoking elements. Callused hands, a face full of character, or a place that gives a sense of longing for another place in time.
C&I: What photographers inspire(d) you?
Haight: Edward Curtis and Richard Throssel are two photographers that I have long admired — Curtis for his expansive studies of Native American culture and locations, and Throssel for his intimate relationship with the Crow. Both of them were masters of their craft, at a time when photography was a relatively new technology and the equipment and processes were cumbersome. I can spend hours flipping through their books and images.
C&I: What Western location have you photographed that you’ll never forget?
Haight: Hells A-Roarin’ Horse Drive in Jardine, Montana, is an experience I will never forget. This is the ultimate Montana experience. The scenery is beyond beautiful, and the Western subject matter is endless. I attended the event a few years back on Labor Day Weekend. The weather was downright cruel, but it provided me with some the best images I have ever taken. Horsehair was wavy from the sleet and rain. The heavy air created layers in the sky, which then seemed to fold over the terrain. It’s every photographer’s dream when they have a backdrop like that! Aside from my Native American images, this is probably my favorite body of work.
C&I: Favorite photo you’ve ever taken?
Haight: It’s hard to choose for many different reasons, but probably Apsaalooke Beauty — the beautiful start to my Native American portrait series. It’s of a young Crow girl — all of 5 or 6 — in her fair regalia looking at me dead-on with wisdom in her young face and eyes. It felt like an extraordinary moment when she made eye contact with the camera lens, and it still strikes me every time I see the image.
C&I: Best advice for photographers learning and growing their craft.
Haight: The best advice I could give other photographers is to shoot what they are passionate about. Focus on what you love to capture. We only have a short amount of time on this earth. … Travel fast, and far as you can!
C&I: What shot/photo shoot is on your bucket list?
Haight: Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, is definitely No. 1 on the bucket list for me. Oh, the years I have spent dreaming about this elusive location. Something about the combination of history, shipwrecks, untamed manes of wild horses, and windswept sandy beaches. I have a press photo circa 1959 of wild horses on the island, which I would love to try to re-create, and a hand-colored 1822 coastal nautical map that I have studied in detail. Escaramuza charra in Mexico — the female equestrian event — is another bucket list item for me.
Visit Erika Haight online at erikahaightphotography.com.
Search for her on cowboysindians.com to see and read about her work.
