Longhorn Saloon

"From the outside, The Longhorn Saloon looks like a bar where the most ancient of vices are catered for daily. It has the whiff of a place where cowboys are tough, women are tougher and there is little rule of law. It is the Wild West at its cartoonish best. The Coen Brothers should check it out.
The Longhorn is clearly a Texas bar and we would say that it’s in West Texas, but more than that, we are sworn to secrecy. It’s too good a place to get crowded and besides, the cattle clearly need some room to roam.
Projects like these tend to be fun for everyone involved and whenwe do film at dusk, there is never a doubt that after the wrap, some local cast or crew will invite us home for a Texan Barbecue. They score very high in hospitality in Texasand we love our nights out near the Mexican Border. The night of this photograph, three generations of one family sat around the home fire and laughed and chatted with each other. There was no mobile phone in sight. I ate the best steak of my life, but more importantly, I was reminded what Texas is all about.
The Longhorn Saloon is currently closed for renovation."
- David Yarrow

We delayed releasing this image because I wasn’t really sure what to write - it was such a surreal few minutes and it took time for it all to sink in.

I guess on the one hand it’s a fairly straightforward portrait of an adult male polar bear - there is nothing dramatic going on and no collapsing iceberg in the background.

But on the other hand, there is fine detail in this study. He is totally comfortable with my presence and happy merely to observe and continue being who he is - the ultimate alpha mammal. His relaxed demeanor allowed me to inch closer and wait for head-on eye to eye contact. Only then can we stare into his unique world.

What do I see in his eyes? Wisdom, security and governance. He is totally in control - a bit like a meeting with a therapist. He has all the answers to my none. It’s a fireside chat at the top of the world with a Statesman.

I think he is telling me that he likes his tea white with no sugar. Then we can get on with the issues of the day.