Exploring El Paso, Texas: Portrait of the American Southwest with Photographer Bill Chizek

Rural El Paso, Texas with its historic fusion of Spanish, Mexican, and Native American cultures combined with beautiful desert landscapes is a prime example of the southwest United States.

Embark on a captivating visual journey through the lens of retired US Navy musician turned self-taught photographer, Bill Chizek. Discover the enchanting landscapes, vibrant traditions, and rich history of El Paso, Texas, as Bill’s passion for photography uncovers hidden wonders and remarkable stories. From rural serenity to the vibrant city streets, join us as we explore the unique perspective and artistic evolution of Bill Chizek, capturing the essence of El Paso in extraordinary imagery.

Hello Bill. Thank you for joining us for this interview. We are delighted to have the opportunity to learn more about your remarkable journey. Your dedication to capturing the essence of El Paso through your lens is truly inspiring. We look forward to hearing about your experiences, insights, and the stories behind your captivating images. Welcome, and thank you for sharing your time and expertise with us. Why did you decide to use El Paso, Texas for this article?

Thank you for having me. My wife is from El Paso, we moved here after we both retired from the US Navy. Realizing I don’t shoot here as much as I’d like, I’m making an effort to change that. There’s a lot here, heritage, traditions, architecture, food, history; El Paso has plenty of photographic subjects including incredible landscapes and sunsets!

Tell us about your first artwork in El Paso.

One of my first photos that got recognition was taken here on a rural back road. It was called The Long Road and had our 5 or 6 year old daughter photographed from behind as she looked down the road. It was picked up by a couple of online places.

How did your work, especially photography in El Paso, evolve over time?

At first, shooting in general was an attempt to learn, and still is. El Paso is a multi dimensional place. For example, the first time a friend took me to shoot in El Segundo Barrio, one of El Paso’s oldest neighborhoods, I learned so much! The smells made me want to shoot food, every day life there made street photography appealing, and the murals made shooting just those interesting as well. When I went back by myself, it was so overwhelming that I had to pick one subject and go with it or I’d have eaten chile rellenos, had a beer, and taken no photos!

In this specific editorial, what do you love the most?

The ability to showcase the rural El Paso Country area, a place that I’ve really come to love. Also, the city of El Paso is a place that I love to share with people I meet. When you mention El Paso, most people think of the old west but, in reality, it’s a vibrant and modern city. It has minor league sports teams, great museums, an evolving downtown area, history everywhere, and some of the best food ever. Personally, an amazing aspect is El Paso’s arts scene. The amount of incredible photographers, artists, craft-makers, and musicians here is mind boggling.

Are there other artists that you would love to work with?

I used to shoot by myself almost all the time. Since arriving in El Paso I’ve had the pleasure to meet and shoot with local photographers and it’s been awesome. They challenge me to get better, just being around them forces me to up my game. Most of the pro photographers publish their tips and teachings, I love that and wish I could shoot with the Moose Peterson’s out there or any National Geographic photographer. However, shooting with local El Paso photographers has been very rewarding. They are some of the nicest people, very humble about their skills, and willing to share what they know and it’s made photography more exciting!!

What is one photographic subject you would like to focus on?

Currently, it’s aviation. Photographing aircraft in flight combines the romanticism of flight, sometimes history, variations of speed, and excitement all in to one. There is nothing in the world like getting in to an airshow at sunrise and photographing historic airplanes and modern aircraft. That’s the beautiful thing about photography, this year it’s aviation, but last year it was horses, and a few years ago it was cars!

A personal question, where is the place you would love to shoot the most?

ANYWHERE in Italy! After living in Naples for many years, I think about it all the time, and miss it. It would be great to shoot in a big city, up north in the mountains like Bolzano, or maybe some place rural, like the Puglia region. If I won the lottery, you’d probably never hear from me again because I’d be living in some little Italian village on a mountain top, and very happy.

Which would you prefer, love or fame?

Fame would mean no “little Italian town on a mountain top.” So love it is! My wife and kids, family, friends, even our pets mean the world to me. Fame is not anything I would want, ever.

What is the one thing you would want people to know about El Paso?

For a city with a population of almost 700k people, it’s very safe. Even with the ongoing border situation, it’s still a safe place to be. You can bring your family here, visit the Mission Trail or any of the sites, and you’re safer than similar cities of the same population. There are good people here!

Tell us something you’re ready to share with our readers.

It’s never too late in life to switch gears. Photography was something I didn’t get serious about until I was 54, I’m 60 now. I wouldn’t have it any other way because I don’t think I had the attention span, or desire and passion to learn about photography as an art. Maybe there’ll be something else for me by the time I’m 70, who knows?

BIO

Bill Chizek a husband, dad of three, retired US Navy Musician, and self taught photographer originally from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA but now resides in El Paso, Texas. Bill was originally a trombonist who joined the US Navy in 1981 and served as a musician for 30 years. His interest in photography began shortly after joining the Navy but was short-lived early on because shooting film was simply too expensive for his salary. His first camera, purchased in 1982, cost more than he made in a month. For many years, he did little to no photography but in 2006 became interested in digital photography. After retiring from the Navy in 2011, he taught as an adjunct US History professor. However, the challenges of the camera continued to draw him toward photography. Then in 2017 a friend suggested he try stock photography and since then photography now fills the part of his life once occupied by music. Photography has become somewhat of a family affair and when he’s shooting, it’s many times with his family. Since Bill shoots stock photography, his photographic interests vary, he currently devotes time to photographing airshows. Bill’s photos appear in numerous commercial and government publications and websites. His photography can be found, a search engine away, at his website as well.