Image of people in a bar with a wolf on the bar counter
Art photographer David Yarrow on his new image of the Pioneer Bar, Cindy Crawford and a wolf

We called last year’s photograph of the mountain men at the bar The Usual Suspects, as that is exactly what they were. Some of those men rarely leave the warmth of the Pioneer Bar in Virginia City throughout winter – in fact, they hibernate there. It proved such a popular image and has sold out across the world, in some cases raising huge sums for charity.

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So, when we went back this year, we thought it would be fun to have an additional crew member: Cindy Crawford. We have worked in this room many times before and I know my light, my angles and the minimal depth of focus. The word juxtaposition is over-used, but I think we can get away with it here. The old boys may drink a bit and smoke a bit of weed, but they were on their best behaviour that day – which is essentially still medieval. An international icon joining their party was not something they bargained for and at least one cowboy convinced himself it was the weed. We called the image The Unusual Suspects as a nod to her presence.

Read more: Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards 2019

The composition, which I could control, had to be spot on, but there is no way I could control the wolf. It’s a low-percentage game, and we only came away with one shot – but we got it. Cindy looks fantastically glamorous and a little ‘bad ass’ in her role, but, as always, it is the mountain men that take away the Oscars. Roxanna Redfoot did a grand job too.

Proceeds from the sale of these limited-edition prints will go to charities supporting children with cancer. Yarrow’s exhibitions are running this year at the G&M Design Gallery in Monaco and Galleri Fineart in Oslo.

View David Yarrow’s full portfolio: davidyarrow.photography

This article was originally published in the Autumn 19 Issue