Living Without Borders

I took this photograph of the legendary West Texas cowboy - Ty Mitchell - on a sandbank on the Rio Grande. Ty stands 6ft 5” tall and my general assessment is that not much fazes this guy. Meanwhile, the location is about as good as it gets and is rather wonderfully named Contraband Creek.

I was standing in Mexico and 20 yards across the river was the US. Every time I walked knee deep across the river to change a lens or camera, I entered America and then on my return I re-entered Mexico. I think I actually entered America four times in a morning - all rather surreal with this talk of a wall.

I would like to thank the US Border Patrol in Texas for being so accommodating to our crew that day in Big Bend National Park. They - like me - must think “The Wall” is now a long way off because in 2020 the US has a real crisis on its hands.

Coronavirus does not discriminate and does not recognise fame, borders, passports, race or religion. It is the ultimate leveller and rams home our mortality and our fragility. There is little good news right now, but one eventual positive is that we should emerge from this as less selfish and less discriminating people.

David Yarrow