WLM Fall and Holiday 2015 | Page 46

WLM | my Wyoming craving MALLORY WINTERS I love the saying, “Life isn’t about the destination; it’s about the journey.” It isn’t mine, which is probably why I love it even more. My own professional life was going to become an interesting journey, although I didn’t know that when I first started out. I’ll never forget the day when, at 25, I was informed by a supervisor that my fulltime with call job at a local hospital was what I was looking at … for the rest of my life. While it was a job that I loved (and still enjoy on an outpatient basis now), it was a rather depressing thought for me. No more adventures … one place, one routine, one way to stretch my brain … If you would have told me then the ways that Levi’s and my lives would bend and mold over the next twelve years, I would have asked you when I could begin! It is with that history in mind that I particularly enjoyed learning the story of Mallory ‘Mal’ Winters, photographer and lineman from Star Valley. Born and raised in Otto, a tiny Bighorn Basin town near Worland, Mal grew up on the family farm, where hard work was ingrained in him from the beginning. His long career as a Journeyman Lineman Foreman for Lower Valley Energy in Afton, a job he still enjoys, afforded Mal the opportunity to explore a new branch of his own journey. The power company’s on call time on the weekends around the Jackson area created much down time for Mal, and his observations of the beauty surrounding him in those moments were inspirational. Introduced to photography by his older sister Andrea (also a photographer), Mal found a creative outlet. Ten years later, he’s not only still shooting, he’s taking his art form in a new, and large, direction. Mal’s wife of over 30 years, Alesia, contacted us with Mal’s story and art work, and I was intrigued. Mal and Alesia were kind (and patient) enough to interrupt our phone interview while my little family captured its own photographic adventure – the Full Blood Super Moon. With four grown children and six grandchildren, Mal & Alesia obviously understand when family calls. It was greatly appreciated. Following is a little Q&A with Mallory Winters Photography… 44 Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Autumn & Holiday 2015