Chasing the Wind Before the Fourth of July
A few days before the Fourth of July, I got a call about a last-minute assignment for IBC Bank.
They needed photographs of American flags flying at several of their locations across the Rio Grande Valley—McAllen, Hidalgo, Weslaco, and Edinburg. The catch was that it was already Friday night, and everything had to be photographed, edited, and delivered by Monday morning (I don’t work on Sundays anymore).
Honestly, that kind of deadline gets my attention.
It reminded me of my old news days, when you were given an assignment, figured out the logistics, and got it done. There wasn’t much time to overthink anything.
So, of course, I said yes.
The client had already been trying to get the photographs, but they kept running into one major problem: there wasn’t enough wind. Photographing a flag sounds simple until the flag is hanging straight down against the pole. Without movement, there isn’t much of a picture.
I checked the forecast, and it looked like we were supposed to have several windy mornings leading up to the Fourth. Perfect.
I started planning everything out. I wanted to get up before sunrise and possibly photograph at least one of the locations with the morning sun coming up behind the flag. In my head, it looked very majestic.
Then I woke up (Reality hit).
No wind. Nothing.
The flags were completely still.
I prayed, waited, and kept checking the weather app, hoping the forecast would finally kick in and give me what I needed. Eventually, I decided to roll out and start in downtown McAllen.
By the time I arrived at the IBC location, the wind had picked up enough for me to work. Since the bank was closed, I didn’t have to deal with much traffic or people coming in and out. That gave me room to move around, try a few different angles, and get some pretty nice photographs without being in anyone’s way.
From McAllen, I headed south to Hidalgo.
That location had a steady flow of foot traffic because of its proximity to the Hidalgo International Bridge. People were walking toward the bridge, while others were making their way back home.
I wasn’t completely sure what I could or couldn’t show in the final photographs, so I spent some time waiting for clean gaps between people. It ended up being easier than I expected.
One of my favorite frames from the entire assignment was a woman walking with an umbrella between two flags. It was one of those moments that came together naturally. I couldn’t have planned it, but I was ready when it happened.
Once I had what I needed, I took Military Highway toward Weslaco.
I hadn’t driven that stretch in years, so it was interesting to see how much development had started moving into the area. There is still plenty of farmland out there, but you can see the changes slowly taking hold.
As I drove, I kept thinking that one day much of that farmland might be gone, just like what has happened in north Edinburg. Progress keeps moving, but sometimes you don’t notice how much a place has changed until you haven’t seen it for a while.
The Weslaco location was downtown and fairly straightforward. Again, it was mostly a matter of waiting for openings between people and vehicles. Once I had enough variety and knew the photographs would work, I packed up and headed to the final stop in Edinburg.
The Edinburg IBC now sits where the old Luby’s used to be near University Drive.
Wrapping up there brought back another set of memories. That whole area has changed so much over the years. Businesses open, businesses close, and familiar buildings disappear. Through all of it, Pan Am—now UTRGV—has remained and continued to grow.
That part felt especially personal.
I started college there in 1994, and now my oldest son is enrolled and will begin classes there in the fall. I hadn’t expected a bank photography assignment to make me stop and think about how quickly time moves, but that’s what happened.
By the end of the assignment, I was tired, but I was happy with what I had captured.
We met the deadline, stayed within the budget, and the client was pleased with the final photographs. I even received a nice text saying they were impressed with how everything turned out.
That always feels good, especially when an assignment comes together under a tight turnaround.
More than anything, I was thankful for the opportunity. It was a fun challenge, it took me through several parts of the Valley, and it gave me a small reminder of why I still enjoy this kind of work.
Sometimes you make detailed plans for the perfect sunrise.
Other times, you pray for wind, watch the flags, and get to work.