He started shooting photographs when he was in first grade, well before the days of one-hour photos. Morgan Countryman always shot on 110 mm film, then he mailed the reel away to be developed. “As a kid, I had high anticipation for getting those photos back,” says Countryman, now a longtime owner operator based in Texas. “Getting those photos back was like getting Christmas in the mail, because you never really knew what you shot.”
By now, Countryman has had a CDL trucking job for 27 years and has mentored several truck drivers in photography. Here’s what the self-taught sharpshooter had to say about his own favorite shots and his beloved pastime.
Tell us about this umbrella shot.
It was taken at Niagara Falls. I didn’t even know the person was there. I stumbled across this shot. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would make for a good one. I’ve got it hanging on my wall at home. I like it because it’s marrying the old with the new.
You shoot black-and-whites almost exclusively. Why?
I am a big fan of Ansel Adams. I have been since I was a kid. He’s my inspiration. His photos blow me away. Color shots are gorgeous, but black-and-white tells the story.
This is my friend’s kid.
I love the way the shadows play with her skin and create a dramatic image. It was a total accident. I did a studio-style setup for a friend and she was my test subject.
Speaking of friends, you’ve mentored up to 20 truck driving photographers.
I find people who have the eye but don’t know enough of the basic rules to pull the shot off. There are a few basic rules that could help anybody. If it doesn’t add to the photograph, get rid of it. That alone can take somebody a long way.
This is Bolivar Point, Texas, across the bay from Galveston.
I happened to be in the right place at the right time. A filter was left on the camera by accident, but I liked it so well, I kept it. I like the solitude of it, like it’s the last boat to sail off into the sunset.
What do you strive for when you’re shooting?
To make the camera see what I see. Because what you see is not always what’s there. It’s like a carpenter who looks at a house and sees what could be.
The cross was on a back Texas road.
I turned the car around and went back to take this shot. The grain of the wood caught my attention. I like how it interacts with the textures around it, how the clouds are below the cross. Most black-and-whites wind up being pretty dramatic. A good photo will tell a different story to different people.
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The $20.2 million NY welcome center on the Long Island Expressway in New York between exits 51 and 52 is set to open as early as this week, state officials said, providing a stop for motorists—but 
Where was this taken?
What is it about this picture?
Duering has been behind the event since it launched in the state 13 years ago.
Nebraska,” says Katie Kellar, director of development for Special Olympics Nebraska. “The funds raised from the event help to provide sports and leadership opportunities for athletes throughout the state.”
In the contests, truck drivers and athletes go head-to-head. “The athletes always win, we make sure of that,” Duering says.
Special Olympics. Truck driver Reuben Dupsky donated a toy truck with a $45 value for the auction one year, then ended up paying $90 for it in the auction. In the end, he gave it to one of the athletes, who beamed upon receiving it.
Indeed, for those with CDL trucking jobs, seeing the smiles on the athletes’ faces is always the highlight of the event. Drivers engage the athletes at every turn, whether they’re playing softball with them or letting them honk the horn during the convoy. In fact, many drive with the same athletes year after year, forming a long-term bond.
Fitzpatrick, a company driver for Canadian American Transport, is a long-haul trucker who spends up to four weeks at a time on the road. But he still grills out every chance he gets.
gives his ribs an extra kick. He calls it Bone Dust. It’s a mix of cumin, chipotle powder and other seasonings. “I can take any type of rub and change it to give it my own flavor,” Fitzpatrick says.
“We’ve always been big supporters of the United Way, so when the United Way came to us a few years ago and asked us to support the event, we thought it sounded like a good way to get the community involved,” she says.
Jack Binder has braved Alaska’s famed Dalton Highway since it opened in 1974.
