The Cowboy Boot Maker

One of my passions in life is to create compelling images with my camera that tell stories. Last month I had the opportunity to go on a photo walk with Metro PPA (a professional photography association I use to belong to.) with some of my old friends and two of my photography mentors. This included photographing for an hour or so at Dorwart Custom Boots to do a photographic character study of the cowboy boot maker in Guthrie, Ray Dorwart.

While looking around and exploring his shop, I noticed a stack of old warn cowboy books on one of his workbenches. Laying on top of the pile was the “Spirit Filled Life Bible.” Seeing the Bible, I started asking Ray about his faith and about his church. Come to find out Ray is a spirit-filled, Jesus-loving, God-fearing, salt of the earth kinda man who attends the Guthrie campus of North Church, an Assemblies of God Church. He likes to keep things simple with his life being centered around his faith and family. In the front windows that pointed to the road, Ray had hung two signs. One said “Love God, Love People, Follow Jesus” and the other sign was for his church. This is his public proclamation of faith, and an invite to join him and his family at church. Ray and I had a great conversation about his church, about missions, and about knives.

If you ever need a custom-made pair of boots or have your boots repaired, Ray is definitely the man for the job. His shop is located at 117 S. 2nd Street in Guthrie.

I absolutely love meeting and photographing fellow believers, like Ray, who are true masters of their craft. This isn’t something that I get to do often enough, and am hoping to do more in the future. Until the next time, I hope you enjoy these images of Master Cowboy Boot Maker, Ray Dorwart.