Drew Ducote: Oil Country
Drew Ducote (b. 1998) is a photographer currently based in Brooklyn, NY. He received his B.S. in geography with a minor in photography from Texas State University (2021). His photographic work incorporates concepts like place, space, and the passage of time to craft a narrative through his images. Additionally, his work often highlights issues of environmental decay and power struggles that are apparent in American society today. He primarily makes work with a medium format film camera, contributing to the nostalgic feeling in his images. Drew is currently working on an extension of his undergraduate thesis titled “Oil Country,” which explores the numerous refinery towns along the Texas Gulf Coast and the communities within them. His work can be seen at the Texas State University Honors College Gallery as well as in the most recent edition of Hutspot Magazine.
RR: Hey Drew, How are you? How have you been doing? Let's just dive in with your interest in photography. What is it that got you started?
DD: I’ve been doing really well! I recently moved out of Texas to Brooklyn and have been loving it so far. A lot of new stuff to photograph. I got into photography when I was really young taking pictures of my friends skateboarding but didn’t really actually start photographing stuff until junior year of high school when I bought a Canon AE-1. Then from there I just kept shooting and taking it more seriously as an art form.
RR: Tell me a bit about your current work, Oil Country, which focus on a particular region in Texas. How did this project begin?
DD: So, this book/project is about the oil refinery towns along the Texas Gulf Coast and the people who live in them. I wanted to create a documentary project on the reality of what these towns are like today. I first got into this project because I was researching it for one of my environmental studies classes and couldn’t believe the levels of pollution and cancer rates these towns had, which also happened to be some of the more impoverished areas in the state. Additionally, I had always been drawn to refineries aesthetically based on just how enormous and industrial the refinery structures actually looked. So with these two interests combined I decided to pursue this project as a senior thesis for my Environmental Geography degree by using photography as a research method. I had a book done for my thesis back in May 2021 but wanted to continue shooting for it this summer and create a better final product to release to the public.
RR: Were there any themes, ideas or things that revealed themselves as you were pursuing this work that you did not expect?
DD: One theme that I noticed throughout these places and from making this work, was a sense of strength among the people. Not that everyone who lives here is living a tough life, but it does take a certain type of person to stick around these areas and call it home. A lot of the people actually had a sense of pride regarding the oil industry because that was their whole livelihood. They seemed to not be bothered by the refineries, even if the landscape told a slightly different story.
RR: The images (together) have a weight to them. Like the weight of these economic structures falling on the backs of the people, landscape and the topography of this region in Texas. How did you treat the kind of balance of this and like you said the sense of pride that you found more common?
DD: Yes, they definitely do. That is something I wanted to show, but also be careful with in the way I was portraying these places and people, coming in as an outsider photographing their homes. I was taught in school about research ethics for human geography and the correct ways in going about researching and documenting human subjects. I wanted to make sure this project documented the reality of these places without exploiting the people who live there and crafting a false narrative.
RR: How has the book making process been? Was this an ultimate goal for the work or did it come about as you were making the photographs?
DD: The book making process has been alright. I love the actual process of designing the layout and pairing different photos with one another to make the project flow, but I had a little trouble finding a good enough service for the actual publishing of the book. There were just times I wasn't happy with the quality of the books I was getting since I was trying to find options that weren’t too expensive, as to make it more accessible for everyone to buy. Self publishing just presents those kinds of issues though so it was expected. But as mentioned before, I went into this project with the intention of producing a cohesive book for my senior thesis, so that was in my mind the whole time when taking the photos. It was kind of nice thinking this way, but also a little stressful. Everytime I took a trip down to the coast I knew I needed to get a certain amount of photos so there was a sense of pressure there with the deadlines I had to meet. Hopefully it has prepared me a bit for any documentary work I take in the future.
RR: Are there any stories that stood out in particular to you when you were making images?
DD: There were a couple interactions with people I photographed which really stuck with me. One was with a man named Russell, who I photographed in late 2020 in Three Rivers, TX. I approached him because he was carrying a suitcase and had some sick tattoos. When I got closer I noticed on his suitcase was a sign asking for spare change. We talked for a bit about how he moved to Three Rivers with his girlfriend and was going to work at one of the refineries but then Covid happened and he could not find any work. He wasn’t getting any unemployment assistance so that’s why he was out looking for money. He was up for a photo but didn’t want me to get his sign in it, which was understandable. That request to not include the sign made me realize the care I had to take when documenting the people in these towns. There were a bunch of other conversations and moments I had with the locals that impacted the overall direction I took with the final book but I think this one, being one of the first portraits I shot, was most impactful.
RR: Awesome work Drew. Is there anything new you are working on and would like to share?
DD: Thanks Raul! Nothing new at the moment, other than this. Just focused on trying to get some work out here in NYC!
RR: Thanks for the interview!
DD: No problem! Always down to share more about the work. Thanks so much for being interested in the project and taking the time to learn a little more about it.