Eclipse Outlaw Chase: A Documentary by Noah David Wetzel
by Art with Altitude
This article originally appeared in theWinter 2025-26 issue of Art with Altitude.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many is a single, once-in-a-lifetime photograph worth—especially one taken beneath the shadow of a total solar eclipse? For photographer Noah Wetzel, the answer was measured not in words but in years of planning, risk and a vision of the American West reborn in light and shadow. The concept: capturing the spirit of cowboysand outlaws. For more than a year, Wetzel had dreamed of this exact moment. If he didn’t get it there wouldn’t be another chance in the United States until 2044.
The project demanded everything he had—tracking down riders, scouting the perfect location within the path of totality
and confronting the unpredictable. With only four fleeting minutes of darkness to work with, Noah faced impossible odds. Clouds, timing, and sheer chance all threatened to undo months of preparation.
At 1:34 p.m. on April 8, 2024, darkness swept across Texas in the first total solar eclipse to touch Hill Country since 1878. It would not only be an homage to a bygone era, it could be one of the most powerful photographs ever made during a solar eclipse.
With the universe aligned, the outlaw chase and the eclipse converged into a single, indelible frame.
Elevate the Arts:Purchase the infamous image, Eclipse Outlaw Chase by photographer Noah David Wetzel at noahdavidwetzel.com, or arrange your own private screening of the film at Wildhorse Cinema & Arts.AwA
