For today’s “What We Do” where we talk to our journalists about their jobs, the topics they cover and the content they create, we catch up with photojournalist Andrew West. We asked Andrew to pick one of his favorite photos from the beginning of 2026.
Question: Where and when was this photo taken and time of day?
Answer: Somewhere on land in the center of Florida between DeLuca Preserve and Okeechobee before dawn on Thursday Jan. 29.
Photojournalist Andrew West’s image to highlight
Participants and crew of the Great Florida Cattle Drive 2026 stay warm by fire under the stars on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 morning. Temperatures at night were in the 30’s and 40 throughout the reenactment.
What were you trying to capture or express?
Reporter Chad Gillis and I were taking part in the Great Florida Cattle Drive 2026. This was photographed during the drive. I wanted to convey the vastness of the land we were traveling and the chill in the air. Stars are visible, so I wanted to express the down time during the drive.
What type of lens/equipment did you use to get this image?
A really wide angle 16-24mm on 24 on a Sony A7iV photographed from ground level.
Any challenges with lighting, or anything else environmental?
It was really cold for Florida standards during this trip. I shot manual focus. During shoots like this, the focusing will jump around trying to find a subject. This was also a long exposure. Exposure was 30 seconds at f2/8 at ISO 320. I was really shooting for the stars. The person in the photo also stood relatively still for that long. There are other people staying warm, but they show as motion blur.
When you narrowed it down, what were the factors for this photo we are looking at for making the cut and being published?
The big sky, how the fire and the smoke interacted with the atmosphere, the lone human subject allows the eye stop. I also like the palms in the background that say its Florida.
More Andrew West photos from the Great Cattle Drive
Did this photo/video teach you anything new as a photographer or remind you of things you have learned?
I love to get out in nature. I believe, this area falls in a dark skies designation, so it was cool to see the stars every evening and morning. These kinds of images are difficult to get. It takes trial and error and knowing how to use all the functions of the camera.
Was there anything else you recall from this assignment, or this photo, you’d like to share with the audience?
This assignment was logistically very difficult. I had to bring a lot of extra equipment. I got a tons of help along the way from some amazing people that were part of the cattle drive. I just like to thank them for all their generosity.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Photojournalist shares what it is like to cover Florida’s cattle drive