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Showing the Best Side: Steve Mapes
By Katrina Waters, NSR Summer Intern
Picture a little boy, barely old enough to be in 4-H, driving his Poland China barrow around the ring at his first state fair. He drives the hog only in a circle to the right, careful to conceal his hog’s most noticeable flaw — a deep scar on his left shoulder. The little boy succeeds in fooling the judge and wins his class. When it comes time to drive his hog again for the title of Champion 4-H Barrow, he once again drives his hog only to the right. By now, most spectators have caught on and some are even laughing or whispering. But the judge has yet to notice. He has only seen the good side. The judge names this Poland China barrow champion against all of the other division winners. Later in the day, that same little boy drives his barrow out for the chance to win Grand Champion Overall. But this time, thanks to a spectator pointing it out to the judge, the little boy is unable to hide the scar. The judge has noticed it. He names the hog Reserve Grand Overall, behind the Champion FFA barrow.
That little boy has always understood the importance of showing off a pig’s best features. That little boy grew up to be one of the most-recognized photographers in the swine industry. His name is Steve Mapes, and most people who have attended a type conference or state fair in the last 32 years, have probably seen him.
Steve, the son of Leland and Mary Mapes, Unionville Center, Ohio, grew up on his family’s swine operation, which focused on breeding Poland Chinas. He attended type conferences and other shows with his dad at a young age and began showing by the time he was three years old. Steve anxiously waited for the time when he would be old enough to join 4-H and show at the Ohio State Fair. When the time finally came, he had a great Poland barrow to show. The hog did have a bad scar on his left shoulder, but Steve had a plan and stuck to it.
“I was able to hide the scar from the judge in every class until someone in the stands told him what I was doing,” Steve says.
Wilbur Bruner judged that day, and Steve remembers the show like it was yesterday.
“He was upset I was able to hide the scar from him,” Steve says. “And the worst part was, he placed me fourth in showmanship.”
By the time Steve was in high school, he noticed the need for a good swine photographer and became really interested in taking pictures.
His role model was Harlan Moore — the only livestock photographer at the time, according to Steve.
“There was a need for another photographer other than Harlan,” he adds.
Steve worked with Harlan, and eventually took over the business for him. Fortunately, Steve received encouragement from many of the purebred breeders he had met over the years.
Paul Parrish, former Duroc fieldman, was one of those breeders. To this day, his son, Howard, Edon, Ohio, uses Steve for all of his photographs.
“Dad really encouraged him because there was a need for a good hog photographer,” Howard says.
Steve’s first big job as a photographer was in 1970 at a Berkshire type conference in Columbia, Mo.
That was a big year for Steve as it was also the year he married Rebecca, a girl he had known all of his life. Within a few years, they had two daughters, Stephanie and Jennifer. The girls showed many hogs and were quite successful in the show ring.
“We had grand or reserve every year at our county fair,” Jennifer says.
Rebecca, who did not grow up around livestock, says her girls always loved the hogs.
“The girls grew up with hogs,” she says. “They were definitely 4-H girls.”
In 1979, Steve was offered a position with the American Berkshire Association as fieldman. He knew he would not want to live that lifestyle forever — especially with a family at home — so he accepted on the terms that he would only do it for three years. After traveling the entire United States as the sole field representative and missing his wife and daughters, he resigned in 1983. That resignation lead to a big turning point in Steve’s photography business as he had been unable to devote the time to taking pictures when he was on the road all the time. Once he was no longer a fieldman, he says the business skyrocketed.
In 1983, Steve became the youngest person to be given the Distinguished Service Award from the American Berkshire Association. He continued to be involved with the breed, serving on the board of directors in the mid ‘80s.
Currently, Steve goes to 25 shows a year as the official photographer.
“It used to be a lot more, back when each breed had their own individual conferences,” he says. “It’s a lot easier on me now.”
He also travels to farms on a seasonal basis to take photos of animals that will be featured in sale catalogs, advertisements and other promotional tools.
The girls are now grown, married and have provided Steve and Rebecca with seven grandchildren. Stephanie, a physical education teacher, is married to Patrick Fairchild and they have three children — Riley, 5, Emily, 2, and Braeden, not quite a year old. Jennifer, an electrologist, is married to Chris Luke who has eight-year-old twins, Kyle and Cole. The couple also have a five year old, Carly, and a two year old, Caeden.
In addition to her job and family, Jennifer has another duty — filling in for her dad from time to time. Jennifer has served as the official photographer at such shows as the Illinois State Fair and the Berkshire Summer Type Conference in Austin, Minn. She says that she learned all about photography from watching her dad take photos at shows.
“Dad’s goal was for me to take over the business someday, but it just wasn’t my goal,” she says.
She credits her dad for being very good at what he does, now more than ever since she has tried it.
“He’s a really hard worker,” she says. “I was ready to quit after a couple of hours when my legs started hurting.”
When he is not photographing hogs, Steve enjoys spending time with his grandchildren. He has also enjoyed judging several hog shows, including California All-Breeds, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State Fairs, and many county shows.
Although most of Steve’s work is seen by thousands of swine breeders a month when they receive a magazine in the mail, he says few people have seen some of his best work.
“The best photo I’ve ever taken in my life — of C.E.O.— hardly anyone ever saw it,” he says. “It was in one ad, I think, but it was so tiny you could barely identify it.”
Steve says the greatest challenge in his profession is to stay up with the times.
“As the type of ideal hogs change, the types of photos people want change,” he adds.
“People used to want all black and white photos,” he says. “At that time, my wife, Rebecca, was really busy in the dark room. Of course, now, almost everybody wants color.”
Rebecca says his passion for the industry allows him to keep up with the changing times and appropriately adapt. She also credits his love for talking about livestock.
“He’s constantly getting calls, either about a picture or it’s someone asking him his opinion of some of the hogs he has seen,” Rebecca says.
Howard Parrish, who has known Steve for about 35 years, says that Steve is sincere, professional, and, most importantly, dedicated.
“And he knows how important a good photo is,” Howard adds.
Guy Jackson, Warren, Ind., is another long-time customer. He has bought photos from Steve at shows for 25 years and has hired him to take photos on the farm for 5 years. He says Steve’s dependability and work ethic make him a successful photographer.
“He takes the time to make sure he gets a good picture,” Jackson says.
Steve says the best thing about his job is being involved in the swine industry —an industry that he has a relentless passion for.
It is relatively easy to guess the worst part about his job, especially when you notice the knee pads he wears and all of that crouching down.
“The worst part is the physical stress, for sure,” he says. “I wore my knees out years ago. There’s no cartilage left.”
His knees may be weak but his passion for the purebred swine industry is stronger than ever. Steve has come a long way since that first state fair, but continues to exhibit the dedication, drive and patience that helped him beat the odds that day in Columbus. Today, he makes his living doing some of the same things he was doing that day —evaluating each pig’s best features and showing them off.
