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Terry Brewster has a busy life. She works part time at two different jobs and running Reflections in Time, her photography and videography business.

Nevertheless, she finds time to indulge her passion for photography.

“The pretty things are there,” she said. “Most people don’t slow down enough to look.”

Among her favorite subjects are sunrises, sunsets, old barns and gnarly trees.

“I want to take some more of deer. There’s a huge herd of deer between here and Sudan. I’ve got some pretty good photos of deer up by the senior complex on Avenue K, but I’d love to get up a little closer and take some pictures of that herd.”

Brewster has a good running vehicle, and during her free time, she drives down dirt roads, not looking for anything in particular.

“You see professional photos of mountains, lakes, cardinals, bluebirds and bluebonnets. But I like to go out and take photos of mules, horses, donkeys – whatever’s there.”

The trick is to have your camera with you at all times.

“Some folks have beautiful yards. There’s one with flowers in front of the sidewalk, some really awesome butterflies, hummingbird moths, zinnias and roses. I hadn’t seen the praying mantis for awhile,  so every two or three days, I’d go back and check.

“One day I went back, and there he was, like he was posing for me. That makes you feel cool.”

Even an ordinary event like waiting in line at the McDonald’s drive-thru can lead to extraordinay photos.

“There was a dog in the back of a truck in line at McDonald’s, and the dog was like the guy’s best companion. They used the photo at his funeral when he passed away.”

Brewster takes photos and videos at events like weddings and funerals, but mostly for close friends.

“At my job at Jo Ed’s Auto Supply, Santa came and I took pictures of kids and families. Not like an official official thing. It’s more or less my hobby. Maybe when I retire in a couple of three years, I’ll supplement my income with it.”

She recalls taking a video of James and Diane Brown, asking questions like what advice they give to their kids, and what are some really cool things they get to do.

“Two or three years later, he passed away. Diane has kept that video of him talking. It’s important to actually be able to see them and hear their voice.”

After Brewster’s husband died, their son remarked that he would just like to be able to hear his dad’s voice again.

“It happened that I had taken a video of him with our granddaughter at the park. His voice talking to our granddaughter – it was a really neat thing to have. Our son was overwhelmed.”

In general, Brewster prefers candid photos, and her two granddaughters make great subjects.

“I wouldn’t make a very good studio photographer,” she said.

In 1978 Brewster moved from Illinois to Muleshoe, where she ran the Dinner Bell Cafe.

“I’m a jack-of-all-trades, master of none,” she laughs. “I like to do lots of things.”

She worked in the advertising department with Leah Bell at the Muleshoe Journal around 2011 when Larry Thornton was the editor.

“I built the ads,” Brewster said. “I learned some valuable lessons under Leah’s tutelage.”

Brewster manages the Facebook site for both her jobs. She also does custom work such as family photos, quotes on canvas, puzzles and posters.

Brewster uses Photoshop when she works with her photos, but tries not to rely on it a lot.

“I try to take good enough pictures so I don’t need to edit them too much,” she said.

In March of 2023, Brewster’s home was burned down along with two other houses during a fire that was exacerbated by very high winds.

“It was pretty crazy,” she said. “I was the only one at home. The fireman told me he had just got home and pulled his boots off when the call came in.

“I was fortunate that the fire department got there when they did. I guess my Maker wasn’t done with me yet.”

Muleshoe Art Association is currently displaying works by Brewster at Muleshoe Area Public Library.