Photographer’s Work Takes On Heavenly Proportions
By Bill Whitaker. Abilene Reporter News, Abilene, TX.

Little good normally comes of Houston traffic, but that’s exactly when a divine notion tackled former Abilene Christian University defensive end John Bunton.
Now he’s back in dusty West Texas, tackling angels except he’s doing so with a Hasselblad camera and some unusual props.
Quite possibly you’ve seen John around town maybe along highway construction or out in front of Cypress Street Station downtown. But you probably didn’t notice him as much as the angels in his midst. Granted, they’re not your true, heaven-sent, God-fearing angels, but they’ve got the white gowns and feathery wings.

They’re part of what promises to be one of the more unusual calendars produced for the first year of the fast-approaching new millennium. And if the Lord smiles down upon John, all of John’s labors may mushroom into angelic images on greeting cards, postcards, even a book of photographs.
Angels are to bring us comfort, peace and protection, and that’s what I hope these images do, the tall, muscular, 27-year-old entrepreneur and photographer said. No matter what we do or where we go or who we are, I want people to know angels are with us. And that’s the message I hope to get across with these images.
John’s project one he’s been working on since February involves cajoling friends into dressing up as angels, using some heavenly garb he’s purchased, and then posing them alongside ordinary, everyday folks in ordinary, everyday West Texas settings. The contrast between angels and rugged surroundings is jarring.
Once commercial artist Debra Warr gets done adding a certain divine glow to the angels with the aid of a computerized image scanner just like movie special effects artists do John has a photo that guarantees conversation. And if this holy venture proves to be a financial success well, that’s just a divine dividend.