A few weekends ago I decided to head out and visit Douglas, WY. I worked there for about a year at the weekly newspaper as the photographer, its a small Wyoming town with some great eats, and less then an hour drive away.
The weekend I went was the finals of the Wyoming High Schools Finals Rodeo, I just made my self at home and shot some rodeo and ended up shooting a car show as well.
I have always enjoyed shooting rodeo, it always exciting and never predictable. Of all the sports I know there is no other sport that relies on animals in every event.Some of these animals are pretty "tame" but I challenge you to go to ten rodeos and not see one of the non-roughstock critters act up. Because of the mixture of animals and people your always bound to find something interesting that is not just rodeo action.
I never appreciated rodeo until i lived with three rodeo cowboys while attending Laramie County Community College. All sports take commitment, but I cannot think of another sport that takes a lifestyle to live, 24/7/365 like it takes to rodeo. If you are are in a timed event then you always have at least one horse to take care of, and you really have to take care of it; for all year, and train it and work with it, and …. (I have seen rodeo cowboys and cowgirls take better care of a good horse then they do of themselves or any signifiant others.) If your a rough stock guy, you are always hurt somehow, it hardly ever stops you from competing, but you are always in some kind of hurt or injury. There is travel, travel, travel like i can't imagine to places you never hear about. Drive all night, rodeo, pack up drive all night, rodeo, and drive again.
I respect that, I also respect that they put it all on the line and very, very few make money at it. They all compete but you only sees the competition in the area, in the ready area, on the road, everywhere else it is friendship.
I get the questions about shooting rodeo. The questions range from whats my favorite event to how do I get this or that shot.
I like shooting roughstock best. There is no predictability in anything that goes on. its fast and furious, and even though it only supposed to last eight seconds it rarely does. Believer it or not, in rough stock the critter makes all the difference in how good a photo can turn out. There comes a point when the cowboys know what to do, but how there critter bucks will determine how good the shot is, with out action from the animal, you have a guy ridding a horse or a cow. Another great part about roughstock is, there is no good way to get off of a bull at the end of a ride. Never seen seen it, I have seen lots of better ways to exit a bull, but never a great way. With horses you have pick-up men who help and make it no so bad. In bulls, you have a bull fighter to is there to distract so the cowboy does not get trampled. If bull ridders are crazy, then Bull fights are crazy angels.
There is a grace in rodeo too, the timed events are beauty in motion. There is something about a person and an animal working together. In barrel racing you have race quality quarter-horses tearing by in a pattern that contests are usually settled in the 10th to 100th of a second range. In roping there is blazing speed along with split second timing, all relying on a calf that really does not usually want to cooperate. And steer wrestling was once described to me as "driving along at 20 mph and tackling a mailbox" Over the years, my best rodeo photos are either rough stock or steer wrestling. If you can get up close and personal with a big lens while a steer wrestler comes right at you, then you should be happy with the results.
Recently I have taken an appreciation to shooting cars. Especially older cars. I have noticed that I am drawn to the curves and details of older cars. I like some of the design and technology of new cars, but something just interests me in cars with curves. There seems to be a different focus on style now then in the 40's -70's. I know that in those days how it looked was more important then things like safety or fuel economy. And there were total failures of design back then too. I notice the details, maybe that is what is missing now, no details in design.
I am also finding interest in the Rat Rods. For as much as those that take the considerable time, effort, energy and finances for hot rods, those that take personality and put it on wheels I think have more fun. The levels of creativity abounds. A good Rat Rod is like a good photograph of a face. There is a story there, and it makes you want to hear that story. You can make a first impression by seeing someones Rat Rod, but until you hear the story you only know the half of it.
