Professional photographers know one (among many) adage: Half of getting access is looking like you belong there. That’s the tack I took to photographing the Manassa Pioneer Days rodeo this summer. Grandstand seats along with everyone else are rarely the best spots for making good photos.
Another adage is: If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough. So I took the advice and headed down to hang by the fence separating the bulls (and soon-to-be-not-so-happy sheep) from the viewing crowd.
About halfway through the mutton-busting event (in which children ride annoyed sheep for a few seconds as a kind of pre-cursor to bull riding), the organizer ran up to me and asked if I could send her photos after the event.
See? If you act like you belong there…
I’m hardly a rodeo aficionado but have seen enough to know when you’re seeing amazing skill and when you’re watching up-and-comers. The bronco- and bull-riding events saw one rider after another tossed and turned every which way (which of course made for some great moments), leaving only the last bull-riding competitor to somehow hang on for 8 seconds.
Admittedly, we’re of a mixed minds about rodeos. They’re problematic in many ways, and yet, they’re still pretty darn entertaining and high on competitive spirit. These photos were taken in that vein, as a defining moment captured in time, emblematic of the experiences of the riders, ropers, and yes, even the clowns.
Enjoy!
Probably my favorite image from the actual rodeo. The sheep getting air (did it get run into by the other sheep?) is classic. Wish only that I could’ve zoomed out just a bit more. Alas.
This series cracks me up. Check out the second image, where the bull is eye-to-eye with his rider, as if to say, “I am so going to fuck you up.”
After the bull was done roughing up his rider, it turned its attention to me (“What the hell you lookin’ at?!?) and started charging. Strangely, none of the clowns stepped in to try to divert its path and I beat a hasty retreat.
Can’t forget about the demolition derby. Never seen a car up on its side before this one. Love the one at the beginning, where the kid is helping align the Jersey barriers to get them juuuuuuust right.
