Rodeo is a great sport, it involves people, it involves animals, there is a lot of respect between contestants-- commonly they share horses, gear, applause, and loads of respect and encouragement. It is a family environment and over all just fun to watch and be apart of.
So beyond the atmosphere why do I love rodeo? Well as a photographer who values shooting without flash it is a great, great, horribly hard, complicated, and incredibly gratifying if done well and right. Of course it comes with a lot of problems and issues but it is a learning experience each and every one I shoot at.
Rodeo offers many different events with a variety of action and speed. Through ever changing lighting, weather, and dust, as well as camera malfunctions, setting adjustments, one can see the appeal of using rodeo as a learning environment. I mean how can I not as a photographer learn a new skill, trick, or even get in practice on a lens that allows for fast shutter speeds when rodeo offers such prime opportunity?
Sometimes rodeo presents moments where I can capture a moment in such an artistic way that I am moved, happy, and in awe of what can be done with a piece of machinery. There really is no limit to what can be learned and accomplished while photographing rodeo.
“The world is but a canvas to our imagination.
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