Outside the Arena with...
Andy Watson By Georgia Akers
In every magazine, in every newspaper many times it is the pictures that tell the story. There have been some masterpiece photos that everyone knows such as the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. Or it might be a picture closer to home such as your child’s wedding or a family gathering. In the professional world of sports, we depend on those photos to catch the action that we read about. It would not be possible without the photographer. They capture that moment forever. In the world of western sports and especially bull riding there is no one finer than Andy Watson. His job is more unique because he gets in the arena with the bulls with nothing but his camera. He is truly one of the unsung heroes that is rarely talked about, but we see his handiwork a lot.
Tell us about yourself. I grew up in Jackson, WY at the base of the Tetons. I graduated high school and went to Casper, WY for college where I started into rodeo and rodeo photography. I moved to Montana in 1994 to pursue rodeo photography as a career. I now live in Three Forks, MT with my wife, Jacey, dog, Lily, barn cat. Stratton and three horses. How did you get into photography? While in Casper, WY at college trying to ride bucking horses I started working in the college photo lab for extra money. I then started taking my camera to rodeo practice and taking a few photos. It didn’t take long to find out which paid better. I then started following rodeos around the area: high school, rodeos, college rodeos, open rodeos. Once I felt I had the skills, I bought my PRCA card in 1994. What made you decide to concentrate on western sports photography? I messed around with wildlife photography while live in Jackson, WY. But I soon ended
Humps-Horns.com · 16 · October 2020
