Rodeo
A photo essay by K elly G lasscock
Mike McCool tapes his arm to prepare for the bareback competition at the rodeo during the Saturday evening performance. The tape protected the contestant’s arm that held on to the horse while riding.
Cody McMinn stands next to the exit and talks with family on his cell phone after riding in the saddle bronc competition in the evening performance.
Chad Couch zips up his vest as he prepares for the bull-riding competition. Contestants started warming up an hour before they rode. Mike McCool takes a moment to pray after competing in the bareback competition at the Kansas State University rodeo Feb. 28, 2004. McCool thanked God for his safety when competing.
4 • Communication: Journalism Education Today
Fall 2004
Wes Stele wraps his arms around a steer’s horns as he jumps off his horse in the steer wrestling competition at the KSU Rodeo.
EMS personnel treat J.D. Jellison after a bull bucked him off and stepped on him during the finals of the bull-riding competition. Competing in the Miss Rodeo Competition, Julie Carden fixes her horse’s hair as she prepares to enter Weber Arena. Carden was named the first runner up.
Fall 2004
Communication: Journalism Education Today • 5
A cowboy waits after being introduced before the final round of the Grizzly Extreme pro rodeo at Cricket Arena Saturday night. Photo by Chris Keane.
Cowboys present the colors prior to the final round of the Grizzly Extreme pro rodeo. Photo by Chris Keane.
Cowboy Trey Antee falls off his bull in the final round of the Grizzly Extreme pro rodeo. Photo by Chris Keane.
Before the start of events at the rodeo, Kara Novak wears sandals as she rides Chieftain with her friend, Tearney Waterman, to help warm up the horse.A detail shot of a buckle or taped hand can really add to a photo story. “Go up to the shoot, and shoot some tight shots of the spurs, boots, hand/rope being secured for the ride,” said Doug Wojcik, a Stevens Point Journal (Wisc.) photographer.
J.T. Leer tenses his arms and legs as the shoots open in the bareback competition at the Kansas State University Rodeo. Steer gather in the stockade before the Saturday night performance. “It can get crowded, but there are good shots to be had around the chutes where the cowboys get on the broncs. You can also find good feature stuff in the ready area, where cowboys get taped up and ready for competition,” said Steve McEnroe, a Rapid City Journal photographer.
Tammi Williams ropes a calf while riding her horse in the breakaway competition. “I always get a laugh with the shooters who cover the rodeo for sales to the cowboys. They want to shoot the cowboy in perfect form on the back of the horse or bull, while the photojournalist is looking for the poor guy … wishing the ground was a lot softer,” said Steve McEnroe Rapid City Journal photographer.
6 • Communication: Journalism Education Today
Fall 2004
Rodeo
S
Experience helps compensate for unpredictability of sport
hooting a rodeo, professional or scholastic, requires experience, in the often poorly lit venues and experience with the action, which is unlike more mainstream sports and often unpredictable. Steve McEnroe, a photojournalist with the Rapid City Journal, said he often enjoys the scholastic events more than the pros. “One of my favorite rodeos to shoot here in the South Dakota is the State High School Rodeo Finals. It is outdoors, during the daytime. There are two arenas going constantly which you can cover at the same time, from a small lane between the two, and because they are kids and not pros, they get bucked off a lot more frequently.” While the action may be different than football or basketball, the basic tenets of quality action photography remain the same, including the requirements that photographers have a mastery of how to use their equipment and how to manipulate light. Cindi Christie, chief photographer for Valley Times/San Ramon Valley Times, said part of the challenge with shooting a rodeo involves being prepared for fast action and action that is rapidly changing. For example, “Bull riding is really fun,” she said. “You have eight seconds or less so you have to be ready for everything. If you’re fumbling with the camera, it’s all over before your first frame is shot.” Because of the fast-action pressures, Les Baldwin said, “The bull riding is the most exciting. The first day is sometimes
Josh Farr rides a bull in the final round of the Grizzly Extreme pro rodeo at Cricket Arena. Photo by Chris Keane
the best to shoot because the animals are tired the second day.” Like shooting any sporting event, planning ahead for the best vantage point and knowing the sport helps. “For barrel riding, I pretty much figure out which barrel has the best action and wait for the rider,” Christie said. “Most barrel riders will go through the course the same way, but as in snowboarding righty or goofy-footed, a rider can opt to go a different direction. For calf roping, I’m usually at the end of the arena opposite the chutes. The action comes toward you, and you can catch some good expression on the roper’s face.”
STRATEGY In addition to shooting the action on the floor of the arena, photojournalists need to be aware of what is going on around them, in the chute area where the riders prepare and in the audience. “These animals have a mind of their own so try to stay aware as much as possible,” Les Baldwin said. “Remember the clowns,” Christie said. “They aren’t there just to be funny. They keep the riders as safe as possible if a bull gets too ornery.” Doug Wojcik said, “If you are in the ring, make sure you have an escape route. Don’t get caught in a corner if the event is setup in that style. A bull or horse on the loose can be dangerous.” McEnroe said safety has to remain a priority for photographers who can be easily distracted. He said PRCA will let photographers stand in the rodeo arena — if you have jeans and a cowboy hat, so they look like a cowboy. However, he cautioned, “if you do, stand close to a fence, cause you are going to have to climb it — fast! Then McEnroe elaborated, “Make sure that are no signs, etc. covering the fence rails, as it is really tough climbing a flat sign with a thousand-pound bronc heading your way. Don’t get in the arena when the bull riding is going on. Broncs are just big and mean and will run over you if you get in the way. Bulls are big and mean and would like nothing better than to kill you, given the opportunity.” EXPOSURE As with any fast-action event, shooting rodeo requires a mastery of basic
S tory by B radley W ilson Fall 2004
Communication: Journalism Education Today • 7
S hootin G R odeo ( C ont ’ d )
Future cowboy Brice Burmmett watches his father work at the rodeo on the first night of competition. “I want to do what my dad does when I grow up,” Burmmett said.
lighting techniques, including awareness of the quality, quantity and direction of the light. McEnroe said he has had the best results setting up artificial lights like he would for an indoor basketball game. He mounts them from the rafters when possible. “The dirt floors in indoor arenas just eat up light. There is no reflectance like off a basketball court.” Outdoors, the lighting may be less of a challenge, but it’s also less consistent. Baldwin says photographers should be flexible when shooting daylong rodeos outdoors. “Remember to take lots of meter readings as the day progresses. As the light changes so does the exposure.” And, as with any assignment, photographers need to pay close attention to the clutter in the background. They should use wide apertures to reduce the depth of field. “Photographically speaking, the backgrounds are often very busy so shallow f/stops are the best,” Baldwin said. “Keep the shutter speeds up, to help freeze the action.”
8 • Communication: Journalism Education Today
Chelsea Klocke sits on Collin Vonahn’s legs as the couple relaxes on hay bails under the stadium seats in Weber Arena. The two waited for friends to arrive before leaving for home in Oklahoma.
EQUIPMENT “I shoot with an 80-200 with a 1.4 converter. That’s easier for me to use than a 300,” Christie said. “My second camera has a 17-35 for the action that comes close to my corner.” Because rodeos, indoor or outdoor, are not the cleanest venues, Baldwin advises photographers, “Do not try to change lenses anywhere near the arena because the dust is horrible. Keep a dry rag and some water near by to help with quickie cleanups. ADVICE Based on his encounters, Wojcik said he had two more pieces of advice for photographers shooting rodeos. First, “Get there early. Check in with the people who can put you in places you want to be, and mingle with the participants. Many times they are an interesting bunch.” Second, “While you are down low getting a good angle, be clear when the rider needs to spit.” The voice of experience. n
Fall 2004
Photo by Eric T. Wright, Ohio University
Photo by Evan Semon
Photo by Kelly Glasscock
Photo by Kelly Glasscock
A contestant in the quarterhorse reining competition rides in patterns around the arena floor Sunday afternoon during the second day of the National Western Stock Show in Denver. Photo by Evan Semon, Rocky Mountain News.
Jason Havens of Bend, Ore., was third out of the shoots Sunday afternoon at the Denver Coliseum during the last day of the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo bare back bronc ridding event on the horse “Lil Brown Jug.” After his ride, Havens was awarded a re-ride. Evan Semon, Rocky Mountain News. Fall 2004
Communication: Journalism Education Today • 9