Rodeo Photography, World's Toughest

Rodeo photography Etiquette: Tips and Hints


No matter if you are a cowboy or someone who thinks horses are a lot like dogs, its easy to get caught up in the excitement of a rodeo. The back-breaking jerking that the cowboy goes through to stay on is hard to watch all the while hoping he does or doesn't get thrown. Will the bronc or bull win?


If you have the photography gene then watching isn't enough at a rodeo, you'll want to get in the thick of things, capture a moment, freeze the determined looks on the rider and the ridden's faces. Now, the question is "how"?



1.) Get as close as you can without blocking someone else's view. Even though I was in the media section, once at a rodeo, I was told by a spectator "I paid good money for these seats and want to see the whole thing." Got it! I moved. He was right. I have no more importance than anyone else, just because I have a camera and even media credentials didn't mean I should block his enjoyment. Common courtesy goes a long way.




2.) The lighting is not ideal in an arena. So, if you can have an on-board flash, use it. You just never know how close those bulls and broncs will get to the rail. Jack that ISO up as high as you can. A shit-ton of noise is better than blurry images. I made the fatal mistake of thinking my ISO was good at 400, since it looked fine on my LCD. I have no idea what I was thinking either. It was not my first rodeo. I shot the entire thing on manual, no sweat, however, having a low ISO meant every single freaking image was blurry. I will NEVER make that mistake again. NEVER TRUST YOUR LCD!


Low ISO photo: Yellow rider


3.) NEVER TRUSTS YORU LCD! Know your settings before you go into the arena. If you do refer to your LCD, check your histogram. It will gradually peak in the middle. No sharp peaks, which could mean you blew the whites out.

Out of the chute


4.) Never walk up to a horse and flash without first asking permission, which leads to another point, if you do not have experience around horses, just because they are large animals does not give you permission to "pet" them. Some people prefer you do not touch their horses, while others simply do not mind. Back to the flash! You never know which horse is spooky about flashes. Horses have binocular vision, which means they can't see directly in front. When you stroke a horse on the nose, they lose sight of your hand. Now that's trust, if you ask me. Horse-sight fans out from either side of their heads. They are prey animals, and are always on the look out for predators, which are US. Horses have been ridden by humans for thousands of years, yes, AND they are still always on the look out for danger on some level. Even those horses who are "bomb proof" still have a cellular memory of threats. Err on the side of caution and use your flash with care when shooting around unfamiliar horses.

Back end


5.) Always, always, smile at the person and animal you are about to photograph. You are TAKING a photograph of that person, you can at least offer a smile in exchange for their small amount of time. Besides, I think smiling helps your artwork and some times your subject will smile back!

Spencer, Riata Ranch Cowboy Girl

There are tons more tips I can share, and this is a good amount to start out with for now. Good luck and always remember, photograph what flirts with you!