Back in the 1990 when I lived in Tennessee, I freelanced in action photography and writing (huh, I still do). I shot saddle club shows, 4-H shows, hunter-jumper and dressage competitions. I had horses, one I was training for endurance riding. Another was a good "ranch horse," and since he seemed pretty smart, I senet him off for extra training. The horseman training my gelding to be a header (rodeo term) suggested I take pictures at his ranch for a charity team-roping competition. 5-time NFR All Around Cowboy Larry Mahan would be there.
"Oh yeah!"
Not only did I have fun meeting and chatting with Mahan,
but I realized these competitors were anxious for pictures of their sport. I also realized I enjoyed the quick shooting, fast moving team roping much more than the horse-club shows and hunter-jumper gigs I'd been doing. Next thing you know, I was a card carrying in-the-arena rodeo photographer. My photos and many articles were published in the rodeo magazine (International Professional Rodeo, not PRCA) and they called me to cover the regional finals and write a few spotlight pieces. That was my weekend work. At this same time, I was an assistant editor for a national sports publication where I learned to "write on the fly" and work with Quark layouts.
These two involvements sparked a great deal of what I do today, and it started when one of the area rodeo companies asked if I would help them produce a program for their next season. Hey, why not. I wasn't sure all that would entail, but I agreed. I didn't actually aid them, though. I did the whole dang thing! Ninety percent of the photos were mine, I shot products for advertisements, I wrote 98% of the text; I designed the cover and layout, and oversaw all the production. "Do a brochure, too," they requested. "A tri-fold." So I did.
This in the days of four-color separation and graphics programs that contained only a smidgen of today's capabilities.The work was a real challenge, and I realized this new experience was something I enjoyed.
The year of the rodeo publication, I relocated to Montana and although I continue to shoot action photography, rodeo isn't a big part of it. But I bought my first dot com and published a web site that's still around. It included a rodeo sub domain (that I've since abandoned). At the turn of this century, there weren't many rodeo sites, and my photos gained popularity on the Web. I enhanced the rodeo terms I'd written for the Lone Star program and put them online. Not only have I sold photos from this site to a few international magazines, but the Idaho High School Rodeo Association bought one-time rights to my "terms" page to include in their Rodeo Queen pamphlet. I also used my rodeo knowledge to give color to sections of my contemporary novel Blood and Bond. It's not a rodeo story, but several scenes take place in that setting.
All of this spurs me to make note of the NFR (and the IPRA finals in January). I like rodeo, and the fluke opportunities that got me involved have blossomed into a many positive enterprises.
A note to writers just starting out: Don’t turn down any chance to try something different. You never know where it will lead, and if nothing more, the experience can possibly be used to enhance your writing projects.
1 comment:
Great tip, and what an interesting story!
I completely agree that you never know where an opportunity will take you. It's great that you were able to apply your experience later, I know a lot of people who won't do anything unless it directly benefits what they're doing right now.
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