Anderson Ranch - Welcome to the Carbondale Rodeo

On Thursday night the people from my photography workshop and I went on a photo shoot at the Carbondale rodeo. I was very interested to see how it would be different from the Snowmass Rodeo. We were also challenged to take photographs that tell a narrative, instead of the usual images. I was very quickly taken by the cows wearing horn bonnets, masquerading as bulls. It was a little odd and I felt sorry for them. Later, after watching them for a while, I noticed that they seemed to know the drill and what part they play in it.

They line up in a pen; somehow some of them even seem a bit anxious to get his or her turn.

From there they are released from the shoot. Two cowboys, or cow girls are eagerly waiting on tense horses to have a chance to rope the horns and the back feet of the poor beast. The aim is to get the faux bull on the ground. The cows seem to play his/her part with little stress and plenty of expectation. They run straight for a gate at the opposite end of the enclosure. Most of them are not roped. Once in that pen, they relax and eat.

Once that pen is full, they are sent back down a corridor to the starting pen. There is a bit more personality and drama in this passage.

Sometimes that seems to get a bit crowded and tempers flare. Others are more complacent about his or her position.

There were some nice people pictures to take, too. I just seemed more drawn to the cows wearing horn bonnets.

Once I began to go through the photos I took and picked out the images I wanted to edit, I could see that I had learned and grown a lot during my week at Anderson Ranch. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to take a workshop here. My time at Anderson Ranch is always magical and transformative.

I am always a little sad to have the end of Friday arrive. Fridays are a bit intense and crazy in the photo workshops with the last push to perfect images, print like crazy, make a few last connections with other artists on campus and complete the workshop reflections. By the time my adrenaline cools down, I will be very tired. It was a blast, but I am also looking forward to going home to my family. I have missed them a ton. I am excited to show them my photos. I hope that they will be able to see the growth that I have made. I think I am on the road to being able to consider myself a real photographer. I just have to keep pushing myself, issuing myself challenges and stepping out of my comfort zone.

Thanks for reading.