Photo Essay
by Dana C. Jones
Dust and Sunlight
E
arlier this year, I was invited to pho-
tograph the events at the rodeo
sponsored by the Big Bend
Cowboy Church. The thought of taking
images of small town America was excit-
ing and challenging.
The first event venue was underneath
the Sul Ross State University S.A.L.E.
Arena. To prepare, I made several trips
to the arena to figure out how to intro-
duce enough light into my photographs.
The answer came in the form of a 12-
foot-long extendable fiberglass painting
pole with four strobe lights attached. The
arena’s open-end tubing-fence panels
allowed this contraption to be placed
16
anywhere along the perimeter, and the
lights could be aimed by rotating the
paint pole shaft.
My first two images are a balancing
act between the ambient light under-
neath the arena and the flash exposure.
In order to stop the rodeo action, a fast
shutter speed is required, which in turn
reduces the strobe light’s effectiveness.
Underexpose the ambient light by one
f/stop, which increases the shutter speed,
and the strobe lights provide the fill light.
The image of the “Roping Family”
was taken with available light. I have come
to learn how harsh the sun can be in West
Texas. Coupled with the fact that most
Cenizo
Fourth Quarter 2012
cowboys and cowgirls wear a wide-
brimmed hat, it makes for some dark
shadows that must be dealt with in post
processing.
I’m having fun and learning as I go,
but I could do with a lot less dust!
“Dust and Sunlight” was a lucky shot
– I turned my strobe lighting stick
towards the far end of the arena to follow
the action as the horses flew by. However,
I was not sure my light would reach the
cowboys at that distance. The streaming
sunlight from the setting sun came to my
rescue. The dust being kicked up was the
icing on the cake. Sometimes it’s better to
be lucky than good.
“Cowboy Ranch Rodeo” captures the
spirit of the entire roping event – the
horse and rider working together and the
action and intensity of the sport. The eyes
of both are focused on the task at hand
while the dust is flying in the background.
The catch light in the eye of the horse let
me know that my lighting stick was work-
ing.
“Roping Family” was captured at the
Pasture Roping held at the 06 Kokernot
Flats. I had arrived early in hopes of get-
ting images of Western Americana. This
family caught my eye while they were
registering for the event – she is the rider,
while Dad tends the family.