I had a blast last week photographing the 42nd year of the Canadian Finals Rodeo at Rexall Place in the heart of Edmonton, AB. My family and I attend the rodeo every year, but getting assigned to photograph each day of the event itself was truly something else, and something I have wanted to do since I began my journey as a professional photographer. Plus, growing up as a farm kid, it was just an all around cool experience; Being behind the scenes, seeing all of the livestock up close, and of course, sneaking a few scratches through the fence to the foreheads of a few of the bucking horses awaiting their turn to be led into the chutes for their time to shine.
The rodeo consists of 10 events: Bareback Broncs, Steer Wrestling, Novice Bareback Broncs, Novice Saddle Broncs, Boys Steer Riding, Team Roping, Saddle Broncs, Tie-Down Roping, Ladies Barrel Racing and Bull Riding. Each event is judged based on livestock performance, speed, or the ability to stay on the back of a bucking animal for 8 seconds, while various rules are in place that apply to all of the events that can alter the contestant's outcome of their run/ride which can determine their chance of being crowned as a Canadian champion. The wellness of the animals in these events is just as important, if not more so than that of the riders! Nothing is forced, it's simply just another day at work. For further information on events, rules, animal care and everything in between, check out the Canadian Finals Rodeo website at: www.cfr.ca
Despite my undying love for photographing musical artists while they melt faces, it felt pretty good to be able to switch things up for a few days. I've always been one of those people who wants to be right up close to the action, and believe it or not, having dirt kicked in my face and feeling the heat from the body of an enormous bull on the other side of the media fence was way too awesome to put into words. Overall, I'd say that this was a great experience for me being the first time for shooting a sporting event.
Though not all of the photos I took of each event made the cut, I really wanted to focus on catching the powerful movements of the animals and riders in action, my personal favorites being the broncs, bulls, barrel racers, and Saturday's matinee show half time event, wild pony racing. After sifting through a few thousand photos, I came away with 50 top favorites that I feel best caught the essence and energy of the sport of rodeo. I had too much fun over the course of 5 days, and can't wait for more opportunities like this to come along in the future!
