My Wild West

For several years now, I've wanted to get into rodeo photography. I've gone to numerous rodeos in the area, shooting from whatever vantage point I could. Used to be they'd let you through the security gates, but only far enough to allow you to shoot next to the fence. No more. Liabilities and law suits have changed all that. Now you have to be a member of the rodeo association to get anywhere other than the grandstands.

I love shooting behind the scenes; capturing not only the camaraderie, but also those moments of preparation, anticipation, and tension. I had to find a way to do that!

Then I found the Northern Rodeo Association, which holds rodeos all over the state of Montana. Membership is a lot less expensive than the national organizations, so I figured this was a chance to break into a new and exciting type of photography, so I joined. I missed the first rodeo because I did not have my membership card yet, but looking forward to several more in the next few months, and hopefully some great photos!  

 

Dog & Pony Show

For longer than I can even recall, I've wanted to be a full time wildlife photographer. The problem with that is that photographers are a dime a dozen in many places, and wildlife photographers are probably more like a nickel a dozen in places like Montana. You have to be amazingly adept at your career choice, and you have to be able to spend countless hours stalking your quarry through every type of habitat imaginable, as well as the patience to just sit and wait for what may seem like hours, just to get a few decent photos.You have to have a niche - a good one. No, a great one. You have to be a marketing guru in order to get your photos out there for people to be able to see what you've done. That, or have a good agent who can do all of the leg work for you. Irregardless of how you approach your craft and the selling thereof, it takes time - lots of time. And unless you're working for an agency that pays you on a regular basis, you also have to have a steady source of income to pay the bills until the photos begin to pay off. You might live in your car in order to travel wherever and whenever you can, or want to, in order to get the photos. Those of us who have more roots sometimes also have to work a "grown up" job in order to pay the bills. Such is life, I suppose.

Some years ago, at a kennel where I boarded my dogs, I was told they were going to host a stock dog trial. In case you don't know, a well trained stock dog is a rancher's best friend, and his most valuable ranch hand. They herd just about any type of livestock, are as loyal as you could ask for, they work for kibble, and can be good company out on the ranch. At the trials the dogs herd cattle, sheep and ducks or geese. I stopped by to watch the first trial, and was impressed by the partnerships between dogs and handlers. The kennel owners knew I was a photographer and it was suggested I should take photos. They couldn't pay me to be there but I could offer photos for sale. Hmmm...  Events were a subject that hadn't occurred to me before, but what the hell - it was worth a shot.

For two or three years I went to every trial they had (three per summer), but it was painfully slow going. I had no website and couldn't afford the cost of one. I had only dial-up internet, which was too slow to even work with a website. I took my laptop and put the photos on a 12 hour loop, for people to see. I sold a few, but it hardly seemed worth the time. Then I found web host I could afford, and set one up. I could not  however, load photos to it and had to go to  local restaurant with my laptop to use their wifi so I could upload the photos. And of course I had to purchase a meal. Well, I guess I didn't have to, but to just use their internet and not buy something didn't sit well with me, so...

Within another year or so, people began to order photos. Not a lot at first, but because I was at all of the trials, the dog owners and/or handlers and I got to know each other and I started to build up a good relationship with many of them.  I ordered business cards and passed them out to everyone there. The person in charge of the trial offered to put them into the entry packets. Business started picking up. Now, fourteen years after I first started, these trials are my bread and butter!  I have made friends there, and business is good.

Last fall I broke my leg and ankle. It was bad and I was off work for four months. While I was laid up I had a lot of time to think about my photographic life. How far I'd come and how far I want to take it. I woke up on New Year's Day with an overwhelming sense of "this is the year! Now is the time to start making changes and take my life in a direction I want it to go!" I made a huge decision - for me at least. I went in to work and made my pitch. They already knew I was a photographer, and I explained how passionate I was about it, and how I wanted to eventually make this my full time career. I told them I wanted to cut back to four days a week - 32 hours (still considered full time, which would allow me to keep the health insurance), so I could focus more (no pun intended), on my photography. I told them that I had been asked to go to other trials in other towns, but that I had to decline because I had to work. I wanted to be able to do that They agreed, as I suspected they would, they had no problem with cutting someone's hours. Then I dropped the bomb: the dog trails and shows I've been asked to shoot - are all on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Boom. They hesitated at first. Then I said "Look, this could be the worse decision I've ever made in my entire life, and it could all come back to bite me in the ass. But even if it does, at least i can say I tried." To my great surprise, they agreed!  I made myself unavailable on the schedule for those three days - permanently.

Shortly after that I received an email from a lady at the local Equestrian Club. She was the new secretary and while cleaning out some old files she came across one of my business cards (I had given it the former president of the club several years earlier, with no positive results). She stated that she had looked at my website, liked my work, and asked if I was interested in photographing their horse shows. WOW...  It was kismet. Of course I said yes!

So far I've photographed Dressage, Hunter/Jumper and Obstacle Challenges so far, and looking forward to several more shows, including a Cross Country event, where - I think - I'll be able to be out on the course where I can take advantage of several visible jumps.

Needless to say, I've been busy with photo shoots this summer!  So busy in fact, that I haven't had any time to go out shooting for me. I get antsy sometimes, to just wander along the river or by a pond, to get some wildlife photos, but the dog and horse shows are building my business, so it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. And there are other events I can still go to, either to photograph or just to sit and enjoy. But I still take my camera with me, because how much joy is there if I can't shoot photos???

Photo Processing

People often ask me why it takes so long to post photos for the dog trials and horse events, so let me put it into perspective.

First of all, what you see on my website is the end result of many hours of work. Sometimes I get really lucky and get a few photos that are “perfect” Typically however, what you see is NOT how the photos come off the camera.  

When I process photos, I do three edits. The first is to delete any obviously “bad” photos - blurry shots, or ones where a dog ran behind a sheep or cow, or a horse throws in a crazy posture. I also eliminate the “butt shots”, when an animal has turned away from the camera. Personally I’d rather see the dog or horse’s faces, or at least a reasonable profile. With the second edit I look more closely to make sure I didn’t miss anything the first time, and to determine the best photos for YOU. The last edit is to make any corrections to exposure, color, add meta data, and add my watermark.

While processing photos for the last two events, I set the stopwatch on my cell phone to see exactly how long it took to edit the photos from start to finish. I timed the processing on each folder (that being all of the selected photos for one animal), for numerous files with varying numbers of photos in each file, then divided the total time by the number of photos in that file. On average, it takes 3 minutes and 15 seconds for EACH photo.  

What that all means is that if I have 1,600 photos to go through (the exact amount of photos from the last horse show), it takes a MINIMUM of 75 hours to get what you see on the website.  That does not include the first two edits, and that’s working around a full time job, meals, housework and making time to work with my own dog.

It is very tedious work, and admittedly, somewhat boring. It’s not my favorite part of photography, but a necessary task, and after several years and much trial and error, I finally have it down to an artistic assembly line.

What To Do... What To Do??

I have the entire weekend off this week, and what to do???  Temps are supposed to be in the 50s , cloudy to partly sunny on Saturday and sunny on Sunday with no rain in the forecast!  I’m itching for a road trip!!  

Tomorrow morning I have a photo shoot at the Equestrian Park, and there is a powwow tomorrow evening.   

But Sunday...

There are Whitetail and Mule Deer fawns, and Bison and Elk calves at the Bison range. Ducks, geese and other water birds are putting on quite a display of mating rituals at Ninepipe Wildlife Refuge, and the cranes are beginning to dance at Lee Metcalf. But yesterday someone told me of a spot just southeast of here, where there are Burrowing Owls!!

These birds are typically only found east of the Rockies, in open prairie where they utilize the underground burrows of Black-footed Ferrets. But this pair arrived in the western part of the state last year and moved into a ground squirrel burrow. There were questions about whether or not they would return this year, and apparently they have. I'm told it's the first time Burrowing Owls have been recorded west of the divide!  

So many options! Which one do I take??? 

Come On Spring!

After last year's long hot summer with wildfires that lasted from June until October, and then being cooped up in the house all winter with a damn broken leg, I am SO itchy for spring! It seems as though it will never arrive!  Still snow on the ground and more in the forecast. It warms up for a day or two (not enough to keep the snow away), but then Old Man Winter jumps out from behind a tree and yells, "GOTCHA!" 

I have so many ideas for photos now, and I also want to start shooting some photos for fun, using “props”: toys, household items and a crystal ball (which I ordered and received a few weeks ago).

I signed up for four photo classes!  Mastering Manual Controls, Shooting in Any Light; Photographing the Moods of Water; and Wildflower Photography Workshop. The first two I desperately need for shooting the dog agility trials, as they are held in a large barn with little lighting. The other two just sound like fun. 

I love taking the photo classes at the Lifelong Learning Center. They are reasonably priced and lots of fun. There is also one called Photographing Garnet Ghost Town, which I would so love to do, but it's the same weekend as the July stock dog trial - damn. Too many things going on at the same times!  Maybe next summer... 

The Ball is Rolling!

Things are beginning to fall into place!  I have been approved to have Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays off; I’ve made sure the Manager at work knows that I have to have a minimum of 30 hours a week (32-34 would be ideal); the stock dog trials are already scheduled; I’ve scheduled photo shoots for the Equestrian Club; I have three projects with the Downtown Association; approximately 250 business cards have been dropped off to the Equestrian Club; 1000 business cards have been received; 1000 tri-fold brochures have been ordered & shipped; and I have prints and note cards ready for the Spring Market!  

With the help of a friend I am working on shooting dog agility and rally for the local kennel club, and possibly some dog portraits. 

I need to find a company that will print my note cards inexpensively, with no minimum order. Someone gave me a web address several years ago, and they were very reasonable, I lost the address when my old computer crashed.

Getting Ready for the Market

Spent all day Sunday and last night, matting all of the 4x6 & 5x7 photos, and they look amazing!  The backer boards on the 5x7 mats give them a nice, finished look, and I placed a return address label on the back of each one, with my business name and address on them. The clear sleeves make them look absolutely professional!   I think they’ll be a hit at the markets - at least I certainly hope so!