On paper, 2022 was my first year as an official Wrangler National Finals Rodeo photographer. What most people don’t know is that I shot the last four performances of the 2021 NFR to fill in for my good friend Clay Guardipee, who was a behind-the-scenes photographer. Finding out I was selected as an in-arena photographer for the 2022 NFR was a unique moment. The day before I found out, I had just officiated my first wedding. I was in my hotel room in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I knew they were meeting to make photographer selections on October 3, but I didn’t know when they would call. My good friend Josh Edwards called, and I realized that was the phone call. It was a cool, quiet moment to celebrate, and then immediately you have to get ready to go to work.
Prep work meant getting on the same page with my new assistant and making sure she had the tools she needed to put us both in the best position to be successful. I also knew there was a good chance that when I stepped into the arena, I would be the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Photographer of the Year, and I wanted to represent that well. I knew it would be the first time people would be introduced to me, so I didn’t want to waste that moment. Some people would call me a “fashionista” — it’s not just being able to do the job; it’s also looking the part and making a statement. I wanted to be bold in 2022.
I know Tim O’Connell personally, and we are friends, so I know the intensity level of who he is as a person and competitor.
Bright Lights, Big City
This is from the first night Kennedy Riggs carried the flag as Miss Rodeo America. It was one of those moments where you could really breathe and take it all in, and the rodeo moves fast, so there aren’t always opportunities to do that. I was rooting for her and super proud of her in this moment. These aren’t just random people; they’re my friends. The best moments in the arena are when you’re around a group of your friends, and everyone is thriving and achieving success — that’s my moment of euphoria.
Glory Days
Rocker Steiner is so polarizing in rodeo. He is a showman, which we’ve seen coming back to the NFR more recently, especially coming from the roughstock guys. I think that’s great for the sport and drawing a broader crowd. Steiner marked an 86.5 aboard Fringe Jacket to tie for fifth place in Round 5. He donned cornrows as an ode to his dad, Sid Steiner, who sported the same hairstyle at the NFR when he competed.
Garrett Shadbolt prays every time he rides; he never waivers, and this was no exception after riding J Bar J’s Straight Ringer in Round 5 for a 76.
In this moment, Jess Pope knows he is a world champion. After winning the average multiple years in a row, to finally win the title was a big deal. His traveling partner, Tim O’Connell, was waiting at the out gate to be the first person to tell Pope he is the world champion. He finished out the NFR with an 81.5 in Round 10, riding Frontier Rodeo’s Southern Star, winning the average and the world championship. I want to capture big moments with a good photo. When you can do both, it’s more than the icing on the cake.
Rock the House
All the events are a little unique. There is just an energy about that first event at the NFR (the bareback riding). When the smoke clears from the opening, [the arena] has that gladiator feel, where you realize everyone wants to stand where you’re standing right now. To capture those moments like this — the first time we see Rocker on a bucking horse at the NFR, and he rides to the moment — the energy in that moment is so intense. Here, Steiner goes for 85 in Round 1 of the bareback riding on J Bar J’s Yum Bugs.
In the Loop
In Round 7, I went rogue. I put on a really big lens and shot a little bit tighter. I shot the whole performance that way, and we got some of the coolest images in that round just from doing something different. Everything happens so fast, so you don’t always really get to see the mechanics of a rope when a cowboy is pulling slack. You can actually see what’s happening here with Chad Masters as he and his heeling partner, Joseph Harrison, catch for a time of 4.4 seconds and third place in Round 7. They won Round 6 the night before.
The John Douch photo was strictly luck. You don’t see it as it happens — there are too many things moving. You realize after the fact that you got these really awesome shots. In Round 6, he had a tie-down roping time of 6.6 seconds, just one-tenth of a second from winning the round.
Heart of a Champion
I wanted to showcase a really good image of Caleb Smidt that captures his quiet dominance. He has faced a lot of adversity in the last few years. I wanted to display how he has overcome that, won a world championship and become the best calf roper in the building over 10 days. In Round 7, Smidt roped for a time of 10.5 seconds in the tie-down roping, taking fourth in the round and winning both the 2022 NFR average and the world championship.
Record Breaker
A standout moment from the 2022 NFR: Hailey Kinsel won Round 9 with her reins on the left side of her horse’s face. Her reins came completely around the face of DM Sissy Heyday, “Sister,” on the second barrel, yet here she is, pictured coming around the third barrel, heading home, with Sister never breaking stride. Hailey took home her fourth Women’s Professional Rodeo Association world title after placing in seven of the 10 rounds, winning Rounds 2, 3, 9 and 10 and tying for the win in Round 5. She broke her own arena record in Round 3 with a time of 13.11 seconds, set an NFR earnings record of more than $180,000 over 10 days of competition and crossed the $1 million mark in NFR earnings alone.
All Roads Lead to Vegas
This was one of the first images where I felt like I put my stamp on it and captured something unique. Lord willing, we will be back at the NFR in 2023.
Toughest Seat in the House
I have always looked up to Cody Webster. Webster is a three-time PRCA Bullfighter of the Year (2020, 2021 and 2022) and has been a bullfighter 10 times, both at the Wrangler NFR and the PBR World Finals. For him to be at the top of the bullfighting group in both arenas of competition, in my book, separates him from everybody else. He is the person I use as an example of how you should be dedicated to your craft, well-versed and adapt-able. I want to be the “Cody Webster” of what I do. He is a great ambassador for bullfighting and for the rodeo industry. When he’s in the arena, I am never scared of anything that’s in there. Right now, he is the tip of the spear.
This article was originally published in the November 2023 issue of Western Horseman.
What a great article.
Thank you,