The fun part

For me a 13-hour stretch this weekend was great example of why it is fun to keep a foot in the world of photojournalism.  Dealing with a lot of varied situations can only make you a better photographer.

Friday night started with volleyball as the two Forney ISD high schools squared off.  I had about 20 minutes to get some useable shots for the Tribune.  Getting there a little early allowed me to get some stock shots of most of the players for North Forney.  Of course, you also get a lot of this in volleyball.


Then it was a short drive over for the first night of Rodeo Terrell. The Tribune had a big hole on the front page that needed a photo, so no pressure there. Second rider out of the chute in Bareback Bronc riding was a keeper..


More photos from Rodeo Terrell can be seen at the Tribune's Facebook page.

After editing into the weee hours, it was a early alarm to head to the lake. High school fishing competitions are apparently a rapidly growing, with lots of prizes and college scholarship money on the line. We will look at that in the next edition of Kaufman County Life magazine. No clouds meant a beautiful morning in the boat with some really cool young men and dedicated volunteers who make Kaufman's program a success. Did I mention the light was great?

You'll have to get the magazine to see the good ones :). Of course, a large part of fishing is waiting for fish. The 70-200 is NOT a birding lens by any stretch, but hey, the birds were there.

I just need to figure out how to tell them to fly on the other side of me to get the good light. Hmmmmm... Have a great rest o' the weekend.

Rodeo Terrell

I know it has been too long between blog posts when my computer drops the blog site from my "Top Sites" screen.

The first "Rodeo Terrell" event was fun.. and made me want to shoot more rodeo. There is plenty of 'expect the unexpected' even though a lot of shots turn out to look the same. Of course, it is dusty, dark and half of the time you wish you were on the opposite side of the arena.

Barrel racing is one event where you can get reliably decent shots at predetermined spots.. at the barrels.

For almost everything else, the peak action may take place anywhere. Not my favorite shot of the night, but seriously, these guys risk a lot for their sport...

Slideshow...

Have a great rest o' your weekend, everyone. (and go get some nice pictures.. the weather is great!)

Don J.

Clowning Around

Part of getting good pictures is finding good subjects. People with interesting stories or unique lives tend to be great subjects, as was the case with Kenny Petet last month. While in college for a business degree he found himself in the rodeo arena and loving it. The rest is history. Now Kenny works as a bullfighter, rodeo clown and entertainer with his company at www.westernentertainment.org.

I set up before Kenny arrived with both white and black backgrounds, one large and one small softboxes, one light with a grid and another in a straight reflector.

I liked the look with the big softbox close in front and gridded light opposite behind to define the hat.


Same setup, looking into the camera ... my favorite of the shoot.


Then it was time to get out the makeup and bull barrel...


I cannot imagine trying to get into one of these things with a bull charging at it. Apparently if you don't get in all of the way, it can be very bad news. Like break you in half bad news.

The barrel was covered with metallic duct tape... kind of distracting with the lights, and we did not have time to finesse the light so much...








And this was probably my favorite with the 'uniform' on..

Is it December already? Why yes...

Please feel free to come by my new blog about becoming a dad over at www.learntodad.blogspot.com ... baby is due in April and I have a lot to learn!

Don J.