Montana Cowboys

Cowboy Photography - Big Sky Journal - Wall Art

Montana Cowboys Prints

Wyoming and Montana are parts of the world that have become synonymous with cowboys and the American West, and that didn’t happen by accident. I haven’t read any research to back this up, but it’d be a good bet to say there are more cattle in both of those states than there are humans. Which means those cows live in some of the prettiest country on planet earth. It’s been my good fortune to visit a number of historic cattle ranches in both states, and do they ever leave an impression. The OW Ranch in Montana in particular, really left it’s mark. The OW has been around since the late 1800’s. The famous Western photographer L.A. Huffman made a lot of photographs there in his day, one of which was hanging on the wall in the kitchen.

So grateful to be invited to these incredible properties and for the opportunity to document good people while they work. There are some handy cowboys in these photographs that were recently published in The Big Sky Journal (out of Bozeman, Montana). It’s always nice to have work show up in places where you know the viewers will appreciate it.

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Montana cowboy wall art prints

Wyoming cowboy photography prints

Cowboy Culture Photography

Authentic Cowboy Prints

American West - Wall Art - Cowboy Culture

What a humbling gift it is being able to spend time on working cattle ranches. This photography series documenting cowboys in the American West has been going on for well over two years now, and I hope it never ends. There is no amount of gratitude I could express to the cowboys and cowgirls for allowing me to be along for the ride. Most of them would never call it work, but still, what they do isn’t just a vital key to supplying the country with beef, it’s an undeniably important piece of American culture. One that most people will never understand because they aren’t able to see it with their own eyes.

This set of images is from the Diamond A Ranch outside of Seligman, Arizona. At 750,000 acres, it’s the largest in the southwest. A piece of property that will make you feel small in a hurry. The images you see here are from my second visit to the ranch, and I’m proud to call a few of the people in them my friends. Stay tuned for more from this shoot. Some of the images should be published in a magazine soon.

Reach out directly if you’d like prints of anything from this cowboy photography series for your home, office, or commercial space.

Photograph of two cowboys riding horses at sunrise with a beautiful western scene behind them

Black and white photograph of two cowboys roping a wild steer

Photograph of cowboys eating dinner in a bunkhouse

Photograph of a cowboy saddling his horse early in the morning on an Arizona cattle ranch

Photograph of two cowboy riding their horses through tough terrain in Arizona

Black and White photograph of two cowboys in a bunkhouse

Sign for the Rose Well camp on the Diamond A Ranch - Center of the Universe

American West Cowboy Photography

FINE ART COWBOY PHOTOGRAPHY - PRINTS

Western photography when it comes to cowboys and cattle ranching has been around a long time. You might argue as long as the profession itself, since the legendary L.A. Huffman did it back in the 1800’s. Art collectors like to hang fine art photographs of the action - cattle branding, bucking broncs, stampedes, etc. And all of that is damn sure fun to photograph, but what about the quiet moments? Before and after the action when a cattle ranch is at rest. Those are just as fun to photograph, and important to show as a piece of the story telling puzzle. Last week I was fortunate to visit the historic K4 Ranch outside of Prescott, Arizona. It’s got a rich history in the cattle world as well as for it’s horses with notable bloodlines coming from the famous Driftwood Ike, among many others. Being there for the action is always prefered, but I find myself being very grateful for the off times that make way for images you would never otherwise have time to see or make.

Click here to see more of my photos series on Cowboys in the American West.

Contact me directly for prints of my cowboy photography. All images are available in different sizes for your home, office, or commercial space.

A cowboy’s revolver

Horse corrals on the K4 Ranch in Prescott Arizona

Photograph of used horseshoes sitting in a bucket on a cattle ranch in Arizona

Ropes from King’s Saddlery hang on a cow skull on the K4 Ranch in Prescott, Arizona

Photograph of a roping dummy on a cattle ranch in the American West

A cowboy’s shoeing station for his horse on a cattle ranch in Arizona

Boots O'Neal

Boots O’Neal - Cowboy - 6666 Ranch - Texas

Being a photographer has been a great pleasure and an even greater adventure. It’s taken me to some outstanding parts of the earth and allowed me to photograph some of the most famous athletes on it. “Who is your favorite?”, has always been a common question. Until recently, that was an impossible question to answer, now the final is Boots. Boots O’Neal is a 90 year old cowboy on the 6666 Ranch in Texas. A more inspiring human you will not meet. To learn more about him continue reading this piece I wrote that was originally published with Wrangler.

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Boots O’Neal on his horse working cattle in the corrals at the 6666 Ranch

Imagine for a moment, waking up in the hospital with 12 broken ribs, a punctured lung, broken vertebrae, and a bleeding brain. Now imagine that pain at 82 years of age. Cal Ripken Jr. was Major League Baseball's “Ironman”. Earning the nickname after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Put those end to end and you’ve got over 7 years of straight baseball. An astonishing stat and impressive feat only possible for a human made from the toughest stock. No offense to Mr. Ripken, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the Texas legend - Boots O’Neal, who's been horseback for the better part of the last 75 years. Despite the aforementioned injuries, piled on a lifetime of other broken body parts, the now 90 year old cowboy shows no desire whatsoever to retire. You’d think someone that’s lived in such a way would have a face much resembling their saddle that’s endured as many miles. Instead, O’Neal’s is endearing, and fixed with a perpetual smile that causes you to do the same. The kind of guy that inadvertently makes you a better person just by being in his presence. 

While we’re on the stat train, let’s dole out a few more just to drive the point home, what an outlier he truly is. The average retirement age in America is 62. The average age of death is 78. And a cowboy will normally take home about $31,466 a year. At a time in life when most folks are either dead or in a nursing home, Boots wakes up every morning with excitement to saddle a horse and work cattle alongside fellow cowpunchers that could be his grandkids. People just aren’t built like him anymore. Not a partier, but it would be safe to put O’Neal in the Keith Richards class. Immortal freaks, in the most beautiful way possible. 

Portrait of Boots O’Neal

Cowboys in general are a strand of human unlike the rest of us. Born not made. And from birth, it was obvious O’Neal created a category all his own. Growing up in the 30’s he was one of 8 children living in a home without running water. The bathroom was an outhouse, and the bath, a tub filled with water and placed next to the kitchen oven, door open for heat. After 3 or 4 of the kids took their turn, that water was tossed outside to calm down the dust. He was never much for school. The only thing he excelled at was boxing, but usually just looked forward to running off the bus and into the barn to saddle a horse, only coming in when his mother hung a white sheet on the clothesline - their version of a dinner bell. 9th grade was as far as he cared to go, leaving home in August of 49’ at sixteen to cowboy for the JA ($90/week). That job found him on the wagon, sleeping in only a bedroll 6-7 months at a time. A lifestyle that fit him just fine. 

Before we go any further, it would be appropriate to define what makes a real cowboy. The loud mouth sporting a big black hat getting in drunken bar fights makes for good movies, but that’s about it. According to the man himself, a real cowboy is polite. Smooth. Talks gentlemanly to ladies and is good under fire. Dusty Burson (32) - foreman on the Four Sixes and close friend to Mr. O’Neal said it best - “What’s a cowboy? Well, they’re good people. Honest. They do what they say they’re gonna do. If they tell you they’ll be there to help, they’ll be there, and they’ll stay to the end.” If that statement made its way into Websters, the following words should read “also see Boots O’Neal”. 

Boots O’Neal branding calves in the early morning on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Boots O’Neal’s custom spurs

After the JA, he continued punching cows in different places including a quarter century stay at the Waggoner Ranch. All the while racking up a collection of buckles and saddles from bronc riding in rodeos all over the country. Word is he’s still pretty sticky. A wife (Nelda) also came into the mix as did a daughter (Laurie). Despite being opposites, Boots and Nelda remained in love for 44 years until her passing. She was a proper lady that enjoyed being in town but fully supported his innate need for open country. As their relationship grew, his career did along with it. The 50’s’ found him in Korea with the Army, where he stared out at vast foreign valleys, daydreaming about them filled with 1000 steer, and wondering why in the world they didn’t have any. After two years he was back on a ranch working hard to become a Peace Office and Brand Inspector at a time when cattle were still shipped by railroad. Along with the coveted title came a doubled salary, new clothes, fancy truck, and expense account. A novelty quickly erased by jealousy every time business on a ranch forced him to watch cowboys ride away on horses while he sat in a truck headed back to the office. “I just wanted to punch cows” he said. So he gave back a job that most in the industry would kill for and reclaimed his true love, working cattle from the back of a horse. 

Love is what it takes because the life of a cowboy asks a lot of a person, physically and emotionally. “ Even when I know tomorrow is gonna be a bad deal, and they’re predicting snow, and the wind coming out of the north blowing, and we’re gonna ride straight into it in the morning, I just look forward to getting out there and freezing my tail off” says O’Neal. How many 90 year olds have you ever heard say something like that? Burson again offers some insight - “he wakes up thinking I’m going to be happy today. He doesn’t let circumstances dictate happiness.” Dusty was the one who found the 82 year old O’Neal alone in a pasture, after the horse wreck that would have ended any mortal man. Even if it didn’t put him in the ground, the pain alone would cause a rational person to take a brush with death as a sign and say, ok, it’s been a good run. Burson visited him in the hospital shortly after and recalled the nurse asking why he kept lifting his left leg up in the air. Obviously, it was to keep the mobility of toeing a stirrup. “That’s how bad he wants to be a cowboy when he grows up” says Burson. 6 weeks later, he was back on that same horse and continues riding him today.  

Boots O’Neal talks with chuck wagon cook Charlie Ferguson on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Seems like it came naturally for Boots, but don’t get it twisted, any good cowboy is a student of the trade. Always figuring out a way to get it done better without asking for recognition. All of the best cowboys Boots ever knew and patterned himself after, accomplished unthinkable feats even Taylor Shariden couldn’t script, in the middle of nowhere with only a few people to witness. Another friend and Texas icon Tom Moorehouse (72) is quick to point out “I’ve known Boots almost all my life, and anything I’ve got to say about him is good”. From the outside you might think that cowboying is a physical game. Only for the young. Not so. Sure, you need the gumption to handle extreme physical abuse and relentless weather that doesn’t end after an eight hour shift. But Moorehouse says the thing that separates Boots from the rest is that he’s a “keen observer”. He continues “my dad used to say a real cowboy is somebody that pays attention. Now that doesn’t sound like a good story, but that’s the truth.” There is so much that can go wrong when you’re working with 2,000+lb animals and navigating remote unforgiving terrain. One mistake could mean the end. 

We’ve already established that Boots is an enigma, but for arguments sake, let’s say he got lucky? Somehow the body that’s been broken more times than anyone can count, managed to miss the big one. Even with luck, longevity like his doesn’t just happen. And living on a wagon, eating ranch food, wouldn’t make any blueprint for “healthy living”. Cowboys require hearty meals to get them through their overly demanding lives. So It should be no surprise that beef has made its way to Boots’ plate just about every day for the past 90 years. Along with the beef came biscuits, gravy, and potatoes. Breakfast was peanut butter and syrup sandwiches. All of which goes against everything you’ll read from the so-called nutrition experts. Although pinto beans, prunes, and raisins are foods he now tries to consume regularly along with said beef. The fresh fruit and vegetables he also concentrates on just wasn’t a thing back then.”It wasn’t until I got up in years that I ever worried about putting something bad in my body.”  A chuckle was the only answer given when asked about exercise, but “I’ve never been short on sleep” says O’Neal. Which he believes has been the holy grail to his success. For as long as he can remember, even as a young buck, he’d turn in early, ensuring 8-9 hours of shuteye every night. These days he says “it takes me longer to rest than it does to get tired”, but it becomes obvious shortly after meeting him, that modesty is one of his many virtues. He’ll try and claim that he can’t do this, that, or the other. Then he slips into the saddle and the truth is revealed. “It takes a whole crew to keep me going”, he says. Again, modesty perfected. Perhaps his days aren’t spent aboard wild broncs, but he always gets the job done with grace, and his expertise couldn’t be matched anywhere in the world. Ironic for a guy who’s never considered himself very smart. What Boots has can’t be taught. He’s got a PHD in punching cows. Anybody will tell you he’s on the Mount Rushmore of the cowboy universe, but who the hell else could be up there with him? Is there another human that’s punched cows for almost 8 decades?  “It’s amazing what all he’s got stored up inside him that someone oughta have recorded” Dusty says. A lot of people with such knowledge and history can become high and mighty. Not Boots. He’ll let you mess up, then suggest, in a non degrading way, how to do it better. He knows we’re all in this thing together.

Boots O’Neal offloading his horse from a trailer on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Boots O’Neal roping calves on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

If you think about the human condition and what we’re all after, one of the key ingredients is professional happiness. Everyone wants to spend their waking hours doing something they love. Why is that goal so elusive, so rare? A million dollar question. Even harder than finding that happiness, is keeping it. Somehow Boots O’Neal has managed to do it at one of the most physically demanding jobs on the planet and continues today at a very high level. Maybe the how doesn’t really matter. Maybe we should just use Boots as inspiration to be better humans. The iconic Four Sixes has been his home for the past 26 years. Panhandle, Texas is the closest town to their northern division where we met. The town sign fittingly reads “People of Pride and Purpose”. Just like the dictionary, there might as well be a picture of Boots next to that slogan. He figured IT out and still can’t get enough. He doesn’t need to work in a monetary sense. He wants to work, although it’d be a stretch to hear him use a four letter word like that. Even on a rare day off, he doesn’t look forward to a hobby or a vacation. Instead he’ll watch a rodeo on television or sit in a chair outside his bunkhouse apartment to watch the remuda come in. A sight he says, of 50 horses all running together, is one that most people will never get to see. Bob Dylan wrote a song on this very topic using only 17 words:  

“All the tired horses in the sun…..”

The guy has done it all, taken the beatings, and asked for more. He’s been inducted into every Hall of Fame a cowpuncher could possibly be associated with. Somehow that doesn’t seem enough of an honor though. Boots should be everyone's hero. He’s a national treasure and outstanding human being.  We should all strive to accomplish in our own lives what he has in his. Burson says “Yeah, he’s a cowboy, but he wants to be one tomorrow too”. If more people had that attitude, the world would be a better place. 

We were just about done talking when Boots’ story paused abruptly . A mischievous smile came to his face and the words stopped flowing. His attention fixed on one of the guys in a nearby corral working a young horse that was fixing to blow up. The grin stayed as he reminisced “I rode a lot of bucking horses in years past. I could get on a horse like that, just gather that thing up, and he’d be 3 feet in the air when I got that right stirrup”. Boots is a Christian. If he weren’t, and followed a religion believing in reincarnation, he says that’s what he’d want to come back as, a bucking horse. At 90 years young he knows precisely how good his life has been and isn’t scared of the inevitable. In a very matter of fact way he spoke about his funeral, being buried in the cemetery on the Four Sixes, and the speech by his friend Joe Leathers. When asked what he hopes Joe will say, Boots paused then replied humbly with a far off stare ”He was an honorable man. Done what he said he would. And didn’t mistreat his horses” 

Portrait of Boots O’Neal

Boots O’Neal on his horse at sunrise on the 6666 Ranch in Texas

Contact me directly if you’d like a print of Boots O’Neal - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Cowboy Photography - American West

American West - Cowboy Photography - Wall Art

Photographing cowboys in the American West has been so many adjectives. Just scrolling through images to make this blog post gives me even more appreciation for the work, life, and culture of these people. As of this writing I’ve been lucky to photograph on cattle ranches in Nevada, California, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, and Wyoming. Which has been an education in and of itself, seeing all the differences from region to region. Not sure how long thing has been going on no, but the desire to continue only grows with each ranch visited. Certainly my favorite project to date.

Click here to see more of my cowboy photography and contact me directly to purchase wall art from the American Cowboy series. All of my images are available as prints for your home, office, or commercial space.

Fulstone Ranch - Bridgeport, California

Dave Ennis - Wyoming Cowboy

Diamond A Ranch - Seligman, Arizona

Cowboy “Office” - Idaho

Dwight Hill - Buckaroo - Idaho

Diamond A Ranch - Seligman, Arizona

Dwight Hill - Buckaroo -Idaho

American West Photography

Cowboy Photography - Prints

It’s always great to get press on your work, especially when it’s a big outlet like the Daily Mail. If you want to go on “followers’, they come in at 22+million on Facebook, whatever that means. Either way, I’m honored to have them do a feature on my cowboy photography - a project I love. It’s also quite young compared to some of the others like Barbershops of America or American Backcourts, which have both been going on now for ten years!

Click here to see more of my cowboy photography. Or contact me directly if you’re looking Western prints / wall art for your home, office, or commercial space.

Road Trip

Road Trip Photographer - America - Open Road

What a winter it’s been. The snow just keeps on coming. Made an impromptu road trip up to Jackson Hole again for a mix of business and pleasure. More on the business part coming soon! We had two days of incredible backcountry snowboarding. The best of which was in Grand Teton National Park, where the snow was literally as good as it gets. Felt like floating on a cloud. The road trip portion was a lot of fun too, although the weather conditions made it quite interesting. On the way south while driving through northern Nevada, an emergency alert popped up on my phone. I figured it was just an overreaction, then got slammed with some of the worst driving conditions I’ve ever witnessed during 10+ years of road trips. The snow and wind was so heavy, that there were moments when I couldn’t figure out if the car was moving forward or backwards. It was also the first time I ever called it and got a hotel due to weather. That hour and a half of driving in those conditions completely fried my eyes and brain. Gotta love the road. It keeps you honest. Will be posting new images soon from the cowboy project.

Western Art

Western Charcoal Artist - Doug Monson

Was on a big gallery kick last month up in Wyoming, and while driving back home from Jackson Hole, stumbled upon the Western Skies Gallery in Afton. It’s a beautiful space in an unexpected place. Inside I was greeted by Doug Monson, owner of the gallery and artist himself. He specializes in western charcoal drawings, but also displays/sells work by other talented artists in various mediums. We got to chatting for a bit while he showed me his upstairs studio, which is as enviable a place as you’ll ever see. Truly a dream for any artist. Next thing you know, I got the gear out of the truck, and began making photographs of Doug at work. He makes beautiful drawings of wildlife as well as cowboys. Look up the one he did of a Raven. It’s stunning to see in person. Anyway, Monson is really nice guy that I very much enjoyed hanging out with while learning about his journey to where he is today. For years now I’ve got a lot of pleasure out of photographing people that are highly passionate about their work, no matter what kind of work that may be. There’s something very special about seeing someone in their element, working away in a manner only they know how, because you know there isn’t anywhere else they’d rather be.

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Cowboy Photography - Buckaroos

The Great Basin Buckaroo

Cowboy Photography - American West - Prints

What a blast this project has been over the past year and a half. Maybe more? Would have to go back and check to see when it really began. In December I visited the C-Punch Ranch in Lovelock, Nevada and the Winecup Gamble Ranch in Montello, Nevada. Both ranches were jaw dropping beautiful and incomprehensibly large. The C-Punch, the biggest I’ve been to so far, is 1.8 million acres. Yeah. Try wrapping your head around that. Seeing all these properties in different parts of the country has been amazing. Each region has its own beauty. Nobody ever said to pick a favorite, but there’s something about the land in northern Nevada that really does it for me. Still working on putting that into words, but it’s special, to say the least. Forgive me for not sharing too many images here, but I’ve got to hold back so there is plenty of fresh content for the book.

Click here to see more of my cowboy photography or contact me directly if you’d like to purchase prints for your home, office, and commercial space. My western wall art is available in multiple sizes.

C-Punch Ranch - Lovelock, Nevada

Winecup Gamble Ranch - Montello, Nevada

Winecup Gamble Ranch

C-Punch Ranch

C-Punch Ranch

C-Punch Ranch

C-Punch Ranch

Portrait of Trapper Rodgers

C-Punch Ranch

C-Punch Ranch

Cotton Carrier G3 Harness - Review

It’s my opinion that photographers focus too much on buying the latest and greatest piece of gear. They just have to have the newly released camera body, lens, strobe, light modifier, whatever whatever. It’s bullshit. We forget so quickly that the camera we’re currently holding in our hands, was at one point that same cutting edge shiny object of desire. Admittedly, I too fell prey to the slippery slope of gear acquisition. Well, I can’t possibly do a shoot without 4 camera bodies, 13 lenses, and 35 storbes!! They are a must!! Nonsense. Obviously your gear needs to be at a certain level, but beyond that, it’s all just masterbation. Some of the most iconic images in the world were made decades ago with film cameras that today seem like dinosaurs. So why do you insist on having a 100 megapixel camera? One word: ego. The only other reason is to impress people/clients. Perhaps the most ridiculous example of this is the Hasselblad Ferrari camera. Really? Having that Ferrari logo on your camera doesn’t make you a better photographer. Back in the day I bought a bunch of Broncolor strobes at an exorbitant price. Don’t get me wrong, they are high performance machines, but they were purchased during a period where I was that very person I now ridicule. The thinking was, if clients see me using this top of the line gear, then they will think I’m top of the line. Craziness. You know what makes clients think you’re top of the line?? Beautiful images!! Since then, all of the unnecessary gear has been sold off, and my kit has been drastically downsized. I realized at some point that gear just gunks up your workflow and causes overthinking. Focus on the images, not the gear!!! The more free you are to be a photographer……..the better your photographs will be. Sounds dumb to even say out loud, but it’s true. Anyway. I’ve never done a review of any kind before, but when something truly helpful comes along, I like to share it with other people so they too can benefit.

Full disclosure - I was not asked or paid to do this review.

The Cotton Carrier G3 Harness is a product that I appreciate very much because it allows the photographer to focus on making images. I’m a physical shooter. Meaning that I like to be very involved in what it is I’m shooting. Sitting in a studio with a camera locked down on a tripod sounds like torture. The way I feel about a photo shoot is, if by the end, I’m not dirty, bloody, or tired, then chances are it wasn’t much fun. So the Cotton Carrier Harness is a no brainer. If you know what it feels like to regularly spend an entire day going back and forth between two cameras that hang from your shoulders, then the G3 is something you should pick up immediately. I recently purchased the G3 for a specific shoot that was a perfect test. I was photographing a cattle drive in the Wyoming backcountry, which involved me being on a horse for 12 horse and at least as many miles through extremely rugged terrain. The goal was to make images of the cowboys pushing 700 head of cattle across the vast landscape. The G3 made my day. Literally. I don’t think the shoot would have been possible without it. Hanging a camera across my neck/shoulder in the traditional manner wasn’t an option. Just being on a horse for that long is hard work. Then think about trying to control your camera while moving at fast paces on said horse. Not possible. With the G3 I was able to be completely and comfortably hands free until the camera was needed. And then, removing it from the holster was smooth and easy, as was putting it back in place.

The design was obviously thought through by someone that has spent countless hours in the field. My expectations for it were optimistic, but not high. After twelve hours in the saddle though, it exceeded everything I was hoping for. Perhaps the greatest asset of the G3 is the lens strap, which adds an additional layer of stability to the camera that keeps it from moving side to side or flapping up and down. Between it and the holster, your camera just sits still no matter what kind of movements you’re making. Without it, the system would be fine for casual strolls, but a 3/10 for physical shooters. On that same note, Cotton Carrier also added another layer of protection - the fall strap. In case something happens where your camera is knocked out of your hands, the strap prevents it from dropping/damage. And it’s a great length that never gets in the way. If I were to change anything about the system, it would be adding an attachment similar to the Peak Design system that allows instant attachment/detachment of straps. Instead of the archaic style that strap makers have been using since the beginning of time. Again, that’s sort of nitpicking, and not a big deal at all. It would be nice though.

Comfort of the actual vest/harness was also a concern prior to wearing. Would it fit oddly or rub/chafe in the wrong spots? Nope. It’s adjustable for different body sizes, and I can’t say I ever even thought about it throughout the day. Which is exactly what you want. The camera in the holster that day was a Sony mirrorless with an 85mm lens. Not exactly light or small, but the G3 handled it great. There is an option to buy an additional holster for a second camera, which would sit at or near your hip, but that wasn’t an option for this shoot. However, since using it that day, I can already see a long list of uses for it and the additional holster. On days where I’m shooting fly fishing, hunting, backpacking, or shooting more of this cowboy series from the ground, it will be incredibly helpful. Speaking from years and years of holding two camera straps on my shoulders, it gets exhausting. You’re constantly having to lift your shoulders/traps up to keep the straps in place. And contorting your body while bending over so the cameras don’t knock into each other, rocks, walls, railings, etc. The G3 solves all those problems and gives you more energy to keep shooting longer.

The things I photograph, are by design, things I love doing. This is another great advantage of having the G3 because you’re not forced to choose one over the other. If I’m out fly fishing or hunting, the harness allows easy access to the camera in a completely unobtrusive way. It wouldn’t impede my cast or shouldering a shotgun. That might be the biggest selling point for me, because there’s nothing worse than missing a shot when your camera is inside a backpack or 30 feet away. Additionally, it saves the camera from getting wet during activities like fishing/hunting because it doesn’t have to sit on the ground when you’re not using it.

Street photography is another genre that I engage in. Not commercially. Just for fun. Locally, but also while traveling. During international travel especially, I’ll be out all day from sunrise to sundown exploring new places by foot with a camera. Carrying extra weight for that many hours can be exhausting, which can lead to leaving the camera at home. Which then leads to missing shots. The G3 would certainly come in handy during times like that, but I’d probably consider getting their Sling Belt or Strap Shot for such instances. As of now, I can’t speak for them. Overall I’m a big fan of the G3 Harness and look forward to beating the shit out of it more in the coming weeks.

THIS PICTURE IS FROM COTTON CARRIERS WEBSITE

Click HERE to see more cowboy photography from this series.

Cowboy Portraits

Brought the lighting gear out to a cattle branding a few months ago to make some portraits. Wanted the focus to just be the people and their gear without anything else to distract from that. Had a blast setting it all up and shooting in a horse trailer, but still undecided if I’ll stick with this style or not.

Click HERE to see more from this series.

Horse Trailer Studio

William Wetzel

Emily Fulstone

Jimmy Giovacchini

Shawn Nelson

Ty Marriott

William Wetzel

Sim Quintero

Katy Hanlon

ROAD TRIP

THE BAD:This past week was the first time in a while since I’ve been on this particular route through Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The findings were not good economically. It was hard to see so many familiar small town restaurants and hotels closed, boarded up, or in the process of being demolished. Maybe the timing was a coincidence, but you have to wonder if it was all the result of COVID? Either way it’s a shame.

THE GOOD: Road trips are always so much fun, educational, and therapeutic. This one had me shooting on a cattle ranch (The Four Sixes) in the Texas panhandle where I met some great people and had a hell of a lot of fun shooting with them. Will be a while until I can post those images. So for now you can click HERE to see more of my Cowboy photography.

Texas Road Trip

Cowboy Photography

Creating make-shift “studios” has become somewhat of a specialty over the years. I never understood the purpose of having a traditional brick and mortar studio and thoroughly enjoy the challenge of building one on the fly. Looking back, it would be fun to have a gallery of images just documenting all the ones I’ve made in random places. Moving forward, it’s on the list. Of all those places, this is the first for the inside of a horse trailer! Plenty more to come from this shoot.

Make-shift portrait studio - Nevada

Western Photography

Cowboy Photography - American West - Cattle Ranching

Maybe it’s the nostalgia? Maybe it’s the hats? I don’t know. However you spin it though, I appreciate everything going on in the pictures here. To really boil it down though, there are a couple factors that turn me on to this culture and lifestyle. First is the freedom. Cowboys/ranchers/farmers. Whatever you want to call them. They work their asses off, but they do so on their own terms, not someone else’s. They freelance, like me. I always say that if I’m not exhausted, dirty, or bloody by the end of a shoot, then chances are it wasn’t that much fun. And I wouldn’t dare to compare the work I do in a day to that of a cowboy, but I certainly connect with it. Another part is their “work” hasn’t changed that much since the old days. Sure there are more laws and guidelines, especially in California, but the bones of it is pretty much the same. And there’s a lot to be said for that, especially since everything else in the world changes minute by minute, and not usually for the better. The simplicity of their trade is another parallel to draw. That’s not to say that what they do is easy, because it certainly isn’t. Quite the opposite. With photography everyone is so focused on gear, gear, gear. Gotta get the latest and greatest piece of gear. Gotta light this with 12 strobes or it won’t look good! Admittedly, I was guilty of that in the past too. At a certain point though, I realized that was all about false impressions. Yes, your equipment needs to be at a certain level to operate as a professional, but that doesn’t mean you constantly need to be upgrading. Having a better camera doesn’t make you a better photographer. Hell, if you know what you’re doing, you could make an entire career with one camera and one lens. So you don't need that new 150 megapixel Medium Format bullshit. Fun to play around with? Yup. Not what matters though. Focus on making images not on the gear. That’s what I mean by simplicity. Location is the last thing I’ll mention. In general, the places where these people live and work is also something I connect with. Living in San Diego has a lot of pluses, but I’d much rather be out in the mountains or the country. It feels more like home and fits my personality/interests much more. Along with the location comes a certain type of attitude or lack there of. City people and country people are just different. No way around it. I prefer the later.

What a day this was with Spencer and Jessica of the Anderson Cattle Company (click to buy some of their beef) and their crew. Really grateful to have documented the work done by these folks. Not only was it fun, but also incredibly impressive. Watching the control they had over their horses and the way they used them as vehicles was a pleasure. That goes for the women too. They can rip. At the end of the day I asked one of the guys how long it took until he was comfortable with that sort of environment. To which he replied that you don’t, really. “Controlled chaos”. You just get use to the controlled chaos, he said. A very fair and accurate way to describe that type of event.

Something well worth noting in my opinion is that none of the people you see in these pictures were paid to be there. They are all friends of the Anderson’s and volunteered to work their asses off in the hot sun. A favor that is always returned over and over again throughout their lifetimes. On this day they helped on their ranch, but next time the Anderson’s will be the one’s lending a hand. The way life should be.

One of my favorite photographers of all time is William Albert Allard. He made a great deal of photographs in the American West documenting the lifestyle and I’d argue that nobody has ever done it better. In one of his books he talked about time spent on a ranch with some cowboys in Nevada. He asked one of the guys if he was ever afraid of being replaced by a machine. “Bill, they just ain’t come up with nothin’ yet that’ll take as much abuse as a cowboy”.

Follow along with the Anderson’s on IG @2aranchwife

More Western Cowboy Photographer here

Poway Rodeo

Rodeo Photography - Poway, California

Getting outside your comfort zone is a beneficial thing in all aspects of life. Without it growth is not possible. The rodeo in Poway was last week, and I thought it would be a fun thing to shoot. Certainly something I've never done, but was very drawn to. So I reached out and found someone who needed some coverage. Like most things I shoot, my focus was not so much on the action, but behind the scenes. The little things that add to the culture but aren't really noticed or seen by most people. I loved everything about shooting this event. Being back where the riders were was awesome. Such a foreign culture that I've never experienced. And all the auxiliary stuff was great too. I got there really early and just wondered around the grounds, where I ran into a lot of characters. Everything I shot was natural light, and after the sun went down it was cool to see how much the color temperature of the "house" lights changed so quickly as they fell off. Learned a lot, most of which is that I'd shoot something like this again in a second. The grittiness of it is right up my alley. And everything felt so authentic. These aren't showy athletes on multi million dollar contracts. They are cowboys being cowboys.