Cheyenne Frontier Days

2011 Cheyenne Frontier Days (Part 2)

August 4, 2011

Cheyenne Frontier Days was quite a learning experience for me. It’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to cover such a large sporting event. In college I covered the Little 500 bicycle race. It was an event that I at the time thought was huge. Not so much. Not to take anything away from Little 500, but it is not as massive as CFD. Ten days can really chew you up and spit you out. It’s quite a grind. I learned most importantly it is a marathon not a sprint. I also learned to bring Claritin to the arena. I’m apparently allergic to rodeo. This made the second week difficult as I battled allergies. After covering this year’s CFD, I’m already looking forward to next year’s event. I now know what to expect and imagine my coverage next year will improve because of my experiences this year.

Shawn Downing from Silver Star, Mont. wrestles a steer during the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo on Tuesday, July 26, 2011, at Frontier Park.

Kelly Timberman from Mills, Wyo. tapes up his arm before a bareback ride during the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo on Friday, July 29, 2011, at Frontier Park.

2011 Cheyenne Frontier Days (Part 1)

August 3, 2011

Cheyenne Frontier Days was my first experience shooting a rodeo. But to say that CFD is just a rodeo is understating the “Daddy of ’em All.” It’s billed as a celebration of western culture, and it lives up to that description. For ten days, Cheyenne is drastically transformed from a sleepy western city into a booming tourist destination where cowboy hats are the norm. CFD is a very visually diverse event for a photographer. Aside from the rodeo there are events and opportunities for great pictures every day. Downtown pancake breakfasts, parades, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and nightly concerts are just some of the events I had the opportunity to cover this year away from the daily rodeo action. Here is part one of a two-part series featuring 42 of my favorites from Cheyenne Frontier Days. I will post part two on Thursday along with more of my reflections on the assignment.

Jack Osborn, left, 10, and Brayden Wiesen, 11, take a break towards the end of the day inside of a chute during the first go of slack tie-down roping on Wednesday, July 20, 2011, at Frontier Park. Several youngsters including the two funneled cattle into chute 9 from 8 a.m. to about noon for slack tie-down roping.

Matt Kenney from Onawa, Iowa hops off his horse and chases down a calf after he roped it during the first go of slack tie-down roping on Wednesday, July 20, 2011, at Frontier Park.

Cheyenne Frontier Days: rodeo finals

July 31, 2011

Finally it’s over. Today was the final day of Cheyenne Frontier Days. I wasn’t shooting in the photo pit at the area, which freed me up to roam around a bit during the finals themselves. I spent about an hour inside an area behind the chutes where the cowboys get ready for their rides. During most of the rodeo, I shot from the upper deck down onto the riders in an attempt to get a cleaner background. I’m going to post more of my favorites as a wrap up to CFD sometime later this week.

Cheyenne Frontier Days: rodeo

July 30, 2011

Today was my final day as the main shooter for rodeo this year. I shot 5,495 frames and here are two of my favorites from the day’s action:

Corey Maier from Timber Lake, S.D. falls to the ground after getting tossed by a bull during the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo on Saturday, July 30, 2011, at Frontier Park.

Cheyenne Frontier Days: Zac Brown Band and trick horse riders

July 30, 2011

My two main responsibilities today were to shoot trick riders at the rodeo followed by shooting an evening performance by the Zac Brown Band. They’re a neat group with high energy. Zac Brown himself played like a man possessed at times as you can see in the photo below.