Cowboys
This project was shot at a real event, a night Rodeo in Idaho.
I got permission to bring in my own strobe lights so that I was able to overpower the event lighting. This meant that the stadium and all the people sitting behind the riders went to black.
I had less than 8 seconds per rider, if they actually stayed on, so a max of 2 shots each.
I wanted a rim light and so had two assistants with a strobe each, at different points in the stadium, doing their best to keep their respective light on the rider whilst they were being thrown about.
I also photographed the riders after the event, just in the paddock. When riding rodeo they only hold on to the reins with one hand and then the other arm is bound into a tight 90 degree angle for their form. In each of their portraits they use a different style of pose to mask their locked arm. This was a 2 light set-up, as I only had a little time with each of them
