The end of the 2023 season was bittersweet for me. As the season was winding down, every minute felt precious but at the second to last rodeo I shot last year, I was not on top of my game. Equipment issues, struggling with lighting conditions, being pre-occupied by attendees - it was hard and I came away with what I felt like was less than my best. Truth be toId, I felt like a failure and I wanted to quit.
The final rodeo (for me) of 2023 was Hephzibah, Georgia. I'd never been there, it was a long drive and despite a month of time passing, I was still beating myself up. I almost didn't go. But I couldn't NOT go. I just HAD to see my rodeo pals, and smell the smells and feel the dirt one more time before winter set in. I'm glad I did.
I feel like this might be the strongest work I produced all year. I'm so thankful for Southern Rodeo Company for continuing to extend their hospitality to me and to every single person who makes these events happen.
Southern Rodeo Company: www.southernro...
To anyone working alone and trying to produce video work at a certain level I'd like to offer some encouragement. Just because you own the gear and know how to use it, just because you have a decent eye, just because you show up with a camera and point it at stuff and press record, there is no guarantee that you will get great results. But if you don't show up, you're guaranteed to get ZERO. You'll get nothing and you'll learn nothing. Don't let the circumstances around you or an off-night run you out of the game.
Not to get to philosophical about it, but Winston Churchill once said “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Before Hephzibah, I thought I was done, that I'd never do this again. But I showed up... I pointed my camera at stuff and I pressed record and I got enough good stuff to make me want to get more good stuff - to get better and better and better - every single time. Show up. Do your best and if you fail, show up again!
I'm still digging (literally) the Innorel carbon fiber tripod with a 75mm bowl. It's cheap enough that I don't mind abusing it and getting it dirtly. It's lightweight and very stable. I can get low for riding events, and back up to chest height for roping and racing quickly.
I stuck with the Tiffen Black Pro Mist filters for this one. For arena or ag-center events where the lighting is top-down and even (and thankfully flicker-free), the highlight bloom and rolloff suits my tastes. Flares are fun again!
Camera bodies for this event were a pair of Sony A7IV. For action I use a Sony 70-200 f/2.8 (v.1) lens. For the crowd shots I use a Tamron 20-40 f/2.8 on a Ronin RS3 Pro gimbal. Footage is 10 bit 4:2:2 at 60fps. Shooting 4k at 60fps on the A7IV forces a Super-35 crop. So effectively, my 70-200 becomes a 105-300mm.
If you have any questions about my approach to shooting rodeo, or any suggestions on ways I can do a better job, please comment below. Thanks for watching!
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