Rodeo Photography Tips

Rodeo photography can be tricky and safety is the most important thing to remember. We are going to cover a few tips that we hope will help you if you are ever taking shots at a rodeo.

Usually only rodeo personnel and rodeo photographers usually with proper ID and signed waivers are allowed near the fences. Everyone else must stay back from the fences especially during the bull riding event. Also keep in mind the rodeo personnel are there to do a job so don't be rude and ask them to move so you can get a shot. Take mind of the action and be prepared to jump back from the fence. Cowboys and other articles fly easily toward and sometimes over the fence.

Avoid using a flash when taking your shots, its very disorientating and can be the cause of temporary vision problem for both animals and cowboys. This is a huge safety risk. Another tip to keep in mind is don't bother with a tripod, between the ground vibrations from animals, fans, and grounds vehicles it's useless. The best method is to bend your knees, keep your elbows close to your body and hold your breath while taking shots. Use a UV filter or another filter to protect your lens due to flying debris like dust, gravel, manure and other things that take flight.

Try not to block fans when taking your shots. If someone from rodeo personnel do it immediately. Arrive early so people understand who will be taking your shots from that position within the arena.

Use a long lens to get in close to the action. I would suggest 300mm or better. f8 would be a good focus and using a speed of at least 1/500 sec. A film, or setting of at least 400 ISO is suggested. Due to the amount of dust if you need to change lenses wait until the action stops and dust settle and then do it as quickly as possible. You might also want to carry some compressed air as well to blow dust of your camera during the show. Overall you will probably need to dust off your entire camera after the rodeo has ended.

On to taking some great images. The best images usually come at the height of the ride or after the event the cowboy has completed. Listen to the announcer if you are not familiar with the rules, it helps to know the event. Announcers also like to brag about the cowboy or animal in an upcoming event, this helps to know who the good cowboys and animals are. For the saddle broncs and bareback bronc events the best position is anywhere surrounding the arena. For bull riding its best to face the chutes. To know when to start photographing a ride watch the cowboy, he will usually give a nod of the head signaling to open the gate.

I hope these few tips will help if you decide to photograph a rodeo.