Been sitting on these photos for a little while because, well, I’ve been busy preparing to head back to the west coast. My internship here in Hutchinson, Kansas is coming to a close and though I’m happy to head home to places where I know people and have friends, I’m going to miss just how different this place is and how much that took me out of my usual comfort zone.
The Abbyville Rodeo a couple weeks back especially really took me out of that level of comfort. Maybe it’s all the western movies my dad showed me as a kid, but I’ve got this glorified view of cowboys. In my head, they’re all the strong, silent type and they are NOT to be spoken to, especially before they do something like hop on the back of a bucking bronco.
But I was feeling especially inspired this particular evening and I had been assigned to make mostly feature shots rather than action shots from the rodeo events. So in an effort to really get a nice behind the scenes kind of look in Abbyville, I approached one of the guys taping up his arms. Turns out, most of these guys are nice as hell. They had no problem explaining their pre-ride rituals, slight apprehensions and favorite ways to wind down post-ride.
Almost compelled me to buy a cowboy hat. Almost.
