Posts tagged “western”

A Saddle Bronc Ride at Tsuut’ina

A rodeo cowboy in a red shirt performs a stunt on a bucking horse, with dust flying in the arena.

The 50th anniversary Tsuut’ina Nation INFR Tour Rodeo is underway this weekend. It’s easily my favorite rodeo to photograph every year. I was along the rails for the Friday evening performance last night. One cowboy stopped for a quick chat and when I was reviewing the day’s images, found that I had a few good shots of his Saddle Bronc ride.

A cowboy rides a bucking horse during a rodeo event, surrounded by spectators and fellow riders in western attire.

Marvin Young from Maskwacis, Alberta was the cowboy and these are shots from his full time ride on the day. Well done Marvin! Look forward to seeing you out there again this weekend.

A cowboy riding a bucking horse during a rodeo event, showcasing a dynamic and exciting moment in the arena.
A cowboy riding a bucking horse during a rodeo event, surrounded by an audience in the background.
A cowboy in a red shirt riding a horse during a rodeo, with a timer displaying 8:00 in the background.

July 25, 2026 | Categories: Alberta, Rodeo | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Barrel Racing at the Calgary Stampede

I had a chance to shoot the rodeo midweek for a little while. I was happy to catch the barrel racing as it’s one of my favorite events to photograph. With the rider and her horse leaning hard into the barrel turns, the dirt flies and the images can be amazing. When they make the last turn and takeoff for the finish line, there are few long shutter, motion blur opportunities that I enjoy more.

A cowgirl in a red shirt and cowboy hat riding a brown horse at high speed on a sandy surface.

Above Carlee Otero from Perrin, Texas sprints towards her winning time of 16.79 seconds on Day 6 of the 2026 Calgary Stampede Rodeo.

A rider in a cowboy hat competes on a light-colored horse during a rodeo event, kicking up dust on a dirt track.

Katelyn Scott from Odessa, Texas corners around the second barrel on her way to a 17.05 second run.

A rider on a brown horse competes in barrel racing, making a tight turn around a barrel marked with the Calgary Herald logo on a sandy track.
A rider in a turquoise shirt speeds on a chestnut horse across a sandy arena, captured in motion.

Jordan Driver from Garden City, Texas coming off the barrel in the first image and then racing to close out her run on Wednesday, July 8th in the image above.

A rodeo participant riding a horse around a barrel, showcasing western horsemanship skills.

Blake Molle from Chauvin, Alberta kicks her boot and stirrup over the barrel on a tight turn.

A cowboy riding a horse at full speed across a sandy arena.

July 10, 2026 | Categories: Alberta, long exposure, motion blur, Rodeo, Sports | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wild Card Saturday at the Calgary Stampede Rodeo

Wild Card Saturday on July 16th was the last day of the competition before the Calgary Stampede Rodeo Finals.  Billed “Rodeo’s Richest Afternoon”, Showdown Sunday is the day all of the athletes were gunning for throughout the event.  

The top four money winners in each pool leading up to the weekend had their ticket to the Finals in hand so they had the day off.  For the rest, this was their last shot to qualify for the finals.  There were two wild card spots in each event so getting to Sunday was no easy task.  Here are some images from the rail. 

Bell Dinger bucked Chad Besplug of Claresholm, Alberta off just after the gate was opened ending this cowboy’s run to the Finals for 2011.  Chad had a good ride on Monday with an 84, I hope he gets invited back next year.

Seven Persons, Alberta bareback rider, Reid Rowan, in the middle of a battle of wills with Gorgeous Connie.  Reid won with a full time ride but scored 80 and missed the Final.

Sierra Stoney from DeWinton, Alberta bares down on the second barrel.  Sierra’s horse knocked this barrel down while exiting the turn and she finished outside of the top two spots.

Despite appearances, Tyler Corrington rode Awesome for the full 8 seconds.  He scored 83.50 and missed the Finals by half a point.  The Wild Card saddle bronc event had a two point spread between the top spot and 6th place.  Very tough to sit out Sunday when you’re that close to being in.

Ryan MacKenzie of Jordan Valley, Oregon stares down the neck of Gross Beetle during a 79.50 point ride in the Saddle Bronc event during Wild Card Saturday at the 2011 Calgary Stampede Rodeo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

 

A final one from Reid Rowan, well known for his curly mane and his exuberant flair, here disappears altogether to suggest that the Invisible Man has taken up rodeo – for one kick anyways.

July 18, 2011 | Categories: Calgary, Events, Prairie, Rodeo, Summer | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Photowalk at the Bar U Ranch

Darwin Wiggett and Samantha Chrysanthou led a group of photographers to the Bar U Ranch historical site just west of Longview, Alberta.  This was one of 1111 groups comprised of over 33,500 photographers participating in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk.  It was fun to be a part of the Bar U group and neat to be involved with such a huge international group.

I had not wandered through Bar U previously and was interested to see what subjects would pull my attention.  The ranch is set up in the style of its heydays when it was one of the largest ranching operations in North America.  That puts the time at roughly 1882 – 1925.  There are period costumes, decorations, equipment and sundry items – all of which lend themselves easily to becoming a photograph.

I really enjoyed the walk, meeting some of the other photographers, sharing a laugh and scouring around for images to make.

Thanks to Samantha and Darwin for a smooth operation and a fun walk.

July 25, 2010 | Categories: Cool, Events, Outdoors, Summer | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment