Stampede #6

Some pictures from the final night of the Rangeland Derby.

Stampede #5

I decided to head down to the Stampede and shoot the final performance of the Stampede rodeo and.

To change things up from the last time, I decided to shoot the rodeo from the South media building located just above the tie down roping and steer wrestling chute.

Given the weather warning that was issued Sunday, having a roof over my head was a bonus, it was even better that the storm never materialized, though.

South Media was a good place for the bareback event but didn't work very well for the tie down roping and was worse for the steer wrestling.

As for the rest of the events South Media worked but wasn't as good as ground level.

Along with the rodeo action, it was cool to be there to record an end of an era as the Stampede retired bucking horse Grated Coconut (Centre).

Another highlight was saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson. The poor cowboy ended up riding six horses, four more in the same day than any other contestant to make the finals.

Stampede #4

Some photos from the final day of the Calgary Stampede Rodeo.

Stampede #3

Continuing with the Calgary Stampede, I was sent down to the grounds July 15 to cover the talent search, one of the stampede's hidden gems. The night that I went was the first of the semi-finals. The Boyce Theatre in the Calgary Round Up Centre was filled to capacity with crowds lined up outside hoping to get in as people left after their child performed.

To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to the assignment. There is a lot of musical talent in Cochrane and I have covered many of them since I started at the paper. I like covering performances but there aren't any really good venues from a photographers perspective (lack of interesting lighting, cluttered backgrounds, etc.) in Cochrane.

The stage at the Stampede was what I expected, Spot lights on the performers but lots of advertising cluttering up the background. I was able to get up high at the back of the theatre to help eliminate the distracting backgrounds.

What I hadn't expected as I drove to the grounds was quality of the performers.

Without a doubt, of the performances I saw, junior performer Eva Paolucci (top photo) was the crowd favourite. She sang How Sweet It Is but had an incredible stage presence for someone so young.

The performances while I was there was all musical, the best pics were from Michael Bridge playing his original composition, The Slippery Slope on his accordion.

He really was into his playing and had great facial expressions. Unfortunately he isn't from Cochrane or the surrounding area as these would have been great for the paper.

The Cochranite, Lucas Chaisson, was very good. He sang The Light and played the guitar.

My favourite performer on a night that turned out to be a lot more fun than expected was Madi Allen who sang Day Turns To Night (bottom image).

Stampede #2

I shot my first Calgary Stampede Rodeo on July 11. It was sort of underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I love to shoot rodeo. What I don't like are the crowded conditions, huge infield, and tight security.

Once you get over the hype, the Stampede Rodeo is a rodeo, same as any other rodeo I've ever shot anywhere in Alberta or Saskatchewan. The difference is the size of the infield. It is huge at the Stampede which makes lens selection tricky, especially for me who has limited shooting positions thanks to the nature of my press pass.

The press pass limits where I can go, namely I'm not allowed in the pit which I'm told is the best place to be.

All told the pics are the same as any rodeo, but its not as fun because of how restricted it is.

To finish positively though the rodeo goes fast, and its still a rodeo after all, one of my favourite events to cover with lots of great photos.

Stampede #1

The Stampede has arrived again, and for the first time since I started working in photography, I'll be covering part of the spectacle.

The Stampede, for me, started at 5:45 a.m. on July 9. When I found out I would have to wake up that early I felt a little like Bart Simpson, there's a five in the morning? I had to be up this early because I was riding in the Stampede Parade.

Originally the Eagle's Publisher, Jack Tennant, was going to ride with the Cochrane Posse. The Posse had invited several children from the Children's Wish foundation to ride with them and use disposable camera's to record their experiance. Jack was going to photograph them until he realized that if someone from the Eagle was going to ride in the parade and take photos they should know what they're doing. Thats where the early wake up call and I came in.

I had to be at the Fort Calgary at 6:30 a.m. so that everyone involved had time to get organized onto their horses or wagon and head off to the judges.

Although it was painful to wake up that early, I can now say that not only was I a participant in the Calgary Stampede Parade, but that I was with the Cochrane Posse when they won first place for Best Western Heritage Entry.

It was a neat experiance to be in the parade, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt, it is a terrible way to see or cover the parade.

Lacrosse, Lacrosse, and more Lacrosse

I photographed the Box Lacrosse Tournament at the Soccer Dome for a friend of mine over the July 3-5 weekend. Although it was really nice to be shooting a lot of sports again, it reinforced why I like working in journalism so much.

The best part of newspapers is getting to photograph something different every day, I like the variety of shooting portraits, features and spot news. Lacrosse is fun to shoot but after three days of 10 plus hours each it gets to be a little much. I also prefer shooting for the best image as opposed to tournament photography where the focus is on quantity not quality.

That said, other than the cough I caught, it was fun but not something I'd want to do more frequently than once every six months or so.