Revamping the Portfolio

If you've read any of my blogs from earlier this year you'll know that in 2014 my goal was to learn more and work on new techniques to help me become a better photographer.

I've seen improvements in my work and seem to think "Outside the Box" when I'm out practicing.  So  recently I sat back and looked at my portfolio and it's probably the worse one I've ever seen and it's mine.

My goal for the remainder of this year is to work on my "branding" and create a portfolio that will let everyone know I am and even more who I want to be as a photographer.  I know a portfolio is always something you will work on, but you have to have something to start with and WOW!  mine has no meaning whatsoever.

If I ever want to be taken seriously as a photographer I need to be able to show my work in more than just a photo here and a photo there.  I enlisted the aid of a fellow photographer from our Camera Club to offer his CC on what I am re working and I wouldn't mind showing it to a few more members of the club as well.

I think always working on improving will show you how far you've come in something you truly enjoy!

Giving Team Roping a Try

So Today I tried a different Rodeo category, Team Roping, as you know I photograph Barrel Racing about 95% of the time and have been asked to do some rodeos but they are almost always at night.

I have 3 Alien Bee Strobe sets but they just don't seem to be able to light these dark outdoor arena's so I end up turning down these jobs.  Today, outdoors in the hot texas sun I was asked to stop by and photograph a team roping.  I ended up going by for a few hours and was happy with the outcome of most of my photos.  I posted photos to my Facebook page Jo H Photography (if you get a chance take a look).

This photo is one of my favorites, and it helps he is also the manager at Diamond T arena, he keeps me busy with all of the barrel races at his arena.  I need a little more practice but I like what I was able to accomplish today and can't wait to get back out there to try to see if I can grab some good photos for the ropers.

In your own backyard

You just never know what you will find in your own backyard; I planned to get together with two other photographers on Sunday.  They both cancelled and I had already set my mind on getting some photos of something besides rodeo for that day; I set out on a little drive to a few of the small towns around where I live.

I ended up in a small community on a country road I had never been down and happened across this small little paradise.  I drove by a few times wondering if they would mind if I photographed their cactus from the road; I thought to myself, just drive up and ask if they say No please don't It sure wouldn't be the first time.

The opposite happened when they invited me up and told me to go anywhere I wanted, photograph all I wanted and come back.  I spent about an hour or so of my time wondering the grounds and thinking this is such a beautiful little place that I never would of found if the ladies I was to meet that day hadn't cancelled.

Cactus, flowers, deer, windmills rocks, metal art - all arranged in a beautiful way.  I can't wait to venture back up and wonder around to see what other treasures I may have missed.

Behind the Crown

Yesterday I spent my morning in Forestburg Texas to do a little behind the scenes research on an article that I'm writing called "Behind the Crown".

Anyone that has been to a rodeo notices those beautiful ladies in the grand entry and walking around the Rodeo to promote the sport; what they don't know is all of the things that goes on behind the scenes to become a Queen or Princess of the Rodeo.

In a few months pick up a copy of Cowboy Sports News and see what all is involved in search of this very famous crown.

Trick Roping at the NFR

I have been freelancing as a writer for a magazine a few months (doesn't pay a lot but it's better than nothing right?).  I keep a small notebook with me at all times so when an idea for a story pops in my head I want to follow up on it to see if it can work into a story.

I met Riley Webb last year at the North Texas Fair and Rodeo where he was part of an act for the main part of the rodeo where the Rodeo clown comes in and tries to trick rope and can't and from the stands this little 10 year old boy (last years age) comes into the arena and shows the clown how to trick rope with all these fancy tricks.  He also doubled as clown for the Muttin Bustin competition which landed me one heck of a photo that made the cover of a magazine.

I thought about him recently and what an extraordinary story he would make, he's been to the National Finals Rodeo twice to perform, at ages 9 and 10 and will be back this year.  He calf ropes like nobodies business and when you watch him do tricks you wonder how and the heck can he do those things.

He has been loaned a horse that took Fallon Taylor to the national finals back in 1995, his two roping horse are both in their 20s and one of them only has one eye.  He's in the top 5 of the Joe Beaver competition and looks to make the finals.

I wanted to capture a few photos fro my article and ended up with quite a few but the one posted ended up as my favorite.

I watched him roper over the weekend at a benefit rodeo and this little guy just kept on amazing me at his talents.

Biscuit my First Equine Portrait

Everyone Meet Biscuit aka Dial Dolley for Muscle, I had the pleasure of taking his photos late last year.  He's owned by Rebel Barrel horses out of Valley View Texas.

The owners are barrel horse trainers and they had recently bought a few photos off of me from a local barrel race; the owners called and asked if I would take photos of their stallion for their website.

I shot this entire session on JPEG instead of RAW and using Lightroom, what I know now (which isn't much) would of been helpful at the time of this shoot.  I went ahead and ran his photo thru LR and made a few adjustments; this is such a beautiful horse and sure would of loved to create a much better photo of him for everyone to see.  I'm happy with the photos we got that day, but as a learning session I can't wait to see what I can do in a year or two.

This lovely stallion has a 4 year old mare that just won top 5 in the world @ Oklahoma recently for the National Buckskin associate world finals; he's outstanding and his name speaks for itself - he throws a ton of muscle in his offspring.

I can't wait to get back out to shoot some more photos of this stallion and his offspring.

Meeting up with Fellow Photographers

I've been reaching out to some of the fellow photographers in our local camera club; I'm so thankful that I started to do that this year.  I've made a few pretty good friends, I've picked up tips, it's pushed me to help others as well as listen to the ones that know more than I do.

I also think it's built my confidence level up a bit, sometimes I still have doubt in my ind that i'm not good enough, don't know enough and that I shouldn't show people my photos.  The photo above was from a few weeks ago when I met up with 2 ladies from the club.  We had mostly been conversing on Facebook thru our camera club and I reached out and asked the two ladies if they wanted to meet up to photograph.  It happened to be a very hot day that day; so we started off at the library where we worked on some LR5; then we ventured out and came across this pond area filled with these lilypads.

I walked away with a shot that has come out to be one of my favorites; but most important I walked away with 2 ladies that have come to be good friends.  We're meeting up again next week and I can't wait to see where we go and what we photograph; I'll make sure and share a photo after the field trip.

So, reach out to your fellow photographers in the area; you'd be surprised what you learn!