On the road again, this time in Fort Worth, Texas. I got to work with Andersen C Bar C Photography again as a hired gun at the Cinch Team Roping Finals. This was a long eight days of shooting hundreds of team ropers a day.
Let me just say this trip lead to some extreme burn out on my end. The days were excruciatingly long starting at 8 am and not getting done until midnight or later. The tole your body takes being behind the camera is very surprising. You can read more about that in one of my other stories here. The repetition of team after team almost rattles your brain. There were times I forgot SD cards, forgot to write image numbers or just would be zoned out I would lose track of what team we were on. It was rough, but I survived and I live to tell the tale.
I did enjoy this trip to Texas. This is the second year I have gotten to travel with this group to these finals. It is always a blast to be with old work friends again. I love getting to do these jobs because I meet some of the most incredible people I may never have gotten to cross paths with. Some have become lifelong friends and I am so grateful for their support and mentorship.
This year I was “promoted” to the second arena. I say this with quotes because at times it didn’t feel like that. I was out there by myself for hours on end. Which is great to relax and just enjoy my alone time, other times I really wish someone was there to keep me awake. It rained on me for three days, the winds were chilly and the biggest struggle about taking photos outside under a covered arena is the constant change in light. As clouds rolled by it would get dark then light again. It was an added challenge on top of everything else I had to pay attention to. As you know by now, I do enjoy the challenge.
I thankfully got to get some walking in being away from home base which was inside the other building. This kept me from getting too terribly stiff from sitting for hours. The last day I was moved into the original coliseum. It was beautiful with the colored seats, the round dome and old wooden sides. It was a pretty peaceful way to end the big event.
With all of the day to day chaos we managed to sneak away one evening to be tourists in downtown Fort Worth where we saw the giant sparkly hat then made our way to a great little taco shop down the road. I will say any time we get to eat out is a highlight of the trip because with our crazy hours we usually live off of fast food.
There are always lessons learned and one that stood out to me this trip was always fend for yourself. Be prepared for all weather, don’t forget a jacket like I did and always come with snacks because you never really know when you’ll get a free moment to eat lunch. As always I have a small gallery of adventure photos to share with you from the trip. Believe it or not I have had two weekends off! I am coming to you from the living room couch where I am relaxing with my friends and family. My next trip will be in Montrose, Colorado with Lamell Photo at the Colorado Reining Horse Association event, stay tuned!
