Montana Rodeo

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Monday, October 18, 2010 | 5 photos

After working 16 years in a corporate environment and weathering a layoff and job change, I decided to try something new. The two activities that inspire and motivate me are traveling and photographing and life is too short to not pursue our passions. After leaving my job, I spent nearly 4 months traveling around the world before landing in Montana for photographing training as I'm interested in either becoming better at my hobby or pursuing it as a career.

I captured these images while attending a couple of rodeo events in Augusta and Choteau, Montana. It was a great time witnessing the ranchers, cowboys, and girls of the region play hard and work hard during the rodeo weekend. They have a strong sense of community as it takes the whole town to play host and produce the rodeo. During the actual competition, they carry on the traditions of rodeo events, exhibiting the skills used in their everyday jobs with a few more thrills thrown in!

I should be chosen because I appreciate what an amazing opportunity this is and would appreciate all it has to offer. I've had some photography training, but the chance to spend several days in the field with a seasoned photographer and seeing how the conduct the whole project would be hugely beneficial. The more I learn, the more questions I have about how to plan and then execute a trip like this plus I love shooting wildlife with my camera! I've heard the people in Bhutan are some of the happiest in the world and I would love to experience their culture in person.