Horses, Bulls, Dirt, Dust, Tractors, Barrels, Men, Women and a WHOLE LOT OF ACTION!!!
RAM RODEO is an amazing event that is action packed with a bunch of tough men and women who put themselves on the backs of horses and bulls which throw them around like rag dolls. Not only Branco Riding and Bull Riding, but they also have a Stunt Rider our of New York, and Flag Riding Team.. there’s a lot going on.
With events like Barrel Racing, Poles, Bucking Branco’s, and Bull Riding there’s something for everyone. Personally, Bull Riding is my favourite .. the aggressiveness of the bulls and the power makes it crazy to photograph but really.. all of it is fun to shoot. Yesterday was a good mix of sun and cloud, wasn’t to hot but the dust was relentless .. normally they water the riding area, but it was so dry every time they watered it the sun would dry it up in minutes, so instead of wasting the water we just went with the dust.. I was covered but it was so fun. Some of these riders were thrown down hard, stepped on by the bulls and branco’s, got up like it was nothing and will ride another day.. just blows my mind. If the Ram Rodeo Tour is coming your way, do yourself a favour and get a ticket.. take the kids.. they will love it!
Sport
Jujitsu Submission Invitational 2014
You could smell the sweat, dedication, respect and passion in the air as everyone flooded into the Adrenaline MMA Training & Fitness Centre. With music cranked, a ring displayed in a sea of people and competitors warming up, in the zone ready to compete the Submission Invitational was under way.
Not sure what to expect really, I did some light testing and some custom white balancing to make sure I could get the best images possible, I crouched down to make sure I wasn't obstructing on lookers views and got ready to capture the art that was about to unfold in front of me. I didn't know to much about jujitsu, all I knew was that it was more about points and submissions through skill rather than punching and kicking the crap out of each other.
Let me tell you, it was not easy to photograph. Quick movements, flipping one another, standing up, down on the ground, grabbing, twisting.. it was intense. Lighting conditions were a bit tough to work with as well, so some of the images were a bit blurry and it took me a bit to figure out what I needed to do to compensate. Over all, it was an amazing experience full of action and challenging aspects from a photographic perspective, which I really enjoy.. thats how you learn.
Adrenaline MMA Traning & Fitness Centre is an amazing facility, with two levels, friendly and clean atmosphere. Upstairs has matted floors with a boxing ring and an open concept, and downstairs has a weight room, change rooms, and an Octagon.. there could be more I didn't get much time to look around as I had to focus on shooting. Adrenaline was quite impressive, if you're looking for a place to work out, learn MMA, Jujitsu, Kickboxing, boxing etc.. I would highly recommend their facility. Plus.. who wouldn't want to learn from actual UFC fighters like Sam Stout and Mark Hominick? - Shutter Click
2014 RAM RODEO
Mud getting kicked in my face, Men and Women flying through the air, Bulls and Horses Jumping through the air.... this was my day at the 2014 RAM Rodeo in Woodstock Ontario, Canada.
I never knew a rodeo would be so much fun! I'm not a cowboy by any means, sure I live in a small town that has a ton of farm land, and we're known as the Dairy Capitol, but I'm more of the city photographer guys. Still, I enjoyed myself quite a bit and Bull Riding.. geez those guys are nuts! I really wanted to give it a try but they wouldn't let me, must have been afraid I would have done really well.. hahahha just kidding, I give them a lot of credit, those Bulls go nuts out there.
Not only was there Bull riding, but they also had: Barrel racing, cattle roping, bucking bronco, both with saddle and bareback, horse slalom, and they even had these young ladies that did all these tricks while riding on horses, it was impressive. I will definitely be attending again next year, one of the best events Woodstock has to offer. - Shutter Click
Images Below.
Cowboy tries his best to hold on for 8 seconds, but this Bull had a different idea. This was the best bucking bull out of them all, I couldn't believe how wild he was.
Cowboy gets thrown head first by this bucking bronco at the 2014 RAM Rodeo in Woodstock Ontario, Canada.
Cowboy comes out of the gate with Lasso ready to rope the calf and tie em up!
Cowboy quickly dismounts his horse and runs over to the calf, flips it over and ties up its feet
After being thrown off this wild bulls back, it spins around and comes after the cowboy while laying in the mud... sometimes, the bull wins.
Almost made the 8 second mark, but this bull had other plans and quickly spun to the side throwing this cowboy off his back into the mud.