Rattlesnake Round Up in Sweetwater Texas

I have always wanted to attend the Rattlesnake Round Up in Sweetwater, Texas.  This event has been held since 1960 and it claims to be the largest of it's kind. I took the 3 hour drive to West Texas on March 8th. Below are some images I took.

Waiting to be measured

Waiting to be measured.

Being Measured

Ready to milk  the venom.

Portraits

Ready for skinning.

FT Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is back in town

Big Bend Country

Took a trip to Big Bend Country in November. 500 miles and 8 hours later I finally made it. Awesome! Both images are along the Rio Grande with Mexico on the left side. Truly beautiful country in the middle of nowhere.

BRAT Barrel Racing

October brings cooler weather to Texas. That means outdoor barrel racing. Below are is an image from a BRAT barrel racing event in Cleburne, TX.

Interesting Architecture

I was recently visiting various colleges campuses in Texas. The University of St. Thomas in Houston has a series of traditional buildings in their urban campus near the museum district. What was in contrast was the beautiful chapel.

Slack Rodeo in Bridgeport, TX

My daughter Sarah and I got up @ 6:00 AM and headed to a Slack Rodeo in the small town of Bridgeport, TX on 5/8. I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex and drove about 40 miles to Bridgeport which is anything but urban: Pecan Groves, Oil Wells, Ranching. A Slack Rodeo is held when there a too many contestants for the number of slots available for evening rodeo. The top contenders based upon times will perform that evening. We watched some cowgirls compete in Barrel Racing event which is a timed event. The objective is to race around three barrels spaced 60 feet apart with out knocking them over with fastest time. This takes great horse riding skills and a well trained horse. Below are a couple images from that day

2010 Ft. Worth Stockshow

The Stockshow is back in Ft. Worth. This year I passed on the rodeo and went to a Ranch Barrel Racing competition. 57 runs in 60 minutes. A lot of quick action in a short period of time.

Check out some of my images: http://www.tomdoran.com/stockshow/index

I tried a new photo technique that I saw on photographer David H. Wells site in creating motion on images such as fast horse riding. His site, The Wells Point, is one the beat I have ever viewed for photographers. Check it out http://thewellspoint.com/