Photographing Texas, the Southwest and Beyond

Slack Rodeo in Bridgeport, TX

2010-05-11T21:53:00.007-05:00

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

2010-02-06T21:12:00.007-06:00

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/

North Texas Fair & Rodeo

2009-09-18T22:05:00.004-05:00

I attended this local small rodeo again this year. It is in an outdoor arena where I love to shoot. When trying to decide which performance to shoot I chose the Slack rodeo as it started at 6PM which would allow more time to shoot. I had seen the term “Slack” rodeo before and was never sure what it meant until now. It is when there are too many contestants and too few slots for the actual rodeo. The Slack rodeo is a way to determine who will proceed to the rodeo for timed events. An elimination round if you will.
Great lighting, cowboys/cowgirls, rodeo that evening.

Washington DC goes Country

2009-09-18T22:01:00.003-05:00

During a recent trip to DC with my family we travelled to the Lincoln Memorial at dusk. We heard all this hooting and hollering and saw this guy on top of a truck. We find out later it was Brad Paisley shooting a music video.

Raptors in Allen, TX

2009-06-06T21:54:00.012-05:00

I am not a bird photographer but had a great time today at an event in Allen, TX for the

Birds of Prey Photo Day sponsered by Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. Birds that were presented included: Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Eastern Screech Owl, Peregrine Falcon. The Raptor Center folks do great work and presented a wonderful program. I hope to photography birds at Bosque del Apache next winter. For some great images of the Bosque, check out my friend Randy's site @ http://www.photosbyrandyr.com/ and select Photographs, Events, Bosque del Apache 2007

Re-enactment of the Battle of San Jacinto

2009-06-02T22:05:00.006-05:00

The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, (near 22 miles east of Houston) was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution.
Santa Ana, the President of Mexico was captured and signed a treaty resulting in the creation of the Republic of Texas. Each year this battle is re-enacted by local history buffs. I traveled down for the event.. The weather looked good with a small chance of showers the night. The small chance of showers resulted in 4 inches of rain! Only a small skirmish took place due to the flooding. It was an enjoyable time creating images and exploring Texas History.

Does the Camera Matter?

2009-05-31T15:58:00.002-05:00

The above shot was made with my Iphone as I was about to land in Albquerque, NM last fall. It provides amazing quaility for a 3 pixel camera though I do not anticipate selling my Nikon gear quite yet :)

Ft. Richardson - Historical Reenactment Day

2009-04-22T22:06:00.006-05:00

April 18 featured a day long reeactment of life at Ft. Richardson in the 1860's. Gunfights, Army Drills, Nurses tending to the wounded in the hospital and American Indians talking about their culture were just some of the activities. Cannon fire several times during the day got everyones attention!

Texas Windmills - Tolar, TX

2009-04-02T21:37:00.002-05:00

A fine collection of Windmills can be found at The Windmill Farm in Tolar, TX http://www.thewindmillfarm.com/Chuck Rickgauer refurbishes the windmills and displays over of them on his 26-acre property along with Bed and Breakfast. While I was photographing, Chuck’s wife Ruby was delivering fresh baked goodies to cabin guest in her golf cart. While driving off the property I was greeted by 12 wild turkeys. I was a fun morning.

....and Beyond

2009-03-24T21:52:00.006-05:00

Recently I traveled to Southern Florida and the Everglade National Park. It is a great place for nature photography. I was focused on Birds, Butterflies, Flowers and Gators.

Ft. Richardson, Jacksboro, TX

2009-02-26T23:14:00.001-06:00

Traveled out there late on a Sunday. Arrived around 5:30 when the light was sweet. I had the company of 12 deer. I only had an opportunity to walk the main parade ground of this Panhandle fort last occupied to protect settlers from the Apache. I look forward to revisiting in the near future.
Website: http://www.tomdoranphotography.com/

Parker County Sheriff’s Rodeo

2009-02-26T22:57:00.000-06:00

For some time I have been wanting to attend a local rodeo at a smaller venue to get closer to the action.
The Parker County Sheriff’s Rodeo fit the bill perfectly. Got there an hour early to see the action leading up to the rodeo. There was also a Stock Show taking place as well.I stayed until 9PM when it became too dark to make images. As I was leaving, my SUV was really jammed in tight between 2 trucks. I thought it would take an hour to inch my way out. As I started the back forth process with my SUV, a family approached and the dad worked with me for about 5 minutes until I was on my way home. Thanks again!

Website: http://tomdoranphotography.com/

Canyon de Chelly

2009-02-26T22:25:00.000-06:00

Made a quick trip in early October to Canyon de Chelly, which located in east Arizona in the heart of Navajo land. After arriving in Chinle, AZ after a 3-½ hour drive from Albuquerque, NM I hired a Navajo guide who drop me into the canyon in 4-wheel drive jeep. We entered on river wash and made various stops to photography the canyon walls, Anasazi Ruins and pictographs.I end the canyon tour in time to photography the rim during magic hour and at Spider Rock for sunset. I look forward to returning to Canyon de Chelly sometime in the future during the winter to capture a snow-dusted canyon.

Website: http://tomdoranphotography.com/

Dallas-Ft. Worth Inter-Tribal Association 45th Annual Pow-Wow

2009-02-22T09:30:00.000-06:00

I have attend this Pow-Wow for the last 2 years. It is a wonderful event held annually in the DFW area. The follow link has a multimedia slide show from 2 years ago:
http://www.tomdoran.com/projectPW3/index

Texas & the Southwest

2009-02-22T09:11:00.000-06:00

Texas and the Southwest has been a very special place for me since my first visit 20 years ago. The cultures, landscape, history and people are among the many attractions. My fascination with this remarkable region along with my life long passion with photography has evolved into this Photographic Essay Project titled Texas, the Southwest and beyond.Over the next several years I plan to document my exploration of this region in photographs, interviews, text and sound. I will present my observations in photo galleries and multimedia presentations.I created this blog so I can share my observations with people that may have an interest in my project as well as those people who have shared their time by chatting with me or allowing me the photography them during my journey.Thank you for visiting and have a great day!Tom Doran
Website: http://www.tomdoranphotography.com/