Nikon D5, Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 560, ƒ/4.5, 1/4000
Today I had a lot of fun shooting the Hawaii High School Rodeo at Parker Ranch Arena in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii.
It was fun because I brought the camera and lens that let me get the action shots I wanted. I didn’t bring my long glass, but rather what I call my go-to lens for capturing just about anything. That lens is the Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. In this first photo, I shot it at the focal length of 58mm. I wanted to capture the girl doing barrel racing but also capture the Parker Ranch sign.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-17-52-53B-1024x683.jpg)
I was introduced to Cowboy art by Don Rutledge. We went to the Cowboy museum in Oklahoma City, where I saw the work of Remington and Russell for the first time. They not only painted but did sculptures.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-17-59-40A-683x1024.jpg)
With the help of Remington and Russell’s work, Don taught me that expression makes the photo. The expressions of the animals and the people in the picture frame.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-17-51-10D-1024x683.jpg)
What I love about Rodeos is that the cowgirls and cowboys must work as a team with animals. The more they know about their animal and how it likes to get clues from the people on what to do, the better the show.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-17-43-13C-1024x683.jpg)
I set up the Nikon D5 as I do for all sports shoots. Here is the blog post that goes into a lot of detail about all the settings.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-18-01-09-683x1024.jpg)
Now to me, the crazy sport is bull riding. These bulls weigh as much as a car and can crush you just as quickly as a car. That is why the sport is just about 8 seconds long. If you can ride for 8 seconds, you compete.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-18-03-32D-1024x683.jpg)
Most of the time, I see the bull riders being kicked off the bull in less than 8 seconds.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-18-09-16H-1024x683.jpg)
The cowgirls have Girl’s Cutting, where they are to lasso the cow. Two of the cowgirls did so in less than 4 seconds. WOW! I was impressed at these high school girls being so good.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-18-23-06B-1024x683.jpg)
The cowboys have a similar event where they lasso the cow, and then, with a teammate, they wrestle the cow to the ground and tie their feet. This is a skill they use in the fields to capture the cows to give the shots, brand them, and do other things to take care of their herd.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-18-25-00A-1024x683.jpg)
It was just fun to see the high school kids having so much fun and learning a skill while playing games.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-17-46-10-1024x683.jpg)
I was always greeted with a big smile when asking the cowgirls if I could take a picture of them with their horses. They were proud of their horses and the bond they had built with them.
![](https://picturestoryteller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2017-02-05-17-40-36-1024x683.jpg)
I cannot recommend enough finding a rodeo near you and spending the time to capture the action with your camera.