Let Me Tell You a Story.
“The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight.”
Rodeo.
I have a love affair with making photos at Rodeos - the tension in the air, the excitement, the gloss - brute strength - inches from where I sit - I love it. There is so much story, so much to say - to see.
I wonder, what story do you tell when you see rodeo?
Is it a myth spun from cotton candy, Bud Light and where each chapter is eight seconds long? Is it spun to the tune of country music blaring, sketching scenes of dirt roads and lost loves? Or is it a tale as old as time - Hero’s in the guise of Cowboys, clothed in Wranglers and hats pulled low - going to battle an old foe in the chute? Perhaps it is a rising crescendo of the crowd - urging triumph in the ring, echoes of long lost Gladiators? Or is it simply a way to spend an afternoon, one in a million things to do on a Sunday?
Tell me, is that what you see?
Let me tell you a story. It begins and ends like this;
… breath held tight, teeth clenched - the chute slams open, sound disappearing. Your awareness of your body shrinks to the pounding it is being dealt, and all you can think is… 8…7…6…5…..
…your focus narrows to a single point, the world blurs with speed, the air screams from the rope whipping from your hand….
…your eyes rise from the dirt, meeting the primal gaze of a mind that is unfathomable, mocking your attempt to take the throne…
….one second short, rope slipping through tough hands, air taking root between you and a sun warmed hide, then…gone…
This is a story where…
…dusted with mud, sinews and muscle painted in sweat outlined with blood. Faces tanned and writ with a tenacity unknown to those who do not see. Rogues who wink and slip a grin at the ‘ole bull - thinking - maybe next time, you’ll see. To be met with an answering and unwavering gaze from eyes that hold centuries of unknowable story.
Let me tell you a story…
