The rain had stopped, most of the other photographers were gone, and now 1500 pounds of angry flesh and bone was hurtling toward me through the thin night air. I backed away from the metal scaffold that the cowboy had quickly scaled and the bull desperately tried to plunge his horns at me. These things really don’t like Flash Speedlites I thought.

Comin’ at ya!

My first trip to Buckin Ohio rodeo, near the Lodi outlets, and what a great experience!

Rodeo Opening Ceremony

Denny and Eileen Thorsell founded this family friendly event several years ago modeling it after real western rodeos in Texas. A couple thousand people pack the stadium for this 2+ hour affair, featuring cowboys from all over the country trying to clutch the raging inferno for those precious 8 seconds and qualify for some prize money.

Eileen was gracious enough to let the members of my photography club stand near the stadium and capture the action up close and personal.

Open the Gate!

Every bull run was different and unpredictable. Sometimes the muscular animals would pivot violently back and forth trying to throw the cowboy in the air, while other bulls would thunder alongside the arena’s edge as the cowboy clung to their side.

Eight Seconds of Twist n’ Shout

I set my camera to servo mode, or you can use the action button on your dial, and began continuous autofocusing. You might have to check your manual to figure this out but it’s worth it. Autofocus means that when the shutter is pushed halfway, the camera continually focuses the image.

So, if the bull starts charging, the camera will react in time and you won’t see a big blur when you download your pics. I actually have my autofocus set to a push button on the back so I can hold and know that the camera is always ready, but either way works fine.

Now fire away!

[Excerpted from Photography Insights, Volume 1, by Scott Ober, MD, Copyright © 2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED]