ProRodeo Sports News - February 9, 2018

BEHIND THE CHUTE

objects in my way. There were so many different lights. During the laser show, the person that took me up to the catwalk told me to stay in a certain area because if you’re standing in the wrong spot, you can get blinded. I was like, “OK, that sounds like fun!” There were panels all over the place, so I was constantly looking to make sure I wasn’t standing in a spot where one of the panels would reflect the light. That was interesting. So many different things are hanging up there. The catwalk is kind of shaped like a big H, so there were only certain places you could really go. I really wanted to shoot right above the roughstock chutes, but that’s where they have the big dropdown stage, so you couldn’t see anything from over there because I was up above the stage. Who had the idea of shooting from the catwalk? I was sitting in the arena just kind of looking around. I just happened to look up and I saw the catwalk. I asked PRCA photo coordinator Bryan Oller, “Is there any way I can get up there?” He said, “We can sure try.” It took a few days before we got approval from numerous people, but I got up there during the seventh round. What were some challenges you faced on the catwalk? I was constantly tightening my gear because I had two different straps for two different cameras and two different lenses. I couldn’t take anything up there unless it was strapped in. I did realize that I wish I’d brought a different lens. I brought one with me that I think was a little too wide, and I wish I would have brought one that was a little bit tighter. After you’re up there, you’re kind of stuck, and trying to screw in all the nuts and bolts that are attached to your camera made it nerve-wracking being up there. If there weren’t any rails up there, I would have been shaking in my boots. In your opinion, why do you think this photo is so eye-catching? I think it’s awesome just because of what happened. I got lucky. I was in the right spot at the right time. Dakota got off and caught his steer at the perfect spot. If he would have gotten off his horse a half a second or even a second later, I would have missed it. Right where he was headed, there was a huge bar holding a bunch of lights. If he would have gotten off a split-second later, I wouldn’t have gotten a shot. And he just so happened to win the round. I was like, “Thank you, Dakota.” Framing It Sales goes above and beyond for perfect shot at 2017 WNFR

BY NICK CICERE D uring Round 7 of the 2017 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Roseanna Sales, the 2017 PRCA Photographer of the Year, was granted unprecedented access to the catwalk above the arena

dirt at the Thomas &Mack Center. There, she captured a striking image of 2017Wrangler NFR steer wrestling average champion Dakota Eldridge. Roseanna looks back at her photo and gives her thoughts in the debut of Behind the Chute . When looking at the sequence of photos you took during this shot, what made this particular photo stand out the most? I thought it was really neat how all the elements were in the picture. I liked how you could see his back number, you can see his feet digging into the ground, his horse is in there, as well as his hazer. I thought that was pretty cool. When you captured the photo, did you realize what you had? Right when I took it, I was pumped for that one. Automatically, I was like, “Oh, I hope I got what I think I got.” I looked back at it and I saved it as a favorite right away. I knew that was going to be one that I was going to want to submit. Considering the location you were in, what did you need to do to your camera to compensate for being as far and as high as you were? I was shooting at a 4.5 aperture, and a lot of times, I would shoot with a shallower depth of field. But I knew shooting from up above, that I wanted to be more in focus looking down. That’s why I shot with a higher aperture. Those who aren’t professional photographers may latch onto this photo for different reasons. As a professional, what are some things you like most about this photo? I think it breaks down the “Rule of Thirds” that a lot of us were taught in school. If you look at the image, it qualifies as “Rule of Thirds.” For example, when you pose people, you are often taught to think of things as triangles because that is what the eye looks at. As it turns out, it makes the perfect triangle with the horses and with Dakota in the back. It all comes together to draw your eye into the picture and across the image. What was it like being the first person to take photos from the catwalk of the Thomas & Mack Center at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo? It was really neat. It was very challenging because there were so many different

ProRodeo Sports News 2/9/18

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