Comin' Out

Comin' Out
Originally uploaded by webbimage

Saturday Night Rodeo at the Stockyards Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas.

This bronc had a different idea about what was supposed to happen. I like the expressions on everyone in the scene, especially the horse. Due to the skill of the wranglers, neither the horse nor the rider were injured; which is remarkable when you look at how the horse's foreleg is caught between the slats of the chute.

This shot is a good example of how the more expensive f/2.8 lens can get an image when a lesser lens just can't do it. This was taken with a Nikon D200 using a Nikkor 300 mm f2.8 lens, 1/125 @ f/2.8 and ISO 1000. The distance was all the way across the rodeo arena, using available light. No VR on this lens so 1/125 is pretty darn good for a 300 mm lens and no tripod. (I was using a monopod and trying to brace against the railings but it was still not too stable. I pushed everything I could to the max to freeze action as best I could. With a D300 or D3 or D700 I might have been able to push the ISO a bit higher but those weren't around when I took this shot.