I’m sharing a few more shots from last saturday’s rodeo in Phillipsburg, Kansas. As the biggest rodeo in the state, it’s quiet a show and the grand opening alone is worth the price of admission. I got there early and tried to scope out a good vantage point and settled on this area at one end of the arena where I could shoot through a livestock gate and get views of both the chute and the stands with a nice long throw down to where these riders with their American flags would make their entrance.

I’d been shooting the beginnings of the grand opening when I turned around and realized I was no longer alone in my little shooting space. In fact, the spot I had chosen was the pen where a few dozen of these longhorn cattle were being prepared for their entrance during a later portion of the grand opening:

Happily, they seemed willing to share the area with me although they did seem to be extremely curious about my cameras. I was carrying two bodies and, as I would shoot with one, the braver of the longhorns would come up to give the other Nikon a good sniff. There was plenty of drooling going on as well (on their part, mostly) but I managed to get through the evening without it finding its way onto my gear.

It did end up being a very versatile location from which to shoot. One that I would be eager to make use of next time I find myself at the rodeo. Even if I do have to share it with these fellows again.

A few more from Saturday: