Buckeye, Arizona.
It’s Buckeye Days in our winter home town. One of the attractions of the weekend celebration is the National Senior Pro Rodeo Association’s Rodeo. I took my new Nikon D500 to capture some of the action, but before the day was over, I wanted to grab a shot or two with my cellphone to share on Cellpic Sunday. The minimum age for NSPRA competitors is 40. Most of the participants in today’s rodeo were over 60 with several in their mid-70s and a few in their 80s. Pretty impressive performances. The final treat for spectators is a 35-second run with a bull. Truth is, I am not exactly sure what the purpose of this activity is… three rodeo clowns try to keep out of the bull’s way, yet attract him to the center of the arena.
About the photo: The photo isn’t the best example of a sharp image. I was standing some distance from the action, so I had to use the digital zoom to bring the action closer. As many people are aware, digital zoom removes much of the sharpness of an image. This image was captured on a Samsung S7 at f/1.7: 1/3200 sec. ISO-50. There was only minor cropping and installation of the watermark. The rule for Cellpic Sunday is simple. The image must be captured and edited on a mobile device.
John Steiner
Flare Legend Adventures
When I was much younger, I worked with a dude who at 21 we was already retired from the rodeo. His knees, ankles and wrists were all shot… Amazing people are still doing it at forty. Makes my back hurt just thinking about it! LOL
The oldest performers are in their 80’s, still riding… they are smart, however, doing roping skills, not bronc or bull bustin’. The ‘oldsters’ are given a 2-second handicap, those between 70 and 79 are given a 1-second handicap. Got some great photos to share in the next few weeks.