Sheldon Wecker, QPSA
July 2026 - Untitled
About the Image(s)
I'm in Logan, Utah for 12 weeks to avoid the Phoenix heat. I went to a Rodeo in Hyrum Utah, a small town near Logan. This photo is from the Bull Riding competition. The rider has to stay on the bull for 8 seconds to get a score. There is no saddle, only a rope around the girth of the bull that the rider grabs with one hand. His other hand can't touch the bull, or themselves or their equipment at any time during the ride. I shot this from across the arena, about 60 meters away. Sony A7R5, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, iso 1000, 300mm. Noise reduction in On1 PureRaw 6, cropped and edited in Lightroom Classic.
10 comments posted
That looks extremely difficult! and they can only hold on to the rope?! That's crazy! This is a great action shot with wider and bull in focus. The lightening looks great and the composition works well for this image. The only suggestion I have is to remove the guy in background. Since he is framed by the rider's right leg and he is wearing a white shirt, my eye is drawn to this spectator - though I do like the bokeh.
Posted: 07/04/2026 00:05:09
Posted: 07/04/2026 00:05:09
Thanks Suzanne, I did try multiple ways to eliminate the spectator without success. AI remove came up with crazy replacements and the background is too busy to clone him out, so I just defocused him and decreased brightness as much as I could without him going gray. Posted: 07/04/2026 15:45:30
I'm surprised you could make sense out of my comment given all the typos. My excuse is I broke my wrist and typing rather poorly with one hand. Yes, AI isn't always so smart - sometimes I just try generative fill or content-aware fill (which allows you to select the area in the image that is used to fill the gap). I still love this picture! Posted: 07/04/2026 18:01:57
I think I was basically successful. I used Luminar NEO for erasing. Posted: 07/09/2026 01:17:11
Looks good, I need to try again. Posted: 07/12/2026 18:19:24
Excellent captured, I love that the bull has its legs on the air and details are very sharp and clear. Also the composition is great. There are so many rules the rider has to avoid. Did he get scored? Posted: 07/04/2026 00:58:30
Thanks Martha, unfortunately he did not. Only one of the riders managed to stay on for 8 seconds. The big talent doesn't come to Hyrum, they go to the big money rodeos in Las Vegas, but of course I wouldn't have been able to get close to the action. Posted: 07/04/2026 15:47:56
Well I'm glad it's not me. Great detail. Posted: 07/09/2026 01:17:55
Carlos Roman
Great photo of the rider in motion. You captured the exact moment where he is struggling to stay on the saddle. I just wonder how it would look like if you reduce the background exposure a little bit. Posted: 07/09/2026 03:03:21
(Groups 21 & 42 & 71)
Sheldon, this is an outstanding stop-action image with a perfect crop. Both the rider and the bull are tack sharp with excellent detail and definition. Your narrative does a great job explaining the event for someone who knows little or nothing about bull riding. The image has strong visual impact, captures the viewer's attention immediately, and holds their interest. Posted: 07/10/2026 13:44:29