Earlier this month, I had the incredible opportunity to photograph the Cowgirls Historical Foundation in action at the Payson PRCA Rodeo. These talented cowgirls travel all over the country performing in rodeos, parades and fairs, as well as educating the public about our western heritage. Their 'official photographer,' Patricia Gomez, just happens to be one of my lifelong photography inspirations. She captures human interest portraits like nobody else I have ever seen, and has been the official photographer of the CHF for years. As timing would have it, however, she would find herself committed to an important family obligation in California the same weekend as the Payson Rodeo, where I just happened to be in town. It was such an honor to be asked to 'fill in' for Patti and capture all of the excitement these cowgirls provide when they perform at the rodeo. They are so incredibly talented and, given my own western background, I strongly support their mission of preserving and promoting our western heritage. To view the entire gallery of photos of the CHF from the Payson Rodeo, click here. 

Two photos from my upcoming California Mustangs series have earned top honors in the peer juried Equine Photographers Network Summer Solstice Project competition. This unique contest encourages photographers to document the life of the horse and illustrate their surrounding and relationships on the summer solstice, June 21. As you may recall, thanks to my dear friend Laura Roberts, I had the very rare and unique opportunity to photograph these BLM mustangs in the high desert of central California earlier this summer. As luck would have it, our adventure just happened to fall on June 21, making these images eligible for the EPN Summer Solstice Project competition. Competing against other photos taken by professional equine photographers around the globe, California Mustangs at Sunset and California Mustangs - The Duel at Dusk, both earned top honors in the peer juried contest, with California Mustangs at Sunset receiving the most votes overall and The Duel at Dusk finishing in the top eight. In addition, I was the only photographer to have two photos place in the top eight. There is perhaps no greater prize than to have fellow professionals judge your work as worthy, and for that, I am quite humbled and honored. A huge thanks to the Equine Photographers Network for putting on this contest and for the outstanding prize of a six-month membership. Images are available for purchase at special pre-release pricing. Please contact me for more details.