February cover shot
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Getting a Western Horseman cover shot is rarely easy. Our February cover of cutting horse trainer Kory Pounds is a good example.
The photo shoot was scheduled during the NCHA Futurity, a busy time for Kory. But the Weatherford, Texas, horseman willingly obliged. The Futurity runs for about three weeks during November and December, and the weather was dicey. When we finally had a sunny day, it was because a cold front had swept out all the clouds and rain. Kory and I set up a time for 6:45 in the morning at his training facility.
I wanted to shoot the cover image before the sun came up in order to avoid hat shadows and also get that pretty pink western sky in the background. We shot the rest of the photos for the article when the sun came up.
The wind was howling out of the north, making 28-degrees feel like 10. Camera batteries and cold weather don’t get along, so I went through six battery packs during the shoot.
But lying on the cold ground, with chattering teeth and numb fingers, I wasn’t about to complain. Because 10 feet away, Kory patiently stood in front of my camera. At my request, his coat was laid on the ground a few feet away. Whenever we took a break, he quickly put his coat back on and lit a cigarette.
After getting the cover shot, we worked for another couple of hours on photos for the article. The sun didn’t make things much warmer, and the wind never died down.
I’m ready for Spring.