Portrait: Rocky the Cowboy

Art Meripol

Active Member
A few years ago I was assigned to photograph a story on the Fort Worth Texas Stockyards. This historic area just outside downtown are where cattle drives in the late 1800's would stop to provision before heading up the Chisholm Trail. When it became a rail hub the stockyards business boomed and the city earned the nickname Cowtown. Now a historic site the 'cowboys' still drive a herd of longhorns through the area twice a day.
I landed at DFW airport, got my rental car and headed West. As I was parking on the street I looked across to the main area and saw this cowboy just sitting his horse on the edge of the street. I was afraid he'd leave but I wrenched a camera body with a 16-35mm lens and a flash and ran across traffic to him. I asked if he'd mind posing and with a genteel and kind calm he simply posed with the historic hotel behind him. I got his name "Rocky" and then he had to leave. Shooting Rocky was tough since he was so high above me. I did a 'Hail Mary' with my camera overhead so I wasn't looking up too much at him. I had the camera in my right hand and held the speed light off the my side in my left hand. Couldn't have worked out better and it was a great way to jump into the shoot.
 

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A few years ago I was assigned to photograph a story on the Fort Worth Texas Stockyards. This historic area just outside downtown are where cattle drives in the late 1800's would stop to provision before heading up the Chisholm Trail. When it became a rail hub the stockyards business boomed and the city earned the nickname Cowtown. Now a historic site the 'cowboys' still drive a herd of longhorns through the area twice a day.
I landed at DFW airport, got my rental car and headed West. As I was parking on the street I looked across to the main area and saw this cowboy just sitting his horse on the edge of the street. I was afraid he'd leave but I wrenched a camera body with a 16-35mm lens and a flash and ran across traffic to him. I asked if he'd mind posing and with a genteel and kind calm he simply posed with the historic hotel behind him. I got his name "Rocky" and then he had to leave. Shooting Rocky was tough since he was so high above me. I did a 'Hail Mary' with my camera overhead so I wasn't looking up too much at him. I had the camera in my right hand and held the speed light off the my side in my left hand. Couldn't have worked out better and it was a great way to jump into the shoot.
Great portrait 😀
 
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