4th of July Rodeo - Makawao

ajroahkniajroahkni Registered Users Posts: 82 Big grins
edited July 21, 2011 in Sports
We also have an annual 4th of July Rodeo in Makawao. This year was the 56th.

I was lucky enough to be in the beer garden and standing almost directly across the arena from the chute. Most of the action came right to me between $4 beers.

1. Jump through hoop
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2. Double Mugging
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3. Barrel Racing
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4. Body Slam
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5. In the fence
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6. Steer wrestling
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7. Whoa
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8. Double Mugging
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9. Victory!
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John Araki
http://jaraki.smugmug.com

Comments

  • donekdonek Registered Users Posts: 655 Major grins
    edited July 8, 2011
    They look good. You could crop a bit tighter on some and some need straightening (watch those vertical posts). I tend to push my exposure in favor of exposing those shaded faces. You never know if their hat will come off though. I will also bump my exposure if the competitor has darker skin. This typically results in some blown highlights and usually kills any blue in the sky.
    Sean Martin
    www.seanmartinphoto.com

    __________________________________________________
    it's not the size of the lens that matters... It's how you focus it.

    aaaaa.... who am I kidding!

    whoever dies with the biggest coolest piece of glass, wins!
  • Raina.RaeRaina.Rae Registered Users Posts: 205 Major grins
    edited July 9, 2011
    My favorite is #1. I like how you caught the lasso in mid air like that.
    Heather
    www.munchkinphotos.smugmug.com
  • JohnDCJohnDC Registered Users Posts: 379 Major grins
    edited July 13, 2011
    Great shots with some really good catches of the action, especially in the first two. A cattleman at Kipu Kai on Kauai told me about the rodeos in Hawaii, but I never have had a chance to see one there. Looks like you were right on top of the action--a lot better than photographing in the big steel arenas on the mainland.
    ---John
  • KalamataKalamata Registered Users Posts: 97 Big grins
    edited July 13, 2011
    Some great shoots there, thank you. I would have cropped some of the shots also.
    Aloha, Ed
    p.s. Near last of the Paniolo's
  • ajroahkniajroahkni Registered Users Posts: 82 Big grins
    edited July 14, 2011
    I made some straightening, some cropping, and some exposure tweaks as recommended. Thanks for the suggestions.
    John Araki
    http://jaraki.smugmug.com
  • BayMareBayMare Registered Users Posts: 24 Big grins
    edited July 20, 2011
    ajroahkni wrote: »
    I made some straightening, some cropping, and some exposure tweaks as recommended. Thanks for the suggestions.


    Whew, I was just looking at these, reading the posts and thinking, "How could they possibly be cropped any closer?" Ah, you've already gone back and tweaked:) What a great set. Crystal clear, wonderful expressions, lots of action. They're all keepers!
  • johngjohng Registered Users Posts: 1,658 Major grins
    edited July 21, 2011
    First off: nice series. I didn't see the "before" images, so framing is pretty good in these. Exposures are still a bit dark for faces in the first 6 photos. Sometimes even dodging is a good solution for that (rather than adjusting the whole exposure).

    The other thing I would suggest is bumping your ISO up for faster shutter speeds. Exif is stripped on some images but on others it's as low as 1/250 and ISO is only at 400. It's a bit difficult to tell if softness in some of the faces is due to missed focus or motion blur but faster shutter speeds will definitely help.
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