People: Portrait (PROFESSIONAL) - HONORABLE MENTION
Cowboys of the Small town rodeo

Photo © Victoria Dempster
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This series of photographs taken on the rodeo circuit of Utah and Colorado, I traveled for miles across the two states and discovered the charm of the small town rodeos of Fruita, Hotchkiss, Rifle, Meeker and Monticello.
Rodeos are cultural events in America. Throughout the country, cowboys rise to the daring challenge of riding a bucking bull. There are rodeo rituals, prayers are said and the National Anthem played. The cowboys lower their hats in respect. Tobacco is chewed and tattoos are revealed. There is a dress code - boots, hat, shirt, buckles and spurs.
Within these portraits, there is a dichotomy on display. Despite the rough, tough cowboy exterior you don't have to scratch too far beneath to discover just how vulnerable these young men are. Revealed are expressions of apprehension, anticipation, and contemplation, the turmoil of emotions that must be felt before riding a bull.
For twenty years she was an art teacher in a secondary school in London. Last year, she gave up her teaching career and embarked on a new life. She swapped the city for the desert and is currently living in Moab, Utah. She is now pursuing her dream of living and working full time as an artist.
Victoria is driven by the indescribable emotions that looking at a beautiful photograph can deliver. She believes that the aesthetic is essential to representation. She uses the formal language of photography to best tell the stories of the people who she encounters in her life.To achieve a true representation of the people she believes photographs must be a totally symbiotic experience between her and the subject. Therefore, all her projects are long-term, years rather than months. Technical skills are necessary and essential, but great relationships make great photographs.
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This series of photographs taken on the rodeo circuit of Utah and Colorado, I traveled for miles across the two states and discovered the charm of the small town rodeos of Fruita, Hotchkiss, Rifle, Meeker and Monticello.
Rodeos are cultural events in America. Throughout the country, cowboys rise to the daring challenge of riding a bucking bull. There are rodeo rituals, prayers are said and the National Anthem played. The cowboys lower their hats in respect. Tobacco is chewed and tattoos are revealed. There is a dress code - boots, hat, shirt, buckles and spurs.
Within these portraits, there is a dichotomy on display. Despite the rough, tough cowboy exterior you don't have to scratch too far beneath to discover just how vulnerable these young men are. Revealed are expressions of apprehension, anticipation, and contemplation, the turmoil of emotions that must be felt before riding a bull.
About author:
Victoria Dempster has always been mesmerised by and immersed in the creative, visual world.For twenty years she was an art teacher in a secondary school in London. Last year, she gave up her teaching career and embarked on a new life. She swapped the city for the desert and is currently living in Moab, Utah. She is now pursuing her dream of living and working full time as an artist.
Victoria is driven by the indescribable emotions that looking at a beautiful photograph can deliver. She believes that the aesthetic is essential to representation. She uses the formal language of photography to best tell the stories of the people who she encounters in her life.To achieve a true representation of the people she believes photographs must be a totally symbiotic experience between her and the subject. Therefore, all her projects are long-term, years rather than months. Technical skills are necessary and essential, but great relationships make great photographs.
BACK TO GALLERY