No Carnival Carnie
Chutes banging, barrel racers giggling, cowboys hollering.. Little me loved the rodeo. Looking up to the cowboys and cowgirls, I wanted nothing more than to be one of them. If you had asked me back then, I would have never expected it to be like this.
A lot like rodeo, I constantly wanted to take pictures. Little me ran around with a blue toy camera, pictured below.
Let’s jump forward a few years… mom and dad bought me my first camera. My first “real” camera. I was a sophomore and dating a guy on the football team. (Fyi.. I did orignally NOT enjoy football). I began using my camera for free photoshoots of anyone who would let me. Horses and kids, couples sessions, etc. My boyfriend at the time then convinced me to come take pictures of football. I went… reluctantly. I then began taking pictures of sports all throughout high school. Football, basketball, baseball… I loved the action. I wanted to photograph rodeo but could not find my foot in the door. Finally in 2023, I met one of my role models and mentors “Santa Claus” or.. as the general public knows him, James Enos. TN Rodeo Photos.
He allowed me to come second shoot a few rodeos in August with him at my hometown rodeo in Sevierville, Tennessee. I then continued reaching out to producers and anyone I could to photograph more. The little girl inside me was ecstatic when someone finally took a chance on me. My first real rodeo by myself was in April of 2025, and that’s where it all began…
Now, I am a full time professional rodeo photographer traveling every weekend across many states. Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina… and more to come. See a current and constantly updated maps full of rodeo location pins below.
I have become International Pro Rodeo Association carded, as well as National Cowboy Association carded, and get to document the action… as well as the quiet moments otherwise gone unseen. Working for producers like the 4L cattle company, Spur’n S, Triple T Bulls, and more… I am truly blessed. While traveling through these places and finding my rodeo family, me and mom constantly joke how rodeo reminds us of a favorite pass time of ours… county fairs. We love to go people watch. However, due to carnies coming and setting up the rides over night, We can not be convinced to participate in riding them. Mom and I joke how rodeo is the same. Stock, panels, sometimes even dirt hauled in overnight, and gone again after the weekend. Same crew, same banners, same animals and people… different coordinates. Although rodeo is a different “breed”, we are no normal fair carnies. A giant, dusty soap opera if you will. I started this blog to tell you all the hidden gems, show off my favorite behind the scenes moments.. and share the “this could be a reality tv show” drama, because we truly are no carnival carnies. From moments at Waffle House after a rodeo, bonfire stories, rank shots, and more… stay tuned for the real rodeo moments, and images to help you “feel” the stories.
Not only will I be documenting and using this as a diary of my travels and pictures on the road of rodeo, but also private sessions that spark my creative juices and tell stories I believe are important. From grandpas and tractors, five generations of the family farm, small homesteads.. or cowgirls being reminded they can be a princess even on horse back.
We are no carnival carnie.
