Riding for the Brand Photography

Life is about Riding for the Brand

A cowboy’s way of life embraces hard work, trust and respect. A cowboy lends a hand to a neighbor in their time of need, feeds the hungry, and cherishes the land. It is a life lived for a greater purpose. This is what “Riding for the Brand” means. It is based off a poem my dad introduced me to called Ride for the Brand, by Paul Harwitz. It is a reminder of the life that we should live, that we are here on this earth to serve Christ, our savior. It goes hand in hand with the cowboy’s way of life. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”. In all of my photography, I give God the glory, He has given me my talent and the eye that I have for capturing his wonderful creation. The love for the cowboy way has been instilled in me since I was a young girl. I was raised in Wyoming among some of the Lord’s greatest creations. His sunsets, sunrises, mountains, waterfalls, people, and wildlife are just a few small blessing and glances of His beauty that I encounter. Through my photos, I am able to capture and share the beauty with others. As I set out to start my photography journey I tried to capture all of this. I first discovered my love for photography in the darkroom at Northwest College. While I was not a photography major, my Agriculture Communications degree required the Intro to Photography course. I was fortunate enough to have to use a darkroom to develop my own film. When I was in the darkroom for the first time watching my professor develop the film, it was like magic to me. After a few days of my own developing, the darkroom became a magical place that gave me peace and made moments come to life. During this time, I did not think of taking photography to the next level. My professors encouraged me to stick to photography because I have a unique eye to see what others don’t. After getting my bachelor’s degree, I decided to pursue my masters of fine art in photography and discovered the Academy of Art University. Since, I started my photography career in 2006, my passion was wildlife, cowboy and cowgirls, rodeos, and sports. I have become very versatile, I have expanded to commercial photography in 2016, where I have become experienced in shooting exterior and interior architectural, livestock, industrial. My photos bring out the texture and highlights with combine dramatic photography, vivid colors, and artistic touches to create new, captivating visions. Living the cowboy lifestyle firsthand, I decided I wanted to do the same thing. I wanted to showcase not only the glorious moments of a cowboy but also the daily struggles and triumphs of the American Cowboy; thus, this is what my unique style of art has become. A Cowboy’s way of life embraces hard work, trust, and respect, and that is who I am. My handshake is my promise, my word is all you need, and living for God and the greater good is my way of life.