Take the Shot

The Story Behind the Painting
The cowboy featured in ‘Take the Shot’ is Albertan cowboy Hal Maley. The image depicted here is one that I captured at a branding during my time working at the Gang Ranch, in BC.

This painting, like most of my works, was not a scene that I had planned out in advance and manipulated or staged to capture. I love to approach the subject of the cowboy in reaction to what I see as I watch them work in real time. In this instance I was watching and photographing a crew of about 9 guys branding at Summer Range at the Gang Ranch in BC.

I took over 500 photos that day, and as I sorted through them this one caught my eye. I really loved the action of the rider’s body position and tension created by his loop going off canvas. It seems to create a sense of anticipation as the viewer wonders if it was a clean shot or a miss. I imagine that with the throw of each loop the cowboy experiences this same moment of anticipation as their heart beats a little quicker waiting for the rope to come tight.

I’m reminded of a quote from Wayne Gretzky, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’ How true is this in both the branding trap and in our lives in general? Take the shot, take the risk, and it just might work out, your rope just might come tight.