story by Lily Weinacht
As rodeo athletes meet and contend in the arena, APRA photographer Alan Coley takes on the challenge of capturing their grit and effort. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, resident shot his first rodeo three years ago at the APRA rodeo in North Washington, Pennsylvania, then caught the rodeo bug and purchased his APRA card in 2018. “It was a challenge, and the challenge was not only capturing the action but trying to get the right moment,” says Alan. “Having attended rodeos for a couple of years, I had a decent idea of what types of shots people were interested in. When I started taking pictures, I would show them to people and get feedback, and that would show me exactly what they were looking for.”
After retiring from his career in law enforcement with the Postal Service, Alan revived his hobby of photography and joined a local photography club. When he turned his lens to rodeo, he shot Pennsylvania youth rodeos to familiarize himself with the sport. Western Pennsylvania Youth Rodeo Association photographer, Ray Urksa, and APRA Photographer of the Year, Wendy Davis, gave him valuable advice.
Alan grew up working on relatives’ farms, though he didn’t spend time around livestock. He’s learned about rodeo through some of his photography subjects, as well as rodeo judges. “Some of the good photographic positions are also the same position for judges, so I’m able to strike up conversations with them. Another part of rodeo I really enjoy is the people in and around rodeo that you meet. I talk to judges and clowns and announcers, pickup men and stock contractors. I’m able to pick up more information from that than just observing the events,” he explains. “I got lots of good advice on what positions to take, particularly in the bull riding events. If I have a pickup man I know out there, he’ll know which of those animals are livelier than others. And I’ve become a pretty good fence climber.”
Alan shot eight or nine APRA rodeos last year, while his goal for the 2019 season is a dozen performances. Although he prefers daytime rodeos, he’s learned to appreciate a well-lit evening rodeo, where he can stay in one position and not have to move because of the sun. “I also learned that if one of the events you’re shooting is in front of aluminum bleachers, the sun flashes off of that. So it’s learning the events and being familiar with the camera, and putting yourself in a place to capture the action without too many distractions.”
One of Alan’s early rodeo photos, at the 2017 North Washington Rodeo, won best photo in the photo journalism category at the 2018 Salon Competition of the photographic section of the Academy of Science and Art of Pittsburgh. He has won several other awards since joining the club in 2015, though his rodeo photo remains a favorite. “It’s a steer wrestling photo, and the timing was just right. I like the expressions and the timing of the shot.”
Alan also enjoys woodworking and has built several pieces of furniture for his home, but says the hobby has taken a backseat to photography. He has a small home studio he works from, and as he enjoys all aspects of photography, his goal is to start working with local businesses to promote them and their products. “It was nice to be published in Rodeo News, that was certainly an achievement,” he finishes. “And I certainly appreciate the customers who make it possible for me to come out and take more photos.”
