WNFR Through the Lens of Will Reed Jennings

“It was amazing – there was no feeling that rivaled that feeling,” said Will Reed Jennings about walking down the tunnel at the Thomas & Mack to photograph his first Wrangler National Finals. “There were so many people just in the hallway that I knew.”
Will Reed Jennings is the only son of Dave and Beth Jennings. Like his dad, Will has a natural eye for a great image. “I never really got interested in rodeo until Covid happened,” said the 19-year-old freshman at Texas Tech. “I missed it and got back into it.” Will grew up listening to his dad instruct other photographers and his knowledge of cameras came from sitting next to him and Dave telling him what to do.
Will throws passion into everything he does – he excelled at one-act plays and percussion. His talent with a drum landed him a position in the drum center line while marching band. “It’s hard to have drum sets in college, so I brought a guitar. One of the first instruments I learned was violin, so it’s pretty easy.”
With his new-found love of rodeo photography, Will has joined the Texas Tech Rodeo Team as their photographer and will do that while pursuing a degree in media and communications. “If you have a feeling about it, just try it. That’s what I did and this is what it’s turned into.”
Dave’s photography career spans 40 years, beginning in 1982, including 8 trips to the NFR, and all the major rodeos, photographer for the National High School Finals for 15 years. He has been inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2012. Watching his son walk into the Thomas & Mac was something he’ll never forget. “That was bad-___. I couldn’t believe it was happening – it was sureall.