Upcoming James exhibit spotlights gay rodeo photography

[CellarDweller]

Upcoming James exhibit spotlights gay rodeo photography

Bill DeYoung

It was 1988 when Seattle-born photographer Blake Little attended his first gay rodeo. “The sport, camaraderie, and atmosphere of this first rodeo experience transformed me,” he said. “I was completely drawn to it and I had to be a part of it. I wanted to be a cowboy.”

And so he did, learning the craft and competing – in 1990, Little was named Bull Riding Champion of the Year at the International Gay Rodeo Association finals.

At the same time, his eye for light, contrast and drama was never idle, and Little created iconic portraiture and action shots of the people he met and the places he visited.
Forty-one of Little’s black and white images are included in Blake Little: Photographs from the Gay Rodeo, opening Sept. 5 at the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art. The photos were made at events from Oklahoma to California. The gay rodeo circuit began as a series of fundraisers for the Western LGBT community.



https://stpetecatalyst.com/upcoming-jame...otography/