Cowboy Photography Workshop July 2011

Two weeks ago, the Erickson Cattle Company held a Cowboy Photography Workshop in Ackerson Meadow near Yosemite National Park.  Here is my record of what I saw during the workshop.  Photographers were treated to lots of real cattle ranch activity.  A late rainy season kept the wildflowers and grass alive and colorful until this mid-July date.  Normally the grass is brown and the flowers are gone.

With the help of Tim Hansen and Will Bennett, Dan Erickson moves cattle across Stone Meadow.  Cabin in background is the original ranch house built by Dan’s great-great grandfather in 1892.

Dan saddles up a second horse to give his first horse a rest.

Dan and Andra Erickson move cattle from back corral.

William Henderson and Julie Kitzenberger photograph morning mist on Stone Meadow.

Horses run through muddy bog.

William Henderson photographs dew on wire fence.

At day’s end, Dan moves horses back to corral.

During the day, Andra Erickson photographs her husband with son Logan close by.

At sunrise, Dan takes a moment to give his horse a rest.

Julie Kitzenberger photographs Tim Hansen near sunset.

Andra Erickson leads horse from upper meadow.

Photographer gets a chance to capture early light.

Wyatt Hansen ropes calf.

William Henderson in foreground, Julie Kitzenberger standing at left, Charlie Phillips standing on right, Wes Schultz on far right.

Group of cowboys and cowgirl move cattle from back of corral.

Dan Erickson slips reins around neck of horse to change mounts.

Andra Erickson

Tim Hansen uses rope to move cattle.

Wyatt Hansen takes a break during morning activities.

Dan and Tim walk horse into corral.

Will Bennett and Dan Erickson take calf down after Wyatt Hansen roped it.

Wes Schultz decided to photograph me.

Wes’s photograph of me.

 

 

Cattle drive near Yosemite National Park

For over a hundred and twenty years, the Erickson family has been driving their cattle from the Merced Falls area to summer grazing near the border of Yosemite National Park.  The drive takes the same route; of course there are three major highways now not to mention a bridge over the South Fork of the Tuolumne River.  The last six years, I have been following the drive.  If you would like to see more of my images of the Erickson Cattle Company drive click here for my Photoshelter gallery.

October 23, 2008.  Near Lake Don Pedro subdivision a cowboy and his dog move cattle along Highway 132 toward Merced Falls Road and a rock corral.

October 26, 2006.  After the herd spent the night at Uglow Ranch on Penon Blanco Road, Chuck Shepard watches cattle carefully to make sure the cows stay together while they move though the Lake Don Pedro subdivision.

May 12, 2008.  Cowboy moves cattle up Cuneo Road after leaving Boneyard Creek corral.

October 23, 2007.  After coming over Dante Pass Road from Kassabaum Meadow cows move down Cuneo Road.

May 09, 2008.  Cowboy moves cattle down Merced Falls Road heading to Uglow’s Ranch on Penon Blanco Road.

May 08, 2008.  Jack Kiernan works quickly to keep cows together on an open part of Merced Falls Road.

May 09, 2008.  Dan Erickson and his dogs keep cattle organized along Merced Falls Road.

May 31, 2007.  Cowboys move cattle down dusty Forest Service road to Lumsden Bridge to cross the Tuolumne River.

June 9, 2005.  Erickson Cattle Company drives cattle on the Highway 120 bridge over the South Fork of the Tuolumne River near Buck Meadows, California.

October 26, 2006.  After the herd spent the night at Uglow Ranch on Penon Blanco Road, cattle come to Granite Springs Road intersection before going through the Don Pedro subdivision.

October 24, 2006.  Les Weidman works cows along Hell’s Hollow Road after herd crossed Highway 120 from Kassabaum Meadow.

October 25, 2007.  Jeff Prosser moves cow back to herd along Penon Blanco Road.

October 25, 2006.  While Barbara Silva holds traffic, cows cross Highway 49 at Penon Blanco Road.

June 15, 2005.  Traveling from Buck Meadows to Packard Canyon, cowboys move cattle over bridge on Highway 120.

May 30, 2007.  Cowboys move cattle on Cuneo Road

October 26, 2006.  Jeff Prosser controls traffic while moving cattle through Lake Don Pedro subdivision.

May 11, 2011.  In springtime, calves want to stay with their mothers on Merced Falls Road.

May 09, 2008.  Cowboy Jim Short takes a break before chuck wagon style lunch is served at the Uglow Ranch.

 

 

Coyote Howl, Coulterville, California

Living in Greeley Hill, we have to travel six miles downhill to an 1850s gold rush town, Coulterville, California for our Post Office.  Twenty-six years ago town folks were looking for an excuse to have a community party.  They created the Coyote Howl.  The story of the birth of the Howl is a little murky.  The story is that there was some drinking going on in the Magnolia Room of the Jeffery Hotel (not a surprise, the Mag Room is a saloon) and someone joked that with all the coyotes in the area and everybody imitating them there ought to be a contest.  Now, coyotes don’t make just one sound when they howl, so people have different ideas of what they should sound like. If you would like to hear what the contest sounds like, click here for a multi media clip that we recorded in 2007.  The rest of my images are stored on Photoshelter, so give a click if you want to see more.

Kids in groups compete as Pup Packs.  These boys came in second in 2011.

This Piney Creek resident was the adult winner in 2001.

This year, as always, the parade is lots of fun for families.

This adult contestant had won in the past but didn’t make it in 2011.

The calliope is a treat for everybody.  It isn’t my favorite type of music but it seems to fit in with the parade.

Master of ceremonies Silverman gives a young pup a chance to test out his howl for next year.

Everybody has an opinion and some express theirs more colorfully.

This year’s adult winner wore a little hair of the dog while howling.

Capt. Henry Love shoots his 12 gauge at the bad guys.  Historically speaking, Capt. Love was the Marshall who captured Joaquin Murrieta.

During the gunfight, the bad guys always get to die.

In 2005, the Magnolia was hopping.  It will reopen June 15 of this year.

This pup uses his hands to make his howl.

Panama Red shoots his way out of the saloon.

During the gunfight, the Lady Sheriff shot a couple bad guys.

While county music is playing in the park, folks are dancing in front of a booth that seems to fry everything you could think of.  No fried stuff for me.

 

 

Spring Branding

I figured that before I blogged the Erickson Cattle Company’s cattle drive this year, I should show some of the work cowboys do before the drive.  First, they round up the cattle from the ranch, and then separate the calves to brand.

Catching the calves is just like team roping at the Rodeo.  If you would like to see more of my branding images check out Photoshelter and click here.

 

After the header leads the calf out of the corral, the heeler ropes the back legs to pull the calf down for branding.

Branding is done to show ownership.  These cattle graze in the mountains where proof of ownership is needed.

Branding is done quickly.  Cowboys say it is done to mark the cattle not to hurt them.

When you are born into a cattle family, you learn to be a cowboy by firsthand experience.

Some doctoring is done at this time of year.  Here the foreman puts a parasite spray on a calf that was skipped in the usual process.

Cowboys often have to lay the calf down.

Young cowboys have lots of time to practice their roping skills.

Moving calves around is a constant job.

Cattle ranchers always start early to make use of the sunlight.

Traffic control is an important safety factor.

 

 

La Grange Rodeo

A couple weeks ago I traveled down to La Grange to photograph the 64th Annual Rodeo.  I was on my way to a banquet in Oakland that night but I had a couple of hours to shoot.  These are a few of my favorite images from the day, and if you would like to see more images, check out my full take here on my PhotoShelter Archive.