In December of this year, I had an exciting and rare opportunity to shoot the National Final Rodeo arena from the dirt! My husband, Joe Duty, had been chosen as the arena photographer for the National Finals Breakaway Roping, that went on in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The first day we arrived on location and toured the arena I told Joe, “I would love to shoot a 360 panorama from the dirt of the arena”. What better way to show the size and scale of the venue? During the event, I assisted just outside the ring. I knew we would only have 1 shot to capture the 360 view, directly after the Breakaway finals. Joe would be shooting the buckle and saddle presentation of the winner. I would be able to accompany him into the ring and assist at that time. I prepared my equipment prior to the event, so I could move at a moments notice. As soon as the finals were over and Joe headed towards the winner presentation, I tagged along, tripod with fish-eye lens and 360 rotator in tow…. I had no more than 5 minutes to capture the arena before the crew started preparing for the evenings performance of the National Finals Rodeo. Panorama completed, how should I use it? We chose to combine the panorama with a virtual tour slideshow, highlighting the winner of the event. While this is not the traditional use of a virtual tour, I love the versatility of the platform that allows me to use it for many purposes.
Congratulations, Jackie Crawford!
2020 World Champion – National Finals Breakaway Roping
Click HERE or the photo to view the virtual tour.