Cowgirls, 2024 Rodeo Austin – Austin, Texas

I don’t go every year, but if I can, I enjoy attending both SXSW (South by Southwest) and Rodeo Austin in March. The two events are opposites of each other, and I love the contrast. SXSW is about the new new thing. Rodeo Austin is about tradition.

Partially fueled by my testing of the Sony A7C, which I’ve already been shooting for a year, I attended both events in 2024. I also brought a new lens, the Sony 28mm f2. Rodeo Austin allows photography with non-professional gear, whatever that means. I figured the small A7C and 28mm lens combo would fly below the radar, and it did.

Near the entrance and just past the first set of concession stands, I noticed these three cowgirls and asked if I could make a portrait. It was a bright sunny day, and I couldn’t shoot wide open, but I managed an f2.5 aperture at 1/4000 second. It was perfect for getting these three in focus and for softly blurring the background Ferris wheel.

Welcome to my series on Rodeo Austin 2024.

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