Picture this....

Photo by Brittany Coffee Zac Small, from Welch, Okla., was photographed by Brittany Coffee during the team-roping competition in the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Photo by Brittany Coffee Zac Small, from Welch, Okla., was photographed by Brittany Coffee during the team-roping competition in the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyo.

Picture this...

There's a 4-foot-nothing, bright-eyed little cowgirl strutting around the rodeo arena under the bright lights that never change in the dreams of rodeo contestants. If you size the little girl up, her straw Resistol cowboy hat, fastened snugly onto her head with a stampede string mandated by her daddy, catches your eye and proves that she belongs in this arena, in this atmosphere. Her red, white and blue button-up shirt adorned with the words "The Best Sport on Dirt" is failing to stay neatly tucked into a pair of bright red Wranglers which have seen their fair share of irons and starch. You'll find the dirtiest pair of black Roper lace-up boots on her feet you've probably ever seen, each bit of mud and manure packed onto them having a story of their own. There are spurs that jingle as she prances and runs around the rodeo arena with her friends.

You see, this very little girl who ran barrels at junior rodeos, on a borrowed horse, came from a long line of rodeo cowboys. The lifestyle, the mindset and the drive to succeed were ingrained in that young cowgirl from the very beginning -- the idea of her knowing anything else would have been unheard of.

She had a love for rodeo as big as the Texas sky, but she also had that same love for capturing moments and memories so often found beneath the bright lights of that rodeo arena she grew up under. You see, she came from a long line of photographers as well. Just as she was known for being covered head-to-toe in dirt and dust, she was also known for never being too far from a camera.

At nine years old, her 4-H project of choice was photography -- I'm not sure if we should thank her parents for trusting her with the family camera or call them crazy for that same reason. But, you see, that 4-H project didn't stop after one year of learning. Instead, it continued on far into her teen years, eventually developing her skill and eye to the point she would win the highly sought after Overall Photography Award at the local county fair.

Time continued to march on and brought that little girl, covered in dirt and mud, toting a borrowed horse and camera, to the point that she was toting around her own cameras across a four-state area her senior year of college.

You see, that little cowgirl doesn't rodeo anymore but she still spends her fair share of time following the best sport on dirt behind the lens. She divides her time between the university classroom and behind a camera, a place that makes her the "chute boss" of her own photography business.

The degree may have been completed, but the adventure of being the chute boss of a business has only just begun. Geared with a dream and an agricultural communications degree, that rodeo kid has transformed into a businesswoman with a plan.

To say "businesswoman" and "professional photographer" in reference to that little girl from the beginning of the story is a little bit of a tough one for me. You see, I don't envision myself as those words -- they sound so official, so adult for someone who considers herself to be so young and learning more about her art every day. Instead, I'm simply a girl who's thankful society has dropped the colored Wranglers trend (and who's working on forgiving her parents for having their daughter participate in said trend) and who's working each and every day to pursue her dreams, capture memories and record the moments that we can hold dear for years to come.

Although the fashion trends may have changed, my passion for rodeo and photography has never faltered. While I've acted on that duo of passions since I started my professional life, this year's "July in Cheyenne" was the ultimate rite of passage for me as I was able to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams and act as a photographer for the Daddy of 'Em All: Cheyenne Frontier Days!

Sporting a much newer, much cleaner Resistol hat and omitting the stampede string (sorry, Daddy-o), I walked through the gates of Frontier Park. I eased my way toward the coveted Cheyenne chutes, enamored by all that I saw and heard. As the cannon fired and the cowboys made their way down onto their horses, I was in absolute awe. I'm talking a full-blown, frozen-disbelief-of-actually-being-here, complete fan-girling state. I looked to my right and saw NFR bullfighters and pickup men; I looked to my left and saw PRCA photographers, world champion cowboys intermingling with rookie cowboys, who happened to have the same stars in their eyes that I did.

Over the course of my three days photographing the Daddy, I shot from behind the chutes, above the chutes, from the camera pit and -- my favorite -- behind chute nine.

Through my lens and with the click of the shutter, I froze time into a single frame, turning haphazard, fast, precise and fluid motion into a still image; a piece of artwork, if you may. The fringe on the rodeo queen's chaps flew in the Wyoming wind as they ran their fly-by lap down the track -- click. World champ Cody DeMoss covered two horses from Smith Pro Rodeo to make it back to Championship Sunday -- click. A fellow Arkansas girl laid down a smoking run in the cowgirl's barrel racing -- click. A friend and rookie bronc rider put an awesome ride on a young bucking horse -- click. Fellow NEO A&M College alum were making their dreams come true while participating in the team roping and bull riding -- click.

I don't think that little 4-foot-nothing cowgirl could have ever imagined such a fantastic, life-changing opportunity would happen to her. Honestly, the "grown-up" version of that little cowgirl still has a hard time understanding how that opportunity was hers for the taking.

Though my time photographing the Daddy of 'Em All was limited, the experience and the memories are something I will carry with me for the rest of my days. I'm fortunate to have had the chance to document an event that carries such a legacy in this industry and in the sport that I love. This experience is not only my motivation to continue what I'm doing with the fervor of my first photo shoot, but my reminder to thank my parents for taking a risk on their little girl -- red Wranglers and all -- and handing over the reins and their camera under those bright arena lights.

More of Brittany Coffee's photography can be found at: http://brittanycoffeephotography.com.

Editorial on 08/17/2016