One Last Trip to the Black Hills Stock Show!

Well, the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo is over for one more year, but I was able to make it to Rapid City to spend one more day taking in the sites, the smells, and the crowds!  While there I spent the entire morning visiting with vendors, photographing several of the bulls, took in the second go of slack barrel racing, and of course had to visit the petting zoo!

I had a lot of fun with the barrel racing, taking "nonstandard" barrel racing shots, focusing more on the power and beauty of the horse rather than the standard image showing the front of the horse rounding the barrel.

The stock show may be over, but if you have any upcoming spring rodeos or horse shows that you would like covered, call Jana at 605-641-2335 or email at Jana at Thompson Photography.  Thompson Photography is also available for custom livestock photography and sale catalogs...call for details!

It's Time For The 2010 Winter Olympics!

Be a part of Olympic Team USA!  In just a few days, 216 athletes from the United States will represent our country at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.  Many of these athletes having been striving for this goal their entire life, and they are on the road to accomplishing their dreams.  There are many ways to show support for these Team USA athletes and to help them achieve their dreams.

America’s athletes depend upon National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to help them reach their dreams in Vancouver.  NGBs support athletes at all levels, from grassroots to Olympic and Paralympic, by providing opportunities to compete and helping them reach their potential, achieve their dreams and represent their country. You can show your support by contributing directly to the sports of your choice, U.S. Paralympics  or the U.S. Olympic Committee!

There are several other ways to show your support for Team USA!  Follow this link to Support Team USA! You can also stay up to date on Olympic news in the days leading up to the start of the Olympics, follow along as the Olympics unfold, see exciting videos of the action, and follow the latest Olympic news.

The Black Hills Stock Show is Here!

It's time for the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo! I absolutely love this time of year, when I can go hang out with the horses and the cows, and take in the the sights (and yes, the smells!) that bring me back to the days before family and responsibility, when it was just my horses and me, spending our time together traveling on weekends to shows and rodeos and spending the week riding in the mountains or on friend's ranches.  Those were the days of my carefree youth...and the stock show is my time to be immersed in those terrific memories!

I spent a little time at the Rapid City fairgrounds yesterday at the BHSS Winter Classic AQHA show, photographing the amateur heeling event.  I am more impressed with the low-light capabilities of my Canon 1D Mark III every time I use it at a high ISO without flash.  The fairgrounds arena is very dark, and there is an on-site photographer set up to sell photos of the event, so I didn't want to use flash and risk interfering with her photos, so I photographed without flash (by the way, my photos of this particular event are not for sale...I was only shooting for fun and for practice).  I have had several requests to photograph some of the local team roping events around the area, so I am excited about my increased low-light capabilities with this camera, although I am still in the market to buy some strobe lighting!

As the Black Hills Stock Show gets underway, many of my images will be available in the "Events" category of my website at Thompson Photography.  A schedule of events for the stock show and rodeo can be found at BHSS - Schedule.

2010 Governor's Conference on Tourism

The 2010 Governor's Conference on Tourism was recently held in Pierre, and I was thrilled to be one of 18 vendors selected to have a booth exhibiting "Made in South Dakota" products during the conference.  This was my first time showing my photography, and it was a lot of fun and a great experience!

I was fortunate to find myself next to Trina and Charlie Wheeler of Wheeler Farms Candy Company, who are seasoned exhibitors at the Governor's Conference, and Trina graciously shared many helpful marketing tips and ideas, as well as some delicious pecan butter brittle! Next time you are in Sturgis, I highly recommend stopping at their store and sampling their delicious candy!

I came home from the Conference full of ideas for expanding my market.  Now, if I could just fit a few more hours into the day....!!!

It's Time for Sno-Ball!

Saturday night was the annual Sno-Ball Dance for Spearfish High School, and what better setting for Sno-Ball pictures than out in the snow! I met Alyssa, Jamie, and Jake in the park for some quick shots before they headed to dinner and night of dancing and fun!

I was having a great time, and could have spent all evening taking pictures of these terrific kids, but I was also wearing a coat and boots, and didn't have a dinner and a dance to go to!  I hope all of the students attending the Sno-Ball this year had a great time and a safe night!

Spearfish 14th Annual Holiday Classic

I spent most of this past weekend at the Black Hills State University, photographing the Spearfish 14th Annual Holiday Classic indoor soccer tournament. Teams from all over the region participated in the tournament, with ages ranging from U10 to U19. I was anxious to try out my new Canon ID and test its low-light capabilities at this tournament, as the field house is extremely dark, and I don't like using a flash for soccer. After shooting for 12 hours straight on Saturday, I was glad I didn't have the added weight of a flash on my camera!

Results from the tournament can be seen at Spearfish Soccer. Images from all of the games I covered at the tournament can be viewed and purchased at Thompson Photography.

Blue Jays at 10 Below

The birds felt the effect of our recent cold also, and these blue jays were frequent visitors at my feeder, anxiously awaiting the peanuts I would put out for them every morning!


It's supposed to be in the 40s this weekend...that is going to feel like the tropics! I hope everyone gets a chance to get outside this weekend and enjoy some beautiful winter weather!