The calf chose freedom,
the cowboy chose skill;
the horse, meanwhile,
did all the real work.
A loop kissed the air,
dust rose in applause
out here, even gravity
tips its hat to good timing.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1286
Melbourne Street Photography 101 is a black and white photo blog to encompass the candid photography in streets of Melbourne. Street people photography
The calf chose freedom,
the cowboy chose skill;
the horse, meanwhile,
did all the real work.
A loop kissed the air,
dust rose in applause
out here, even gravity
tips its hat to good timing.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1286
One hand waves,
the other hangs on
the bull declines
all negotiations.
Dust applauds,
the crowd holds breath;
sometimes victory
is simply landing... left.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1285
Hat pulled low,
pride riding high
the bull objects,
with spectacular reply.
Dust writes laughter,
boots borrow sky;
one holds on for glory,
the other asks, "Why?"
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1284
The cowboy called it courage.
The bull called it trespassing.
One raised a hand in triumph,
the other raised... everything else.
Dust flew.
The crowd cheered.
Gravity waited patiently.
Eight seconds later,
both agreed on one thing:
The ground always gets
the last laugh.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1283
The rider whispered, "Just eight."
The bull replied, "Not even three."
One came chasing glory,
one came guarding pride
both signed the contract
with dust as witness.
The crowd counted seconds.
The bull counted coups.
Funny how, in the rodeo,
everyone applauds...
the argument no one wins.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1128
He tipped his hat to gravity
it tipped him right back.
The bull declared, "Not on my watch,"
with one spectacular buck.
Dust applauded.
The crowd held its breath.
Courage wore spurs,
and common sense took the day off.
For eight wild seconds,
neither one would yield
one chasing glory,
the other just clearing the field.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1127
A cloud of dust, a flash of hide,
The calf had little wish to abide;
The horse gave chase with practiced grace,
While courage wore a youthful face.
Yet every cowboy learns this truth:
Speed belongs to restless youth;
And though the rider takes the praise,
The horse earns half the laurel days.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8
Check out Candid 1126
With one fierce leap the bull took wing,
As though he heard the angels sing;
The rider clung with grim intent
A brief but noble experiment.
The crowd looked on with held-up breath,
While dust rehearsed a minor death;
For every cowboy learns, in time,
That gravity still wins the rhyme.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1125
The mighty bull ascends on high,
As if determined he should fly;
The rider, by a sterner fate,
Returns to earth at greater rate.
For though ambition seeks the sky,
And courage bids a man defy,
The dust, with patience unsurpassed,
Receives us all again at last.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1124
The bull launched skyward, determined to fly,
The rider disagreed—but only briefly.
The clown ran in with impeccable timing;
The crowd cheered, and gravity collected its fee.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8
Check Candid 1223
Dust rose high beneath pounding hooves,
While horse and rider rehearsed ancient moves.
The calf glanced back, perhaps unimpressed,
As the loop sailed wide in a test of finesse.
The rope drew circles against the sky,
A question mark asking, “Will it fly?”
The crowd leaned forward, holding its breath
A game of timing, not speed or strength.
For every wrangler knows this truth well:
The perfect cast is a story to tell.
And should the calf escape for another day,
There is always tomorrow—and another bale of hay
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1222
The contest lasted but a fleeting while
A test of nerve, determination, and style.
The rider held fast through dust and din,
Until gravity quietly entered to win.
The bull, all muscle, momentum, and grace,
Dictated the terms and controlled the pace.
Nearby, the clown stepped deftly near,
Part guardian, part performer, without a trace of fear.
The crowd looked on as the drama unfurled,
One small arena containing a world
Where courage is measured in moments, not years,
And applause follows closely behind the cheers.
For in rodeo, as all soon discover,
Fortune may favour one or the other;
Yet when dust settles and stories are told,
It is the spirit of the contest that remains the gold.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1221
The bull had plans for a spectacular flight,
The rider preferred to stay upright.
Dust filled the air, hats tilted askew,
As eight angry seconds became only two.
One clown stepped forward, another ran wide,
Each hoping to stay on the sensible side.
The crowd held its breath, then burst into cheer
For nobody paid to see caution this year.
The bull struck a pose worthy of fame,
The rider kissed earth and blamed it on aim.
And somewhere in all of the chaos and din,
Gravity smiled and chalked up another win
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8
Check Candid 1220
The rider spread his wings,
the bull lowered its head.
Each was committed to a plan
only one remained seated.
Dust kept the secret,
the crowd held its breath;
and for one spectacular moment,
gravity waited its turn.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1219 and FACE OFF
The calf chose freedom,
the cowboy chose pursuit.
The horse did all the hard work
while the crowd offered advice.
A loop flew through the dust,
hope hanging from a rope
because every rodeo begins
with confidence and a moving target.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1218
The cowboy climbed on
with dreams of glory and fame.
The bull had other ideas
and ended the debate in seconds.
A cloud of dust rose,
the crowd held its breath
and somewhere beneath the chaos,
the dirt welcomed another visitor.
Sony A7RV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 1217
She wasn't riding, roping, or chasing fame,
yet somehow she outshone half the game.
While cowboys wrestled pride and luck,
she simply smiled—and stole the buck.
The horses ran, the crowd went wild,
she watched it all, amused and styled.
Proof that at every rodeo show,
the smartest ones know not to ride the bull.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1216 and FACE OFF
Cowboy hat, sneakers, painted grin
the rodeo clown comes charging in.
Not to ride, not to win the race,
but to distract twelve hundred pounds with his face.
The crowd laughed loud, the bull looked keen;
one thought it comedy, one thought cuisine.
In rodeo lore, that's the clown's renown
the only hero paid to be the fool in town.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1215
Helmet down, eyes unseen,
he climbed aboard the bucking machine.
The crowd made noise, the dust took flight
he simply held on, calm and tight.
No speeches given, no victory boast;
the loudest man was never the host.
For while the bull put on the show,
the cowboy's job was not to let go.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1214
Helmet in hand,
rope by his side,
he walks like a man
who has already survived.
The cowboy strolls,
the rider thinks twice;
one looks relaxed,
the other's paid the price.
Dust on the boots,
focus in sight
rodeo is easy
if you ignore the fright.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1213