Behind the Lens With Andy Watson: Lincoln Kicks off Countdown to World Finals in Arlington
By: Andy Watson
Andy Watson of Bull Stock Media is in his 25th season as the PBR’s lead photographer, and has captured nearly every ride in PBR history.
“To be able to freeze that moment and look at it and see everything in it is really cool, and to (the riders) it means a lot,” Watson said. “Every ride is something special, whether it is good, bad, great form or their buddies are in the background.”
This season, Watson is taking fans behind the lens of some of his favorite photos, sharing his thoughts and processes as he covers each Unleash The Beast event.
Below are Watson’s favorite images from the PBR Wrangler Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
To see more Bull Stock Media images, follow along @Bullstockmedia (Instagram & Facebook) or check out bullstockmedia.com.
“Boudreaux Campbell marches through the fire in front of a crowd that would be considered less than acceptable six months ago, but today it is a huge success to be able to have them there with us. We are thankful every day we are able to work and entertain our fans and can’t wait to pack them in again.”
“While looking for the “big picture” during our events, you always have to be on the lookout for the small ones, too. Using the moody light during the opening you can find these small moments.”
“It’s funny to think of the arena being a safe place at a PBR event, but with these guys standing guard, one can rest assured that help is always near.”
“It’s bubble season (not just the COVID kind) at the PBR, and when you’re on it, you need to give it everything you’ve got. Taylor Toves hangs on to a bucker here to help him move up the ladder a little closer to a World Finals qualification. The determination in a guy’s face always makes a photo stand out to me.”
“Brennon Eldred is having fun! I love watching a rider get hot coming into the Finals. The confidence of coming off an event win seems to have a magic spell, and next thing you know they’re riding bulls like World Champion Smooth Operator. I can’t wait to see what the next month holds for Brennon.”
“These two photos go hand in hand. Let’s start with the bulls. The D&H Cattle breeding program is at work here. The first is SweetPro’s Bruiser and Daylon Swearingen, and the second is Hocus Pocus and Cooper Davis. Both bulls are nearly identical in terms of color, horns, bucking style, and temperament. Then you look at the cowboys… Same sponsor and look. One may feel these comments may not bear much significance. But, in my line of work they do. I am tasked with identifying each and every photograph I take for PBR. These two rides occurred back to back. One could have easily labeled one as the other. But, great attention to detail MUST be paid to make sure similar photographs are tagged correctly in order to go on and live properly in the PBR archive. That being said, I still can’t get over the similarities.”
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