Ranch Beef - Carson Valley, Nevada

Anderson Cattle Company - 2A Cattle Co.

Carson Valley, Nevada

This whole cowboy project “officially” started 3+ years ago through a series of random events that landed me at a bull sale in Gardnerville, Nevada. There I met Spencer Anderson of the Anderson Cattle Co. We wound up chatting, and after explaining to him what I was trying to do, he invited me to his cattle branding that would take place a few months down the road. At the time, I was as green as can be, so the whole thing was an eye opening experience to say the least. A look into the Western world that I’d been searching for. Spencer and his wife Jessica were the first people to let me IN - a debt I can never repay. They are first generation cattle ranchers with leases in Carson Valley, Nevada and Chico, California. I was immediately struck by not only their kindness, but their passion for the business and lifestyle. It was contagious. Over the years we’ve developed a friendship that I’m extremely grateful for, which came full circle when they asked me to produce some work for them, and later trusted me to tell their story in Working Ranch Magazine. They are as real as it gets, being very open about their struggles getting to where they are today - an incredibly refreshing contrast to the bullshit personas the rest of the world portrays on Instagram. Stories like theirs need to be told because it can inspire other people to follow their dreams in the same way.

If you’d like to get some of their beef shipped directly to your home, visit their website 2A Beef

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Cattle ranching in Carson Valley, Nevada

Anderson Cattle Co - Carson Valley, Nevada

Ranch direct beef in Carson Valley, Nevada

Cowboy Culture Photography

Cattle Branding - Cowboy Photography - American West

Trying to get caught up on posting, but it’s not a strongpoint. Here are a handful of images made at a cattle branding in Smith Valley, Nevada last month. Such a great time. The anticipation and building excitement when everyone arrives and saddles there horses is tangible. Thankful to be a part of it and can’t wait for the next shoot of this series in general. The entire culture surrounding their way of life is really fascinating and something that needs to continue to be documented as a piece of American history.

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Cowboy Photographs

Cowboy Photography - Prints - American West Wall Art

Western Photos - Cowboy Culture

Had a conversation with a buddy the other day about hunting/fishing which came after a very unproductive outing that certainly wasn’t from a lack of effort. When you put time into either of those sports it can be frustrating to get skunked. Frustrating isn’t a strong enough word actually. My most recent trip was a few weeks ago on the lower Owens River outside of Bishop, CA. Felt like I was doing everything right but results said the opposite. The fish were rising and eating bugs off the top. Every bug that is, besides mine. Kept changing flies, moving locations, water depth, yada yada yada. Not so much as a nibble. Later in the day I ran across a lady about 75 years old who had just pulled in a nice brown trout and quickly mentioned that it was her first time ever fly fishing. Ok, I thought, this place is going to be a Hand Out. Hour and a half later, not a damn thing. So I sat on the tailgate drinking a beer at sunset staring at the pastel sky saying out loud “I fuckin hate fly fishing” to absolutely no one. Which obviously isn’t true, but my ego was damaged and I was tired. And when you’ve been fishing for any amount of time, you realize that’s just how it goes sometimes. Back to that conversation. We talked about how boring it would be if you went out every day and netted 20 monster trout. Or were guaranteed to hit your limit of ducks, deer, elk, whatever it is you’re after. No, that would suck. That is not a sport. Where is the fun in that? There is none.

It’s probably a stretch to make a comparison, but that’s the way I feel about morning light. Later afternoon light for that matter too. It’s so good that you want to hit the pause button on the sun to make it stay in that position, barely peaking over the horizon. Crisp. Golden. Tasty. Then you realize a lot of the appeal is due to it’s fleeting nature. Morning/evening shots wouldn’t be as desirable if you could make them all day. It’s fun to dream though. Out on a ranch, mornings are special. Really special. You’re lucky to get a couple good frames in before that light is gone. And that is one of the many factors that what will keep me going back again and again and again.

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Bull Sale - Nevada

Bull Auction - Western Photos - Nevada - Bull Sale

Cattle Ranching - Culture - Photography

Been spending a lot of time up in Nevada outside of Lake Tahoe for a commercial client, but it’s grown into a lot more than that. I really enjoy the country up there and have taken to photographing various aspects of it. Not the land so much, but everything that goes along with it. The ranches, horses, people. etc. One morning I was shooting with a girl who owned a couple wild mustangs (will be posting those images soon). We finished shooting by about 9 am, so I had the rest of the day to kill, with the commercial shoot following the next day. Was pretty beat from not sleeping much the night before, so I pulled off into the local firehouse parking lot to make a tailgate sandwich. That’s where the day took a turn. Two guys in a truck rolled up and asked if I knew where the bull auction was. We talked for a minute or two, and next thing you know I was at the bull auction. Figured why the hell not? It’s a world completely foreign to me, so why not check it out. I have no plans on buying a bull, but it sure sounded like a fun event to photograph.

If I haven’t said this before, the camera is a passport. One of the many things I love about photography. It’s opened doors and taken me to places I never would have thought about. And the older I get, the more curious I become about interacting with and documenting other people and other cultures that are the opposite of my own. It’s so much fun to learn how other people live in different parts of the world. Sure, this part of Nevada is only 8 hours away from my home in San Diego, but it’s a different world. I used to be obsessed with the need to travel to far off countries in order to experience other cultures. Exotic travel is great, but there is so much culture right here in America that can easily be taken for granted.

I loved being a silent witness at the bull auction right from the start. The people were so inviting when I introduced myself and told them what I was doing. Everything about the event was stimulating. The sights, sounds, and smells. I’m from a small town in Upstate New York, and prefer to spend as much time as possible in the country/mountains, but have never seen anything like this in person. Hope to be showing you a lot more of this in the future.

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