Cowboys & Sweethearts ▌Sierra Vista Photographer, Arizona


At last! Here is a selection from last week's "18 Annual Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering", a celebration that took place right here in Sierra Vista, AZ, including artists from all over the United States and Canada. I had the exciting task of capturing the artists during several performances as well as during an after hours jam session held at the Windemere Hotel. My only problem was finding the right time to go home each night! I hope they will let me return next year, and hopefully I won't be 34 weeks pregnant, and hopefully I will be able to stay late into the wee hours of morning because the jam session shots (the closer candids) are some of my absolute favorites. Where I was able, I tried to list the name of the artist in the image. All of the images I captured during the weekend (there are at least a hundred more) will be available to view and purchase coming this March. When I have a link for that gallery I will post it here. In the meantime, if you wish to be notified when those images are ready, please email me your contact info. And please, feel free to leave comments!

Boots, courtesy of Dennis Gaines, Kerrville, Texas.

Poet Jerry "Brooksie" Brooks, Sevier, Utah.

Co-Chair Mike Barker awaits his next introduction.

K.W. "Skelly" Boyd, of The Desert Sons, Tucson, Arizona.

Dawn Moon and daughter, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Ken and Lyn Mikell, Cottonwood, Arizona.

Tie detail; everyone came out wearing their finest duds in support of Cowboy traditions!

Doris Daley, Alberta, Canada.

Michael and Dawn Moon enjoy a tune during Saturday night's jam session.

Laurie and Cora Wood, in my humble opinion the toughest act to follow, Encampment, Wyoming.

Cora Rose Wood, is an energetic second grader who has released her very own CD Cora's Cowgirl Yodel. Bright eyed, adorable, polite, with a big voice and an even bigger heart!

Cowboy Poet of the Year (2000) Larry Maurice, Reno, Nevada.

Folklorist Tony Norris, of Flagstaff, Arizona, improvises during a jam session at the Windemere.

One of my favorite images, musician Jon Messanger.

Buckaroos eager to serve a hot cowboy lunch!



Son of Michael and Dawn Moon, showing his talents during the jam session late Saturday night.

5 comments:

Julie Rivera said... at February 21, 2010 at 7:27 PM

How on EARTH did you get all those low light shots to look so clear?! Oh, you are definitely going to be invited back for next year's event and you might even be able to toss back a shot of whiskey with some of those cowboys. :) Love the detail shots, but the stage action is wonderful, too. Can't imagine how you will make it through all your images!

Unknown said... at February 22, 2010 at 9:02 AM

Wow! is all I can say. You did such a wonderful job with your use of light and contrast. I know each of the artists is going to want a copy. Thank you for sharing your talent with the Gathering.

Lang Secrest
Volunteer Chairman

Bisbeeblue said... at February 22, 2010 at 10:19 AM

Karyn, Your photos, not just CCPMG, are down right purtifull! God+ Bless you, yours and the loved one in the oven!
David Walker
Western Heritage CoChair

Charity said... at February 22, 2010 at 11:02 AM

Wonderful, artistic photos that capture the essence of the Gathering. Thanks for sharing your talent with us.

Charity Webster
Sponsorship Co-Chair

ihavemostlybeen said... at February 24, 2010 at 2:36 AM

The Tony Norris and Jon Messenger (I hope I am getting their names right) photos are absolutely stunning, love them.