Like Father Like Son

With this photo I became the first living photographer ever inducted into the Atherton Fine Art Gallery of the National Cowboy Museum.

I was at the inaugural Founders Day Rodeo in Boley, Oklahoma when I noticed them.

Two gentlemen with an electric chemistry — laughing, encouraging one another. The world around them had faded into the background and they seemed to be the only two people to exist. Their bond was absolutely undeniable.

Poised, I waited for my moment. Then I squatted down and framed them against the sky. Their clean white tank tops felt holy to me. I wanted the heavens behind them.

I later learned they were father and son.

This image speaks to the heart of the Black cowboy tradition: enduring across generations, passing from father to son against every odd stacked against it. That's what I saw in the viewfinder. It was my humble privilege to witness and capture this moment.

Own a print of it. Made by my hands, on archival paper rated to last over 200 years.