Old Timers 2012: All the Pretty Horses

Alamo Navajo girl readying her horse for the Old Timers Parade, Magdalena, NM, July 2012

I love the Old Timers parade, for the people-watching and happy kids and, most of all, for the pretty horses. There seemed to be fewer this year, but those that walked were beautiful as always. The photo above was my first shot of the day, as we were walking toward the parade, and it's my one of my favorite shots from the whole day. At left you can see this girl riding (an older relative led her) with such composure and grace, and enough confidence to throw candy to the kids lining the road. I hope she won a prize (I'm going to ask the local newspaper editor if he can get me a list of parade participants), and I definitely see a future Miss Alamo Navajo in the making. Other riders included our friend and local beautician Karolyn Rolston with two "besties" who decked themselves and their horses out in pink and feathers and bling-a-ling... some might not find this fitting for such noble animals, but the horses really didn't seem to care.

Karolyn (at right, on Blue) and her posse, Magdalena, NM, July 2012

The New Mexico State Fair Queen and Little Miss Rodeo New Mexico (both below) were also there, along with the Socorro County Rodeo Queen and various princesses. All are beautifully decked out, and they and their horses have amazing poise given the crowds and noise.

The Valencia County Sheriffs ride every year, nicely attired in a more, shall we say, classic style but with a flash of color that really makes them stand out. They also perform a bit of Western dressage several times along the parade route, much to spectators' delight.

Valencia County Sheriffs, Magdalena, NM, July 2012

A pair of mules pulling a wagon and driver were the prettiest mules I've ever seen...

Mules at work, Magdalena, NM, July 2012

... but "our" mule, Goliath (Doc Rolston's trusted pack mule, who Dad says rides like a Cadillac), has the best personality. He wins admirers wherever he goes, including these two cowgirls who paused from rodeo fun to say Hi.

Goliath with two new friends, Magdalena, NM, July 2012

And Goliath bore Maggie on her second Old Timers parade ride, not even needing to be led by Dad (riding Damacio) because he is gentle and Maggie is fast gaining confidence on horseback. I sat out the parade this year but might have to saddle up again next year because, yeah, there just didn't seem to be enough horses for this classic cowboy-town parade.

Maggie and Dad riding across the rodeo grounds after the parade, Magdalena, NM, July 2012

Old Timers 2012 Preview: Watching the Parade

"Wait for me!" Every year this horse watches the parade go by his home on Kelly Road. Magdalena, NM, July 2012

Magdalena's Old Timers Reunion has come and gone, and I got to see more of it than usual this year. I'm just starting to go through the photos and will post several entries on the various themes. One pleasant surprise: my pics of the rodeo came out much better than I'd expected, given I was using a fairly inexpensive long lens, handheld. Someday I'll start using my tripod... maybe.

The Other Side of the Lens: New Old Timers

My little vaqueros, in the only photo I took today

Today was the big day: Dad, the kids and a friend, and I rode in Magdalena's Old Timers Parade! A while back Dad arranged with a local hunting guide and outfitter to graze his horses on our land north of town, and in exchange he has been taking us on short rides to get us used to the horses (I rode constantly as a kid but until a few weeks ago had been on a horse all of 3 times in the last 20 years) and to lead up to longer rides later this summer. Somehow the subject of the Old Timers Parade came up... and there we were today, with me on the other side of the camera for a change!
  

Dad, looking like a pro riding the steadfast Damacio, led Laz and Maggie on Goliath the Imperturbable Mule

To be honest, it was a lot of fun but also a lot more work than I'd anticipated. The cars, buggies, and other horses in the parade and the big noisy crowds along the route provided far more commotion than the horses are used to, and most people who don't ride have no idea how sensitive horses are to their actions. I sure am now; I've been riding Blaze, one of our friends' stalwart pack and guide horses, and his usually calm self dissolved into a skittering, prancing hot mess as the noise level and crowds grew. The kids' friend was on the paint mare Prescita, who is a bit high-strung but usually sweet-tempered, but who just about jumped out of her skin (and out from under her thankfully-experienced rider) as it all pressed in on her. Big kudos to her for handling Prescita so well and keeping her cool.

The big sis of Maggie's BFF rode the very skittish Prescita, who reared in the middle of Highway 60, and I rode my usual steed, Blaze, who decided to be skittish as well -- we had our hands full but stayed the course.

Dad and the kids had much calmer mounts, and we all made it through by staying calm and focusing on the riding even as we smiled and waved to the crowds. I did have to mouth off a bit (my mama-bear side does come out sometimes) to people who drove or rushed way too close, and I rode right up to the Forest Service trucks to ask them not to blare their horns and sirens, something they'd done in parades past. When we got home, I retired into the A/C to shower and watch movies the rest of the day -- fittingly, The Missing (set and filmed here in New Mexico) was on and I got to enjoy some serious horse action, this time from the comfort of my cool lounge chair....

Post-Processing Experiments



Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache NWR, Feb. 2007/Nov. 2010 (postprocessing), (c) Anne C. Lear





I'm not sure why I've been so quiet (well, entirely absent) here lately, though I must admit that coursework is kicking my butt this quarter, with assignments (as well as the usual discussion posts) due every week. And the cooler weather has slowed down my hiking, hence my photography.... But I'm getting back into the swing of things now that I have Photoshop CS5 and Photomatix (thanks to huge student discounts... so I guess I should stop kvetching about coursework) and am learning new ways to process my photos.

The shots above, from the 2010 Magdalena Old Timers Parade, have both been Photoshopped, but I used a cool technique I just learned on the Digital Photography School web site to enhance the photo on the right, then ran it through Photomatix for tone-mapping (which means something but I'm not sure what; I just know it does something that Photoshop doesn't). VERY nice. I can get really fancy and add all kinds of artistic effects (I especially like the "painterly" setting, which I used in to top image of the dancing cranes) but I do prefer realistic images.... So that's it for now; tomorrow I hope to go to the Bosque del Apache around dusk for some cool bird shots that I'll have fun with in post-processing.

Here's another set... you know, I've wanted a Palomino since I was 6 years old. This one will do.... Anyhoo, again, the left image has been Photoshopped, and the right one is that same image, put through Photomatix.

I spent about 15 minutes playing around with the slider thingies (yes, I'm such a techie) and resetting the image and playing some more, and am very pleased with how much more texture comes out in the second image. So, yes, I'm sold. And I haven't even tried the software's HDR features yet; HDR stands for high dynamic range and refers to a process that combines images to select the best features from each level of exposure and provide good detail in both highlights and shadows. Or something like that. It requires bracketing -- taking multiple exposures of the same shot (underexposed, proper exposure, and overexposed) -- which really requires a tripod, which I don't have right now because it's in the back of my car that is STILL at an Albuquerque repair shop one month after a minor accident. So, yeah, HDR will have to wait. I'd love to see how the crane shot above might turn out with HDR processing, but this version, put through the Photomatix "painterly" tone-mapping process and then Photoshopped with the technique mentioned above, is still pretty cool.



2010 Magdalena Old Timers Parade, Part 3: Sweethearts of the Rodeo

Rodeo Sweethearts, Magdalena, New Mexico, July 2010

What's a Western small-town parade without the queens, princesses, and sweethearts? Every year these ladies dress in their finest, gussy up their horses with ribbons and glitter (I confess I always wanted to ride a prettily decorated horse when I was a kid, though I was happy to ride at all), and smile and wave sweetly to the crowd.

2009 Socorro County Rodeo Queen (Why can't I find her name in news archives?)

Many of these ladies are also accomplished rodeo contestants, honor students, or otherwise highly engaged in their communities; and the rodeo queen, princess, and sweetheart crowns often come not just with accolades but also scholarships to give them a leg up on their futures.

2009 Miss Alamo Navajo, Latanya Apache of Alamo

Being always and forever obsessed with horses, I must admit I glance briefly at these sparkling, accomplished ladies and then stare long and longingly at their beautiful steeds. Miss Alamo Navajo's paint horse (above) is especially striking in both appearance and bearing, and the heart on the forehead of Little Miss Rodeo's mount is just like the one I painted on my favorite horse model lo these many years ago. I never thought about adorning myself, just the horses... but I'll agree that the pretty costumes and sparkly hats make for a fine show indeed.

2010 Little Miss Rodeo New Mexico, Teghann Rose Gonzales of Socorro

2010 Magdalena Old Timers Parade, Part 2: The Kids

Riding on the buckboard, Magdalena Old Timers Parade, July 2010

As I go through my photos from yesterday's parade (I'm still not even halfway through; I got a LOT of shots), my heart leaps when I see images of kids that capture their essential characters and their excitement at riding or walking in the big parade. The parade includes families from town, the area ranches, and the Alamo Navajo Reservation; political candidates, mostly local and a few state-level; and area art, cultural, and other groups. Kids abound both in the parade and on the sidelines, where they scramble to gather up the handsful of candy tossed from the cars or floats. Those in the parade are often dressed up extra-special, and I particularly enjoy seeing the traditional Navajo attire and jewelry, the latter often passed down across many generations. I noticed this year that only the girls and women were dressed as such and then realized this has largely been the case for most if not all of the past seven years I've attended this parade. In past years groups of girls and women also danced traditional Navajo dances during the parade, but I didn't see that last year or this year, and miss it. In any case, the kids really make the parade special, so here are some more shots. Tomorrow, the other stars of the show: the horses.

"Daddy said to throw the candy to the other kids, but what about us??"

2010 Magdalena Old Timers Parade, Part 1: The Queens

I absolutely love the Magdalena Old Timers Parade, and I especially love that the Queen is always an older woman from the community. I have lots more pictures to post but have to go see the kids in a play in Socorro, then have dinner with my good friend Christine. Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

Here Come the Old Timers!

Clark and friends on the Golden Spur Saloon "float" at the Magdalena Old Timers Parade, 2008

Magdalena's annual Old-Timers Reunion starts tomorrow and runs through the weekend, featuring rodeo, arts and crafts, music, dancing, and the always-entertaining Old Timers Parade. I'll be there with my camera; I've gotten some good shots over the past few years and look forward to a great shoot this year. The shot above is one of my favorites; these are not actors in costumes but real-life characters in this western town at the edge of nowhere. I look forward to this great diversion and will be sure to post some pictures of it next week.