Thomas Boyd

Rodeo dance in Eugene, Oregon.  2007

Thomas Boyd (b.1966, USA) graduated from Portland State University after a four-year enlistment in the Marine Corps. In 1993 he was hired as a staff photographer at The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Washington. In 1997 he was hired as a staff photographer at The Register-Guard where he was recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Thurston High School shooting. In December, 2007 he joined the The Oregonian. His work has been published in a broad range of publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, ESPN The Magazine and U.S. News and World Report. In 2006, he was a featured speaker and team leader at the Eddie Adams Workshop.

About the Photograph:

“When I shot this photo, I’d been shooting extensively in various nightclubs and bars across the U.S. In this case, I heard there was a dance after the Eugene Pro Rodeo so I stayed to check it out. This was a very different venue than I had ever shot in. It was actually a huge indoor horse arena.”

“The guys were real rodeo cowboys and were comfortable with the cameras. Some had remembered me from behind the chutes during the rodeo. It’s always nice to have free run of a place. Like any nightlife venue, I look for interesting light first and station myself there. I shoot mostly available light and always like when there are two or three colors of light. The biggest problem I had was not lack of light, but one color of light, which is deal killer. There’s just no way to make that work for what I’m trying to do. For the building blocks of this photo, I just needed to wait for the right moment. I always like seeing quirky body language and thought it was interesting the way the woman raised her full glass of beer when the guy came in for a kiss. She managed to dance, kiss and not spill a drop. This photo is part of a series called Cover Charge.”