Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture

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In 2015, photographer Ivan McClellan attended the Roy LeBlanc Invitational in Oklahoma, the country¿s longest-running Black rodeo, at the invitation of Charles Perry, director and producer of The Black Cowboy. ¿It was like going to Oz ¿ there was all this color and energy, ¿ McClellan says. ¿There was a backyard barbecue atmosphere. People were doing the Cupid Shuffle in their boots, guys riding around on their horses, the old men were in their perfectly starched white shirts with their pinky rings, posted up on their horses. It felt like home.¿ Over the next decade, McClelllan embarked on a journey across the nation, crafting a multi-layered look at contemporary Black rodeo culture for the new book, Eight Seconds. Whether photographing teen cowgirl sensation Kortnee Solomon at her family¿s Texas stables, capturing bull riding champion Ouncie Mitchell in action, or kicking it with the Compton Cowboys at their Los Angeles ranch, McClellan chronicles the extraordinary athletes who keep the magic and majesty of the ¿Old West¿ alive with high-octane displays of courage, strength, and skill. The book¿s title refers to the sport of bull riding ¿ athletes must stay on a bull for a total of eight seconds while it bucks and the more hectic the ride, the higher they score. It¿s an apt metaphor for McClellan¿s devotion to this long-form documentary project, which required him to hone his reflexes, endurance, and stamina to get the picture. With Eight Seconds McClellan honors the highest ideals of independence, integrity, and grit with intimate photographs that preserve the deep-rooted connections between the people and the land.