Adobe Stock Contributor Series: Cowboys and Horses

When a Contributor describes a photo, you get a chance to step inside it, to be encompassed by the sounds, smell, temperature and visual display. Listening to photographer Jeanne Provost describe her thrilling and vivid ‘Cowboys and Horses’ series, we could almost taste the grit.

“The first few years I shot in film and it was very difficult to change rolls in all the dust. Then the digital era began and suddenly my job was much easier,” says Provost. “Once a year, photographers would meet in the fall from around the world and the ranch hands, cowboys, a few cowgirls put on a show for us at dawn and dusk each day. I always held two cameras around my neck (covered in dust bags), a bandana around my nose and mouth to keep the dust out, and shot like crazy! The key was to move around, up and down, and get different shots quickly. One year we talked them into running 30 horses for us and it was amazing. The power of the horses, the beauty of the golden light, the amazing personalities of these “true” cowboys and cowgirls, and the most important thing, the dust! Without the dust these photos would not have the same feeling.

These were taken on a ranch called Rock Springs Ranch in Bend Oregon. For years it was a dude ranch that families visited every year. Sadly, Rock Springs Ranch sold out to a big company, the horses were all sold, the cowboys and cowgirls scattered around the US.These are some of my favorite photos as well as I have a great love for horses, as well as ‘the cowboy.’ I feel so lucky I found this when I did.”

See a sample of Provost’s work below or check out her full Adobe Stock portfolio here.