Matt Cohen Photo Workshop

Gilroy Rodeo 2019

The Matt Cohen Photo Workshop at the Gilroy Rodeo was an important investment in my education. I’d like to think of myself as an artist but the fact of the matter is that photography has some very technical points. Therefore I try to hone some of those technical skills whenever possible.

I’ve known about Matt Cohen for awhile. He’s amazing. Mr. Cohen is one of the top rodeo photographers in the world. Matt can make you feel something in an action shot the way no one else can in my humble opinion. His approach to action and rodeo photography is with a fine art mindset. That alone is mind blowing to me.

Sometimes I approach my own portrait work with a high fashion mind set but I had never thought of action that way.

Matt really thinks about his approach well before the rodeo begins and looks at arena maps and angles and REALLY plans his shots beforehand. As a result, he likes to get in people’s faces to convey emotion. Therefore he uses elements like fringe, dirt, blur and straining muscles to convey a clear message. I am here for it.

It was exciting to meet Matt but I was also extremely nervous. Shyness runs rampant in me and I had heard that he critiques your images in a very cut and dry manner. Then he creates a video of your critique and posts it on YouTube. Yikes! As a result, I was NERVOUS. I tend to be a very harsh critic to myself so I don’t usually need any “extra” from outside sources. Therefore, signing up for this workshop was taking myself WAY out of my comfort zone.

Within five minutes of meeting Matt and hearing him talk to our group, all those fears were quickly squashed. I could tell he was matter of fact and that it truly comes from a place of wanting to make you better. Essentially he’s not there to stoke your ego, but rather tell you how to improve. Which is the whole point of why you sign up for a workshop right? If you already knew everything you wouldn’t need to go. I’m a firm believer that there is always something more to learn.

Seconds after bringing my camera to my face and taking my first shot of the day, Matt walked up to me with a critique. “That image is going to be boring. You took it from an angle that anyone can take an image from. Be different. Take the shot that no one else sitting in the stands can take.” His first sentence to me directly was a mind bomb combined with a huge light-bulb moment. He read my face to ensure I was comprehending what he had said. He almost seemed to subtly check that he hadn’t hurt my feelings. In that moment I knew I had signed up for the right workshop.

The workshop was three days even though I was only able to sign up for one of the days. I learned a ton in that one day alone! While I didn’t accomplish my goal of learning panning, I at least attempted it and ended up with one semi-decent shot. Matt reminded me that that particular technique is pretty tricky and that it is something that needs to be practiced long term in order to get. Which made me feel a lot better. I have zero problem with a “journey” to accomplish something. It’s not an overnight thing; it’s a journey.

HUGE thanks to Matt Cohen for hosting this workshop and to the Gilroy Rodeo for letting us camera nerds attend and learn. Rodeo certainly is a family of people that are all about hard work and perseverance. While I don’t intend on becoming a rodeo photographer, I learned some new techniques and gleaned a fresh new mindset on ways to approach different types of work. Maybe I can employ some of these new techniques at this year’s branding season!

View a handful of images from the day below. If you’d like to see my video critique click here.