Joe Ng | Vancouver Documentary & Action Photographer - Adrenaline & Americana: Cloverdale Rodeo

The Peak of the Arc. Sony A1 + 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II. Processed with Cobalt Neutral. To capture the raw physics of a bronc ride, you need the A1’s stacked sensor. Cobalt Neutral provides a linear baseline that preserves the texture of the horse’s coat and the dirt spray without the clinical "Sony Yellow" bias found in standard profiles.

Adrenaline & Americana: Cloverdale Rodeo

Tracking the split-second chaos of the 2025 Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair.

The Cloverdale Rodeo is more than a sporting event; it is a cultural monolith. As a photographer with an engineering background, I see the rodeo as a series of high-velocity variables: 1,500 pounds of muscle vs. eight seconds of human endurance.

My goal was to bridge the gap between the "Machine" (the Sony A1) and the "Scalpel" (the Sony A7CR). I used the A1 to freeze the adrenaline in the arena and the A7CR to document the Americana of the fairgrounds.

The Rhythm of the Fair. Sony A7CR + 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II. Processed with Cobalt Leica M10r Emulation. This represents the "Slow Soul" of the project. The Leica emulation adds a density and warmth to the skin tones and denim that reflects the nostalgic, Americana vibe of the country fair.

The Eight-Second Variable. Sony A1 + 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II. In the chaos of a "wreck," the A1's 30fps is the ultimate data-gathering tool. It allows for the selection of the exact millisecond where the rider loses contact, turning a dangerous moment into a piece of documentary art.

Smoke and Steel. Sony A7CR + 35mm f/1.4 GM. Processed with Cobalt Leica M9 Emulation. The 61MP sensor captures every grain of spice on the ribs. The M9 profile emphasizes the deep, gritty shadows and the "heavy" reds of the sauce, giving the image a tactile, mouth-watering quality.

The Silent Sentinel. Sony A7CR + 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II. A moment of stillness in a day of movement. The wide-angle perspective places the lone barrel in the vastness of the Jamie Rogers Arena, a symbolic nod to the Canadian heritage of the Cloverdale event.

Beyond the Eight Seconds

Rodeo photography is often reduced to the action in the dirt, but the true story of Cloverdale lives in the transition between the arena and the midway. By applying a rigorous technical workflow—mapping the A1’s speed and the A7CR’s resolution to a cohesive color palette—I’ve attempted to document the heartbeat of Americana in the Pacific Northwest.

Joe Ng Photography | Vancouver, BC

Bridging the adrenaline of high-performance sports with the timeless beauty of global travel. A former Fujifilm X-Photographer with a background in Electronic Engineering, I now apply a rigorous technical mindset to the Sony Alpha system.