- [Rodeo Announcer] Sure and show your appreciation to all of these folks for making Minnesota State High School Rodeo possible.

(epic rock music) - I'm Chloe Hatzenbeller, I've been doing rodeo photography for about 10 years now, 11?

(epic rock music) I've been traveling kind of all over and doing this for the fun of it.

And my good hobby became a good business for me.

(epic rock music) So I typically just try to keep the one lens and body on me, so I'm not hauling this whole bag around 'cause it just gets way too much.

I don't wanna wreck anything.

I did have a horse, one time, step on my bag with all my gear in it.

Everything survived.

Nothing broke, thank God.

But yeah, it scared the crap outta me.

Her horse was just getting outta hand and I had to just drop and run and watch my bag.

So the challenges of rodeo, it's everything.

You don't get a second chance to take the pictures, to get the shot and the lighting is usually crap.

But yeah, you just don't get second shots to take the picture over again.

It's not like people are posing for these and you just gotta photograph the action as best you can.

(smooth country music) The thing I enjoy most about the rodeos is the people.

They're just, everyone's so down to earth, they're very fun to be around, that's what I like about it.

(epic country music) I've taken hundreds of thousands of photos over the years, but one of my favorite photos, it was, I think, the first or second year I started rodeo and it was a downpour in Clearwater, Minnesota.

This bull, just as he was bucking, he was straight up and down, the rider was straight up and down.

The colors were just perfect.

I froze the rain and that's one of my favorite pictures.

It had a lot of acknowledgement and it was just a fun one to take.

(bright country music) In 2019, I received the Central Bull Riders and Barrel Racers Association Photographer of the Year.

I was going to five events per month in that summer.

So I had about, it ended up being around 19 to 20 events within four months.

At the end of the year, they did their finals bulls and barrels event, and then they presented awards on the last day and since I went to so many of their events, I ended up getting the Photographer of the Year award and that was huge, I liked that a lot.

It was fun and I was very proud of myself for that.

(calm rock music) Growing up in Madison, it's just the perfect little small town, I love it here.

You go anywhere, you know at least one person and they all kind of know you, too.

It helps when you're one of the only adopted Korean kids in town, but yeah, you stick out.

But yeah, it's a fun little small town.

There's always something going on here, it seems like.

(epic country music) I loved growing up on the farm.

You just, you can kind of wake up and do whatever you want to.

I mean, we went for four-wheeler rides all the time.

My brothers had a dirt bike that they would jump the road with, but I used to, in high school, I would wake up at like five in the morning or four in the morning to go ride horse before it got too hot outside.

It's just the freedom to kind of do whatever you want out on the farm with, you know, legally.

(laughing) (intense music) A little baby, you don't want one?

Yeah, you do!

Rodeo's a very American, down-to-earth, good old boys sport.

There's a lot of people that think they can do it, that think they can handle it, they don't realize how much time and effort it takes into it.

They don't see the behind the scenes that everybody else does, either.

The training during the week and with their horse or bull riders, if they're training on their own bucking dummies, they actually have robotic dummies that they can just practice where their body is gonna be.

Barrel racers are training, riding their horses, working patterns, getting 'em conditioned.

Same with ropers and everyone, everyone's training.

And so it's not for everyone, but it's definitely an American pastime.

(epic music) (upbeat music) - [Narrator] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by Margaret A Cargill Philanthropies, Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota.

On the web at shalomhillfarm.org.

Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at explorealex.com.

The Lake Region Arts Council's Arts Calendar, an arts and cultural heritage funded digital calendar showcasing upcoming art events and opportunities for artists in west central Minnesota.

On the web at lrac4calendar.org.

Playing today's new music plus your favorite hits, 96 7 KRAM, online at 967kram.com.

(upbeat music)