Out West Events 2026 | 4-C Photography: Capturing moments in time  

All photos courtesy Chuck Miner, 4-C Photography 

Rodeo has always been part of Chuck Miner’s life. From high school rodeos to bull riding on the amateur circuit to dabbling in announcing, the arena kept calling him back.  

“I took a shot at the pros, but that lets you know where you stand real fast,” Miner said.  

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These days, Miner shoots with his camera. 

“Now in the rodeo world I’m more known for my photography than I was for riding bulls, but that’s all right,” he said. 

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Miner calls Mandan, North Dakota home, and has lived in western North and South Dakota his whole life. He was announcing at rodeos in his local area after he stopped riding bulls, but then Covid hit and rodeos were shut down. 

“That put a damper on my pursuit of what I wanted to do,” he said. “I just wanted to stay active in rodeo and be a part of it.”  

Miner grew up doing pencil drawings and sometimes played around taking pictures with his phone camera but said “being a photographer wasn’t on my bingo card of life at all.” 

But then someone talked him into buying a camera.  

“Well, what am I going to shoot?” he wondered.  

Rodeo was the obvious answer.  

The first rodeo he shot was a high school practice rodeo in Faith, South Dakota in 2020.  

“I started doing it as a hobby; I just showed up and shot from outside the arena,” he said.  

Miner started sharing the photos he took on social media, tagging riders or their parents. Pretty soon people started asking him what they owed him, and when he tried to tell them not to worry about it, they would insist on giving him something. 

After a while, he realized he could turn his hobby into a viable side gig. The growing demand for his work brought further incentive to up his game. 

“You’ve got to learn, keep advancing, and try to perfect your craft as much as possible,” he said. “Once photographers start creating their own style and get into their niche, people can point to your work and say ‘That’s Chuck’s’ or ‘that’s so and so’s’ – people can tell by your angles and your editing process. It’s good to have a calling card when it comes to displaying your photos.” 

The learning and advancement never ends for Miner. 

“I didn’t know anything about a camera when I started,” he said. “There’s so much detail and intricacy that goes on with learning a camera, from settings to composition to how to frame your subject. I became a student of the game and try to learn as much as I can.” 

Now that he’s in the habit of taking pictures, he sees photographic possibility everywhere. 

“You hate yourself if you miss the opportunity to take something,” he said. 

He always carries his camera and often stops on his way to work to shoot wildlife. 

“When I was a teenager, other kids always made sure they took pictures of stuff. I kind of kick myself because I didn’t, but when you’re young, you live fast and never think you’ll make it past 25.” 

Photography has taken Miner to some of the biggest rodeos in the country. 

“One of the first rodeos I shot when I got my pro card was the American down in Fort Worth, Texas. I’ve done Cheyenne, a couple of Xtreme Bronc [matches], and I was invited to Pendleton this past fall but didn’t get a chance to go.” 

Shooting pro has provided further opportunity to get his work noticed, but he does have a soft spot for the high school rodeos in his area. 

“I’ve been pretty blessed,” he said. “I absolutely love the committees who ask me to shoot high school and other kids’ events. A lot of them are people I used to rodeo with, since I rodeoed in the northwest region in South Dakota. It is fun to see kids I rodeoed with now raising their kids the way we were raised.” 

Shooting the National Finals Rodeo was a definite high point for Miner. 

“I got to go shoot the NFR as a media photographer,” he said. “Photographers for different media outlets or brands that sponsor athletes get to shoot from a designated area. You aren’t one of the official NFR photographers, but you get to go down to Vegas and take pictures.” 

Doors open and doors close, but Miner believes everything happens for a reason. 

“It makes you go out and hustle harder,” he said. “You have to be a salesman and go out and promote your work and let committees know why they should choose you. I was blessed to already have a network in the rodeo community behind me when I started.” 

Miner’s friends would come up to him and say, “I didn’t know you were a photographer,” and he joked, “Neither did I.” 

Miner gives credit to the Lord for blessing him with opportunities. 

“Always be appreciative of what you’ve got,” he said. “I’m still able to walk around an arena, kneel down and move around. Thankfully, my body still operates as good as it can. I’m blessed to be able to do stuff.” 

He does still have to watch his back.  

“I thought my injuries in the rodeo arena were over till last fall,” Miner said. “All afternoon, horses would buck toward me and peel off. I watched this horse coming and realized he’s not peeling off. I climbed the fence, but he just runs into me and I ended up breaking three ribs. I thought my days of getting wrecked were over.” 

Weather can be an inconvenience and a discomfort for the rodeo photographer, just as it is for the competitors. 

“You have to bring rain wear for yourself and your equipment,” Miner said. “You just learn to adapt to the elements. If you’ve been exposed to it, it’s no big shock, you’ve just got to deal with it.” 

The big stages of pro rodeo are exciting, and Miner has enjoyed meeting other shooters from across the country. Every venue is unique, from “The Daddy of ’em All” to Globe Life Field. 

But the hometown high school rodeos are still his favorites. Miner has been the official photographer for the South Dakota state high school finals, the North Dakota state high school finals, and the South Dakota 4-H finals for the past couple of years.  

“For the intimacy, you can’t match a good high school hometown rodeo,” Miner said. “Everyone feels like family. I love the kids and the parents and all of the committees treat me well.” 

While he keeps the shutter button clicking, Miner hopes to start competing again in the “old man’s breakaway.” His friends tease him that he’s the only person they know who was so excited to turn 50 so he would qualify for the event. 

When young shooters ask him for advice, “I tell them to learn the sport,” Miner said. “Learn what judges are looking for, what makes a good ride, and what cowboys and cowgirls are looking for.” 

Anyone can sit in the stands and take a picture, but that is not the same as learning to be a photographer. 

“Experiment with your creativity,” Miner said. “When you capture a moment in time, it becomes an image for that person.”