Crystal Wise
Christopher “Click” Thompson says he was surprised how quickly he became comfortable capturing images of rodeos and other Western events over a decade ago. After all, he didn’t grow up in the circuit or even ride horses as a kid. But something inside him (dare we say it?) clicked when he was in this type of environment.
Ironically, Thompson’s calling might not have come to fruition if it hadn’t been for a chance outing with a friend in 2011. At this point, Thompson had spent most of his life in Gloucester, a small town on the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia. He’d studied graphic design at Virginia State University, which led to a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Savannah College of Art & Design in photography. The latter taking place after he’d discovered his true calling.
The Virginia outing that changed Thompson’s life, believe it or not, Texans, was a rodeo.
“I think where I was in Virginia, there’s so many things that are just right under your nose, and you never see it,” he says. Thompson took to rodeos like a duck to water. After attending just one, he began looking for ways to stay connected to the event — to feel its energy again.
Crystal Wise
“I quickly found a group of people that would have a couple of [rodeos],” Thompson says. “Before I knew it, I was probably going to maybe five to 10 events a year.”
Besides these rodeo events helping Thompson build his portfolio, the muck, mud, and action also inspired him to think in images before and after each shoot.
“There’s always something new to photograph, and it was the first time I kind of woke up and went to sleep thinking about pictures. I would wonder, ‘How can I create this?’ And I would be like, ‘Man, I would love to maybe try and capture a picture from this angle and not die.’”
His love for capturing images at the rodeo would eventually be the catalyst for Thompson to escape his day job working as a photographer for the Department of Defense. “On the weekends I was capturing some good stuff, so it was hard to come back on the weekdays to shoot anything but rodeos,” he says. “It was like a Batman and Robin thing. I would be Batman on the weekends shooting rodeos and then Robin on the weekdays working from my desk.”
Crystal Wise
Thompson did this juggle for years until he eventually loaded up his truck to make the two-day journey from Virginia to Texas to stake his claim in the Lone Star State. “I was coming to Texas five to 10 times a year, and I think logistically it was just easier to get from coast to coast. And every time I come out here, it just felt like Fort Worth was the place. It’s definitely the headquarters for the Western industry in general, but there’s so many other aspects and tycoons and just people of influence around that you just never know who you’re going to run into.”
Doing rodeo photography full time, Thompson’s managed to rack up his fair share of accolades, including being selected as the official photographer of the National Finals Rodeo, and being voted by the members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association as the Photographer of the Year in 2022.
With his foot placed firmly in the stirrup of Cowtown, Thompson, who is still busy living his Batman persona full time, has now taken up teaching photography to other aspiring image takers.
“I think my interests and pursuits have changed a little bit in recent years,” Thompson says. “And it’s funny because when I’m teaching people, I really focus heavily on their technical understanding of the camera and how it works. I think if you have a solid foundation there, everything else will kind of take care of itself.”
But Thompson agrees, no matter how much training a photographer has, nothing can prepare them for what happens in that split-second moment when the shutter clicks and captures an image.
“Even with all the technology now, there’s certain things that happen when you hit the button that you just can’t explain,” he says. “The sun moves the shadow, somebody moves, and you get a glare somewhere or something — it can frustrate you at times — but when it works in your favor, it’s beyond satisfying.”
