Artist Journal Entry:
"Sunlight dances across canyon walls, slowly working its way across the valley. Spurs sing in the quiet morning breeze as they jingle along with the rhythm of horse hooves trotting across the land. Cows weave in and out of Mesquite as they march on. The distant sound of cowboys whistling and hollering out while gathering the herd draws closer with every passing minute. Before long, an orchestra of bellows fills the air as the herd is sorted into the pens. The morning is no longer still. Soon after we are met with a beautiful dance composed of cowboys dragging, branding, castrating, and vaccinating calves. The smell of burnt hair fills your nostrils. Dust finds its way into our lungs. Blood mixes in with dirt, completely saturating our boots. High noon brings sweat-soaked hats while the sun burns our skin. There is no shade out here to find rest. The day continues until hundreds of calves have been worked and we're provided with lunch. This photo is a multiple exposure of over sixteen images all shot on the same film frame during branding at the Bell Ranch in New Mexico. The story is one that every cowboy can relate to."