Not his first rodeo: Ivan McClellan shines light on Black cowboys, cowgirls.

Ivan McClellan is a rodeo photographer who has suffered injuries while shooting, but has found a niche in Black rodeo culture, leading to exhibitions and ad campaigns, as well as the creation of the Juneteenth Rodeo in Portland.

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) -- At rodeo events, Ivan McClellan has suffered a broken arm and cuts, and he has run from bulls and jumped over and ducked under fences. It ain’t easy being in rodeo — even for a photographer documenting the people living and playing in the western culture and lifestyle. The job can be perilous.

“I’m taller than most people, and I always crouch down to get the shot from the angle I want,” he said. “That’s the most harmful thing I do.”

McClellan grew up in Kansas City on five acres of land, and the extent of his “cowboying” happened after church. The family would drive by a ranch, and he would beg his grandma to stop, so he could ride a horse. It exposed him early to cowboy culture.

The Northeast Portland resident doesn’t do rodeo himself, but McClellan has found a niche as a rodeo photographer, particularly traveling to Black rodeos and immersing himself in the world of Black cowboys and cowgirls. He shoots portraits, behind-the-scenes photos and some action, all with his trusty Fuji X-E1 camera and 32mm Zeiss lens, and created the living photo collection called “Eight Seconds.”

And, it has led to big things, including work for western outfitter Tecovas and other ad campaigns, and some exhibitions, including showing “Eight Seconds” in his first solo show in Portland at Blue Sky Gallery through June 29. He’s also produced a book, “Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture.” But, the biggest thing has been the formation of the Juneteenth Rodeo in Portland, a celebration of Black rodeo culture and commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States in 1865.

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