Shooting a Mamiya 645 at the US Cavalry competition

September 30, 2022 Blog by James Pratt Leave a Comment

I took my grandsons Charlie and Jamison to the 2022 US Cavalry Competition in El Reno, Oklahoma and let them shoot my Nikon digital cameras while I shot film on both my Mamiya 645 and Toyo View VX-125 4×5 film camera.

I once again attended the US Cavalry Competition in old Fort Reno, just west of the Oklahoma town of El Reno. This time I took my grandsons Charlie and Jamison Pratt and let them shoot the event with my Nikon Z digital cameras. I have photographed the event several times and have plenty of great photos, so this time I just let them spend the day photographing the event while I gave tips and suggestions. I also brought my Mamiya 645 film camera and my Toyo View VX-125 4″x5″ film camera and shot some black and white film.

This female active-duty solder mounted on the horse only started riding horses two years prior and was already competing in the much-prized Bolte Cup competition at Fort Reno.

Most of the competitors in the coveted Bolte Cup were actually active-duty soldiers from various forts around the United States.

Soldiers from as far away as California attended the 4-day event in El Reno.

Riders waited their turn to compete in the Bolte Cup, which features horse-mounted saber, rifle, and pistol competition.

This rider just completed his run in the Bolte Cup competition.

While anyone could enter the 2022 US Cavalry Competition in El Reno, Oklahoma, most competitors were active-duty US military soldiers. This gentleman was a retired military soldier who still liked to compete.

I had fun trying to focus and compose with the waist-level finder on the Mamiya 645. I have an eye-level finder for the camera, but what is the fun of that? I might was well shoot with a 35mm camera if I use the eye-level finder.

Toyo VX-125 4×5 film camera

I also brought my much-loved Toyo View VX-125 to the event and shot a few frames for my 4x5x365 project.

One of my favorite photos from the weekend I shot with my Toyo VX-125 large-format camera on a tripod.

I had fun with my large-format Toyo. It takes a long time to compose and shoot one picture, so it requires patience from my subjects.

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Tags: El Reno, Fort Reno, Ilford Delta Pro 100, Mamiya 645, Oklahoma, US Cavalry

James Pratt

I am an Oklahoma based writer, commercial photographer, editorial photographer and adventurer based in Oklahoma City. I love telling stories about people. A motorcycle is my preferred means of travel, and I have over 5,000 hours piloting small airplanes. My editorial photography has been published in hundreds of magazines and my commercial photography has been used by dozens of companies worldwide.

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