Jesse's Team
Tuesday,
10-20-2026
Agenda
YOUR SESSIONS
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5:00 AM - 5:30 AM | Breakfast (Saloon)
6:00Â AM -6:45 AMÂ | Sunrise Wagon Train on RidgeÂ
6:45 AM - 8:15 AM | Wagon Train on Road
10:50 AM – 11:50 AM | Lunch in the Saloon
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM |Â Poker Player
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM |Â Wagon Train Circling
5:30 PM - 6:00 PM |Â Rearing Horses
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM | Dinner in the Saloon
(DETAILS BELOW)
5:00 AM - 5:30 AM | Breakfast
Everyone can grab some breakfast, and get ready for a full day. We’ll go over any last-minute details before heading out for our first shoot of the day.
6:00Â AM -6:45 AMÂ | Sunrise Wagon Train on RidgeÂ
We will return to the same ridgeline location used for our previous sunrise silhouette sessions. This time, we will have three horseback riders, two wagons, and one cow traveling back and forth along the top of the ridge with the rising sun behind them.
Photographers will be positioned along the west road, shooting toward the ridgeline to capture silhouettes of the entire wagon train.
Because we are photographing silhouettes, spacing between the wagons, riders, and cow will be especially important. If they are too close together, their shapes will blend into one large dark mass. However, if they are too far apart, we lose the look of a wagon train. We will work with Jesse to find the right spacing that creates clean, recognizable silhouettes while maintaining a natural-looking scene.
We would like the entire group to travel back and forth along the ridgeline, giving photographers opportunities to capture silhouettes in both directions.
Lisa will coordinate with Jesse by radio or bullhorn to make adjustments to spacing, speed, and positioning as needed. As always, we will rely on Jesse to determine the safest route and appropriate pace for the horses, wagons, and cow.
6:45 AM - 8:15 AM | Wagon Train on Road
For this session, we will move the photographers to the ridgeline, looking down toward the road and the Young Riders House.
We would like the wagon train, consisting of two wagons, three horseback riders, and one cow, to travel along the road from the north end toward the Young Riders House, then loop around and return north to the starting point.
The goal is to capture the wagon train moving naturally through the landscape, with the beautiful mountains providing a dramatic backdrop.
We would like to repeat this loop, giving photographers opportunities to capture the wagon train traveling in both directions and from different angles.
Spacing between the wagons, riders, and cow will continue to be important. We want the group to look like a natural wagon train while maintaining enough separation for each subject to be clearly visible.
Lisa will coordinate with Jesse by radio to make adjustments to spacing, speed, and positioning as needed. Jesse will determine the safest route and appropriate pace for the horses, wagons, and cow.
10:50 AM – 11:50 AM | Lunch in the Saloon
Jesse and his entire team are welcome to join us for lunch in the Saloon. We would love for everyone to take this opportunity to relax and interact with our guests.
We encourage the team to mingle with the photographers and share stories about ranch life, working with horses, and experiences in the movie industry. Our guests will love getting to know the cowboys, and these personal interactions are a big part of what makes the workshop special.
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM |Â Poker Player
For this session, we will need one member of Jesse's team to serve as a model for our Old West poker game scene. We would love to have Preston if he's available, but if not, we're looking for another younger member of the team who would fit the scene.
Our 20 photographers will be divided into four groups of five, rotating through four different portrait stations each hour. This means we will have four separate photography sessions at the poker table between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
This will be a relatively easy assignment, primarily involving sitting at the poker table and posing for photographs.
We will need someone available at this station throughout the four-hour period. If the model needs a break, that's perfectly fine. We just ask that Jesse arrange for a replacement so the station can continue operating during each group's scheduled time.
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM |Â Wagon Train Circling
For this session, our photographers will be positioned on the west side of the ridgeline. We would like the wagon train to circle around the photographers, following the general route indicated on the map.
The goal is to capture the wagon train from a variety of angles as it travels around the group, giving photographers opportunities for head-on, side, and rear-view compositions.
We would like the wagon train to continue circling for as long as reasonably possible, or until approximately 5:30 PM.
As always, we will rely on Jesse to determine the appropriate pace and number of loops based on the horses' condition. Lisa will coordinate with Jesse by radio if any adjustments to spacing, speed, or positioning are needed.
Photographers will remain in their designated shooting area, with Jesse determining a safe route and maintaining appropriate separation between the wagon train and the photographers.
5:30 PM - 6:00 PM |Â Rearing Horses
For our final action shoot of the workshop, we will photograph two rearing horses along the top of the ridgeline, creating dramatic silhouettes against the setting sun.
Photographers will be positioned on the road east of the ridgeline, shooting west toward the sunset.
We will have two different rearing horse setups:
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Horse 1: A rearing horse with a cowboy mounted in the saddle.
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Horse 2: A rearing horse with its handler standing on the ground beside it, with no rider mounted.
We would like to photograph the horses one at a time. While one horse is performing, the other horse and its handler should be positioned far enough away that they are not visible in the photographs. Once we have captured the first horse, we will switch to the second.
Because we are photographing silhouettes, positioning will be especially important. We want a clear, recognizable outline of each horse, with enough separation between the horse and its rider or handler to create a strong composition.
Lisa will coordinate with Jesse by radio or bullhorn to make adjustments to positioning as the light changes. We would love several opportunities to photograph each horse, but we will rely entirely on Jesse and his team to determine the appropriate number of performances and what is safe for the horses.
This will be our final action session of the workshop, and we're hoping to finish with some spectacular sunset images!
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM | Dinner in the Saloon
Following our sunset shoot, we'll return to the Saloon for a catered dinner.
Jesse and his entire team are invited, and we would love for everyone to join us! This is a great opportunity to relax, enjoy a meal, and get to know our photographers.
We encourage the team to mingle with the guests during dinner. Our photographers will love hearing your stories about ranch life, working with horses, and experiences in the movie industry. This kind of personal interaction is a big part of what makes the workshop special, and we know our guests will enjoy getting to know everyone.
During dinner, Lisa will also review the next day's agenda with the photographers.
