Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture, the first book by Ivan McClellan, offers an inside look at Black cowboy culture across the United States in the 21st century, creating a bridge between present and past through sports, community, and love of the land.
In 2015, photographer Ivan McClellan attended the Roy LeBlanc Invitational in Oklahoma, the country's longest-running Black rodeo, at the invitation of Charles Perry, director and producer of The Black Cowboy. Over the next decade, McClellan embarked on a journey across the nation, crafting a multi-layered look at contemporary Black rodeo culture for the new book, Eight Seconds. Whether photographing teen cowgirl sensation Kortnee Solomon at her family's Texas stables, capturing bull riding champion Ouncie Mitchell in action, or kicking it with the Compton Cowboys at their Los Angeles ranch, McClellan chronicles the extraordinary athletes who keep the magic and majesty of the "Old West" alive with high-octane displays of courage, strength, and skill. The book's title refers to the sport of bull riding—athletes must stay on a bull for eight seconds while it bucks and the more hectic the ride, the higher they score.
Ivan McClellan (born 1982 in Kansas City) is a photojournalist and designer based in Portland, Oregon. McClellan has collaborated with western brands like Wrangler, Stetson, and Ariat to elevate Black rodeo athletes, ranchers, and farmers on their platforms. He has also led creative projects for Apple and Instagram. McClellan has exhibited in museums and galleries nationwide including Booth Museum Griffin Museum of Photography, and had his first solo exhibition at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in 2022. His work has been published in Washington Post, ESPN, Elle, i-D, Dazed, and Atmos, among others. McClellan was selected to the 2022 PDN 30.
