Wyoming native Dan Hubbell started taking photos at Cheyenne Frontier Days™ in 1989 when he found that his old college hobby of shooting photos in between bareback rides could come into use as his daughter started her barrel racing career. By 1990, Dan had the Hubbell Rodeo Photo operation running out of a fifth-wheel darkroom, developing photos as soon as they were taken at rodeos across the country. Dan was awarded the PRCA Photographer of the Year award in 2000 and eventually switched to fully digital photography in 2002, after which he realized it was teamwork that would truly make his career happen.
In 2008, Dan started traveling with his wife Linda, living in a fifth-wheel for nine months out of the year. Since then, their teamwork consisted of Dan shooting rodeos during the day and handing Linda his photo card as soon as the show finished. Once the photos were in hand, Linda started her work, downloading the images, editing them, and preparing them for print. Cowboys often gathered around Linda’s table outside the CFD ready-room, getting prints of their recent rides whether from Cheyenne or their last stop on the circuit.
This operation worked smoother than butter, and Hubbell Rodeo Photos have been used in many Cheyenne Frontier Days™ souvenir programs and other publications over the years. Dan even had his own exclusive spot in the arena, right outside of the camera pit near the swinging gate leading to the track, which has turned out to be a great spot; far away from the hustle and bustle behind the chutes and in the photography pit.
Outside of the CFD Arena, Dan’s photographs are known throughout the rodeo world and have been spotlighted many times in PRCA Rodeo Sports News. Through the years, Dan and Linda have also taken and processed photos of rodeo contestants in Greeley, Colorado; Pendleton, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; Red Bluff, California; Oakdale, California; Clovis, California; Ellensburg, Washington; the College National Finals and the Wrangler National Finals. Dan Hubbell was awarded the PRCA Photographer of the Year award again in 2019 and has been one of two in-arena photographers for the National Finals Rodeo for over 20 years, longer than any recorded photographer. Dan and Linda retired in 2020 after COVID-19 restricted their travels. By that time, they had captured 31 years of Hubbell photography at CFD.