Aaron Agosto Captures Softness in Montana Rodeo Series

Photographer Aaron Agosto, based in Montana's Flathead Valley, has created a series titled "Brash Rodeo" focusing on Montana's longest running open rodeo. The rodeo is run by Vance Brash, who moved from Pittsburgh in 2017 and built his home by spring 2020. Agosto, initially expecting a violent spectacle, was drawn to moments of softness in light and interactions, challenging his preconceptions of the American West as rugged and hyper masculine. The project became a way for him to connect with a place and culture not his own, revealing a more nuanced view of the West beyond its mythology of rugged individualism and poetic solitude. The series is featured on Booooooom, which also promotes its "Tomorrow's Talent 5" book and a secret email club.