"Every morning spent on ranches across America has one thing in common. They all start well before the sun rises and in the calm of the early hours. The air is still, and the empty landscape is calm and hasn't awoken just yet. Before long, the silence is broken and gives way to the sounds of distant cow bellows, calves bawling, horses' hooves beating into the ground, and the sound of steel from a cowboy's spurs echoing across the landscape. It's a melody every cowboy knows very well. The sounds bring life to each morning, and it's a ritual I will never get tired of hearing. To me, the details of this lifestyle are sometimes far greater to document than the typical epic romantic western scenes. This photograph was taken up in Montana just south of the town of Dillon and close to the northern border of Idaho. It was captured just one day after I was attacked by a bear six hours east near the Bighorn Canyon. I remember that morning, after the cowboys had gathered all of the cow/calf pairs for branding, muttering in a low voice to the ranch manager that I was attacked by a bear just the day before, as I was having a hard time fully extending my arm to close the wire gate. Feeling helpless and defeated with such a simple task, the ranch manager replied with a grin on his face in disbelief as he lent me a hand. He then introduced me to the rest of the crew, who all came up with their own nicknames for me. Throughout the day, I did my best to keep my left arm pinned to my side as I held the camera up to my eye to prevent ripping the fresh sutures that lined my armpit. Sweat rolled down my face from the brim of my hat as the afternoon sun beat down on us. The day presented me with a routine of switching between both my camera and bottles of water to stay hydrated. As my energy would fade, I would dip my hand back into the bag of half-melted donuts that were stashed up front in one of the pickups. My body hopped up on antibiotics, along with the lack of sleep and food in my body, made things interesting, but the joy that I am surrounded by in these moments makes it all worth it. This particular moment was one of my favorites as it showcases the artistry in the spurs and the sun-blistered leather chinks that this cowboy was wearing. Truly a day I'll never forget."