Hidden West: Rodeo Life in Florida
Beyond Florida’s beaches and theme parks, a vibrant Western culture quietly thrives across the state. Started in November 2025, this project documents the contemporary rodeo scene across Florida from the perspective of an outsider seeking to understand and support a rarely seen community. This will be a written narrative developed with the support of writer and editor Kayla Green, capturing voices of spectators, participants, and photographers following the rodeo circuit.
Why It Matters
This work preserves a living cultural tradition that remains largely unseen, building a bridge between urban audiences and rural communities through authentic human stories of identity, belonging, and perseverance.
About the budget
Each photographer determines their own budget, and if the objective minimum amount is reached, the photographer receives it in its entirety.
Juan’s budget is $3,500, which includes photographer fees, fieldwork for deeper storytelling, production, travel, post-production, and editing.
He will produce the story for Issue V if at least 50% ($1750) of the funds are raised by the 20th of May 2026.
If this fundraising goal is not met, funders will be given the option to either be reimbursed or to put the donation towards the production of the magazine.