I’m not sure whether this is something that I’m only guilty of, or if there are a lot more folks out there that do the same thing. What is it? I’m going to refer to it as “tweaking”, or in some respects not leaving well enough alone.

It is my tendency to rewind just about everything from working cattle to getting out this magazine and then look for ways that we can just make it a “bit” better. It’s probably not a great habit to have, but it can sure keep your mind occupied on long road trips. I’ve worked out getting through the airport security line “tweaked” about to perfection on good days, and I’ve got my commute at any given time of the day down to the minute. Do I drive folks around me nuts? Without a doubt! When it comes to magazines, I’ve found that one has to tread very carefully.

Most folks like to see consistency in their monthly reading material and come to like what they expect without the scenery changing too often. So I work hard at leaving the redo alone in that department. The phase “there’s always room for improvement”, could easily be my personal slogan. Just take a look at the amazing 2006 Photo Contest results that you’re holding in your hands. The competition was stronger then it has ever been, and we had 187 entries, from all over our western states. Just how am I going to go about “tweaking” such a remarkable event? Well, it occurred to me while logging the many entries in, that there were a considerable number of them from juniors in our readership, so next year we are going to open up one category to let the kids pick up those cameras and see what they can snap. Then as I struggled to break the photos out into categories so that our judges could deliberate over them without being overwhelmed, my “tweaking” went into overtime. What an amazing category we could have if we listed “one” object as a subject for them to photograph. It would certainly step up the competition, and let the creative juices fly.

After some thoughtful consideration, here is what I arrived at. What is it that most of us go in and out of on a daily basis and what is it that if handled correctly keeps our lives in order, and if not handled correctly can cause chaos? The correct answer is “gates”. The range of types and qualities of gates come in so many variations that this seems like it might be a photographers dream. So those of you reading this editorial grab your cameras and head for the door because the “official” announcement of this special category for the 2007 Western Cowman Photo Contest hits our pages in the December issue. For now I’ll stop the tweaking and dive right into the delight the 2006 Contest has been.

Our first “People’s Choice” category provided a wide range of photo types and certainly attracted lots of votes. The judges this year really had their work cut out for them, assisting us in this endeavor was Dean Fortunati, that name may seem familiar with many of you as he is the illustrator for “The World According the Hooter McCormick” series that appear in this magazine. Dean has a creative eye and an art talent that is amazing, coupled with his Montana ranching background he was a perfect choice to evaluate our entries.

Julie McMahon French from Michigan, who owns Creative Exchange and has been in the cattle industry her entire life, generously gave us her time and amazing talent to assess this year’s entries. Julie’s background in ad design and promotion development gave her a unique perspective as she evaluated each entry.

Last but certainly not least is our longtime friend of this contest John Dickinson, the American Angus Association Fieldman in California. John has been judging this event since its inception. John always brings a fresh perspective to the table and the knowledge of how the depth of quality has improved from year to year, as the numbers continue to increase. My thanks go out to each of our judges for spending the hours it took to appraise all of our entries.

Take the time to enjoy this special issue of beautiful photographs and don’t miss the great reads we’ve included as well. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you that took the time to send us your entries and share your stories in the 2006 Western Cowman Photo Contest. As I head off on next months trail and the holidays that wait, I want to wish all of you and your families a warm and abundant Thanksgiving Day. Happy Trails….