Photographer Laureen Carruthers has admired the Williams Lake Stampede posters for as long as she can remember, so when her photograph of a bull rider was selected for the 2012 poster, she was thrilled.
"I never really dreamed that one day one of the posters would be one of my photographs," Carruthers says.
For years she's attended the stampede and taken photographs, and has often had photographs featured in the program.
Now that one of her photographs has made it to the next level, she says "it's very very cool."
The photograph features a bull from C+ Rodeos in 150 Mile House and was selected because it's a bull rider doing a stellar ride.
While she's "certainly" never ridden on a bull herself, she finally sat on one last year out at C+ Rodeos.
Fred Thomas, president of the Williams Lake Stampede Association, says each year the association receives more than 100 submissions for the Stampede poster.
"We've tried to feature some of our local photographers and in the last four years have focused on different events," Thomas says.
With so many to choose from it's not always an easy task, but each year the decision is made.
Aside from shooting the rodeo, Carruthers also photographs weddings, births, family portraits, children and babies.
On May 23 she learned she was a top 10 finalist for This is Canada Photo contest.
She had to submit 10 photographs and was one of 10 photographers chosen from 800 that had submitted 5,000.
"It's been a good week. I was pretty excited when I got the call from New York," Carruthers says.