The first Back to the Ranch was a great success (see photo in the history link)! The demand to do it again is so great, we’ve moved it to the Beaumont Ranch near Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin and Waco. The new 800-acre ranch location comes complete with an 1800’s-styled "Old Town" featured on MTV, various television shows and even magazines, including the current cover of Biker magazine. Complete with two 20,000 sq.ft., air conditioned barns, horses, longhorns, wagons, exotic animlas (zonkey, zorses, llamas, etc.), ponds, gazebo and more, even some of the lodging rooms come with 4-claw tubs and all are western themed.

While our first event left tears in peoples eyes on departure day from all the close-friendships made along with the fun and great images, we’ve decided to split it into two separate events (June 4-8 and Oct. 1-5, 09′) to allow for smaller groups of photographers while still maintaining a large quantity of models, assistants and even having special guest instructors. If you were at the first event and think you saw tears, especially when listening to event model and American Idol Superstar Amy Davis sing at the farewell dinner, wait till these two events, as with such privacy in a large creative environment, everyone hates to leave as we become family in the end.

Welcome to the official "Back to the Ranch" website where you’ll find all the information necessary to attend our photography workshop with top models. Click on the links and explore, the site will continue to grow as we add more models and VIP’s. We don’t bring you hundreds of years of experience combined, but hundreds of years of (commissioned assignments) published experienced–no other fashion, glamour, beauty, nude and editorial workshop can offer what we do for you!

Our entire instructor crew combined has over 100 A-list album covers from the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, on down, plus actual films and television credits, published books, calendars, swimwear catalogs, posters and the list goes on. Additionally, our crew has experience with commissioned assignments in publications like Playboy, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, GQ, Time, National Geographic, People, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Washington Post, George Magazine, Soldiers, Airman, U.S News and World Report, Oggi, La Prensa, London Independent Magazine, Stern, Geo, Sports Illustrated, Details, Self, American Heritage, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, New Look, Modern Maturity, Atlanta Times-Journal, Create, Swimwear Illustrated, Wear Daily, LIFE, Rolling Stone, Paris Match, OK!, Army Times, Air Force Times, PARADE, St. Martin’s Press, Amherst Media, Sports Illustrated Swimwear, Maxim and Sport Magazine, just to name a few–yes there is more, but we’re running out of space!

Photograph 12 or more gorgeous models for 3 days with the help of top VIP photographers and mentors. In addition, there is built-in classroom time taught by the VIP’s for the following topics:

Classroom lectures and hands-on seminars are held in the Chisolm Cattle Company conference room. Photography of all models will be on location with various instructors throughout the entire ranch resort, including a full-moon night shoot!

All make-up and hair is provided for the models. A minimum of three make-artists will be on hand at this event, plus various assistants. Some photographs will include horses along with props including a wagon that convey that ranch feeling. 1800’s style wardrobes available for some of the models too!

Thursday is arrival with a chuckwagon dinner, grilled steaks with all the trimmings, plus drinks and an available cash, full bar. We’ll also have outdoor fireside chats and a fishfry on Friday in a 20,000 sq. ft., air-conditioned barn with a mechanical bull if you want to try your luck, plus band and dance floor for a hoedown (dance). Friday, Saturday and Sunday are seminar and shooting days–be prepared for long days of shooting sprinkled with seminars! We’ve changed the schedule to allow shooting in the best morning and evening light with classroom time in the midday. Monday is day of departure where you say tearful good-byes to all your new friends. All meals provided as outlined in the registeration page–all food will be catered along with snacks and drinks throughout the day at a real Texas ranch

Our VIP instructors didn’t get tearsheets because a model submitted their photos to hometown hotties or some contest, our crew was paid monetarily and with actual credit lines (by-lines) due to real-world assignments and they will tell you how it’s done! Our crew will tell you how to get published, how to work with editors, how to get noticed, how to get paid! Photographers often pay hundreds just to hear a two-hour lecture at photography tradeshows and expos from most of these instructors, you get them for almost five days and four nights! Network with them. Bring your portfolios too, for professional, hands-on critiques–an invaluable experience alone!

Back to the Ranch is based on the original "Q" event that started in August of 1999 when GarageGlamour.com (now Glamour1.com) first launched. The concept is simlar in one way, we’ll provide you a Texas steak dinner during our opening ceremonies on Thursday, followed by a complete Texas fireside chat. (Please arrive no later than 5 p.m., it starts at 6:30 p.m., but we’ve got to get you checked in.) The one exception, we’re making this a limited attendance event for those that want to spend three days learning from guest VIP photography instructors and mentors while having the opportunity to photograph gorgeous top models. Not just any models, but the best! Three days photographing top models!

Like our original BBQ event, folks began to call it the "Q" for short so perhaps this annual event is best said as BTTR, or "Better than the Rest" as we’ll do our best to combine the feeling of the Q with the expectations of the International Glamour, Beauty and the Nude workshops, now strong in their eight year. Playboy Playmates attending are actual full-workshop models you’ll photograph and they will make available for purchase, in limited quanties, their magazines, official promo headshots, etc. You may bring your own magazines for free autographs–attendees only (Playmates subject to schedule availability)

Rolando’s books will be available at the event. The official dates for the event are June 4-8, (first event for 2009) and Oct. 1-5, (second event for 2009, each event is a separate event) so make your plans now! Arrive on Thursday day of the event before 5 p.m., depart on Monday morning the 29th by 11:00 a.m.! Feel free to sign-up for Rolando’s official mailing list for updates on all events and more, just join his mailing list (new window). Follow all the links on the right for all the information then sign-up now, as this event is limited in size, but not in what it we’ll offer the attendee. This is a photography workshop like no other, you’ll learn from top pros, photograph top models and enjoy a great environment with Texas hospitality for networking and making friends. There is no substitute as we passionately spread the gospel of photography while having a great time! See you at the ranch!