As a young girl growing up, I was fascinated by Westerns and admired Annie Oakley, with whom I shared a name. It was a fantasy for a young child that is lived today by a group of people who belong to an organization called the Single Action Shooting Society, or SASS. SASS members choose a western persona, dress accordingly and attend various shooting events. There are elaborate trappings, carts to transport guns, ammunition and other accoutrements. For the past few years, with my hat, sunglasses and earplugs in place, I have been photographing some of the Richmond area SASS events. My favorite events are the black powder shoots, when sometimes the guns actually shoot fire.
