A photographer has captured the modern day story of African-American cowboy in the rural Mississippi Delta.
Rory Doyle's pictures steers clear of the Hollywood-stereotypes and Wild West caricatures that are so familiar to audiences, traditionally a white John Wayne figure.
Doyle, 34,instead focuses on the black cowboys and cowgirls in the Delta. It is estimated that one in four cowboys in the US were black following the Civil War.
Doyle's ongoing personal project shares the story of African-American cowboy culture in the rural Mississippi Delta, challenging the Hollywood portrayal of the American cowboy.
The project began in early 2017 when Doyle attended a rodeo celebrating black cowboy heritage in the region and over the past two years he has documented the band of horse riders in an area of the U.S. not typically known for its cowboys.
The sub-culture of black cowboys in the Mississippi delta is the subject of an ongoing project by the photographer Rory Doyle
Young riders dance atop their horses in the McDonald's parking lot in Cleveland, Mississippi
Doyles images resisting stereotypes around what it means to be a cowboy and focuses solely on African-American cowboys
A Mississippi Delta cowboy named Gee raises his horse after a rare snowfall in Bolivar County, Mississippi
Cowboys and girls on a trail ride in Washington County. There have been Black cowboys in the South since the Civil War
Doyle has been photographing anything involving the black cowboy and cowgirl scene
Doyle tells how he captured a group of riders showing love for their horses and fellow cowboys, while also passing down traditions and historical perspectives among generations
James, a smoking cowboy with a golden grill, poses for a portrait near Cleveland, Mississippi
Garriet watches migrating geese pass overhead at dusk in Bolivar County, Mississippi
Delta Hill Riders sheds a light on a subculture long overlooked in the Mississippi Delta. His pictures see cowboys on horseback, tending to injured animals and even dancing at a local disco.
The region is one of the poorest areas of the US, with little economic growth or job opportunities.
Doyle said: 'Historians agree that following the Civil War, one in four cowboys were African American but this population was drastically underrepresented in
