Steeplechase Race (testing the new D300)

[JameyPrice]

Hey photogs,

So I spent some cash I had and made an investment in myself with some money my grandmother left me when she passed this past spring. She was a photographer too. I will always have memories of her with a camera in front of her face. She took stunning photos and so I had absolutely NO buyers remorse spending $3,000 of what she left me to upgrade the D80 to the D300 plus an 80-200 2.8 lens (not the Nikkor).

I am heading into a career of photography post grad but currently I'm doing some freelance work on the National Steeplechase Association circuit. I was given press credentials by the race director as a sort of favor and worked for free for them and gave them a CD full of images in exchange for the experience and additions to the ol portfolio.

I'm curious to see what you think of what I got. The conditions could not have been worse. It was POURING rain but I figured what the heck...I have the camera, I want to practice and days can't always be sunny and beautiful. So I grabbed the wet weather sleeve and the D300 and set to work...and had a blast. I'm an amateur jockey too, so I take what I feel and experience and try to put that understanding of the emotion and of the sport into the photos.

Any advice from seasoned sporting professional photos, editors, journalists and such would be especially useful but anyone's advice would be welcome!

Jamey



EXIF:

Shutter: 1/800
Aperture: f2.8
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 200mm

[jdepould]

Please take a moment to read through the critique rules. One photo per thread, if you have EXIF data that would be extremely helpful too.

I'm not getting a whole lot from the jockey, his expression is kind of dead. You probably could've gotten a better moment.

[JameyPrice]

Woops. Sorry, didn't see that 1 pic rule. My mistake. EXIF data has been added.

I respect your opinion, but look at it this way...not everyone wins in horse racing. This guy did not. In fact, he **** near went face first into the ground at the last fence. What I saw when I took the picture and what I was looking for was disappointment. Horse racing is a business. A career. A lively hood for the people involved. Not a hobby. So what Im seeing is what I have personally felt many times before. The deep pangs of regret for losing the owner thousands of dollars (no exaggeration), the trainer time and money, and yourself, the opportunity to put a good horse in the winners circle.

Does that help at all with the emotion/moment I captured?

[mcdeegan]

I live in Maryland next to a former racing track now a practice track -- and my street name is horse related so I get where you are coming from ... but I don't "feel" the story from the photo without the explanation. I take sports photos -- not a pro - just a mom with a long lens -- and always look for the polar extremes of emotion. A photo showing some of the description you wrote might have better conveyed the pictorial. Hope that helps...

[JameyPrice]

Fair enough and duly noted. You wont see jocks crying...ever...if thats the extreme youre looking for in this, but I generally agree that the more expression the better. I did what I could with this one.

[mcdeegan]

I agree -- I guess what I was looking for after reading your story, and not commenting pre-story -- was the "near head first" shot, which may or may not have captured the facial expression ... explanations always 20-20 ...

[jdepould]

Originally Posted by JameyPrice

Woops. Sorry, didn't see that 1 pic rule. My mistake. EXIF data has been added.

I respect your opinion, but look at it this way...not everyone wins in horse racing. This guy did not. In fact, he **** near went face first into the ground at the last fence. What I saw when I took the picture and what I was looking for was disappointment. Horse racing is a business. A career. A lively hood for the people involved. Not a hobby. So what Im seeing is what I have personally felt many times before. The deep pangs of regret for losing the owner thousands of dollars (no exaggeration), the trainer time and money, and yourself, the opportunity to put a good horse in the winners circle.

Does that help at all with the emotion/moment I captured?

I didn't say every moment had to be a happy one. One of my favorite sports shots is a soccer player in tears because his team just lost the NCAA conference title in a game where the refs called back at least three goals.

I'm not getting disappointment out of this one, the only real indication that it's post-race is the mud on his face. If anything, he almost looks cocky.

If you don't think they're going to show overt emotion, try to get them in a moment where they look fatigued. Jockeying isn't exactly a leisure activity, so try to convey the effort being expended if you're not going to get a good emotional reaction.