# What I've been up to ;)



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I haven't been on much the past month, I've been very busy, and it will pretty much stay that way for a few more weeks.

As some know, I do horse photography as a side job & hobby. Our local track only races 2 months out of the year - April & October, then they hold some of the biggest thoroughbred horse sales in the world a few times a year.

This weekend is my easy weekend - only shooting races tomorrow. I consider this the calm before the next storm lol 
I go to the Rolex Three Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park <which is next weekend>, and this year I am working the Kentucky Oaks/Kentucky Derby. The weekend after that my kids are getting health papers/mandatory wether tagging, and coming home so I can do prom pics for my nephew. WHEW.

Anyway, here are some pics

Carpe Diem 4-04-15 just hours before he won the $1,000,000 Toyota Blue Grass stakes, and made him a legit 'top horse' for the Kentucky Derby next month - love this horse ♥









He was so sleepy but wanted to eat his sign lol








































































Another race that day was the $500,000 Ashland Stakes for 3yo fillies, and a prep for the Kentucky Oaks next month (filly version of the KY Derby).

Lovely Maria and jockey Kerwin Clark won, giving veteran Kerwin his first big stakes win! We were all so thrilled for him. Filly is owned/bred by Brereton C. Jones, was a KY Governor, and is big in horses - his farm is about 5 mins down the road from me. Very, VERY nice man.



























Princess Violet won the Madison Stakes $350,000 - harder race to shoot as lighting was tough that time of day.



























Something Extra won the $125,000 Shakertown stakes.


















Kobe's Back won the $300,000 Commonwealth stakes


















That morning I'd gotten to the track at 6:30am <didn't leave until about 7pm>.

Check out the moon when I came out onto the balcony of the grandstand.


















6:55am, pushing the camera's settings a bit









Last weekend was another full, busy weekend. Friday was the $300,000 Makers 46 mile on the grass. Jack Milton stepped up his game, although for some reason I never edited/uploaded more pics on flickr, will have to work on that.









At this angle it can be fun trying to figure out who will get the win, you can look at the screen on the tote board to help, thankfully on the dirt races, but it's all 'luck' when it comes to grass races, you can't see the screen or hear the announcer.









Battle Midway <grey> in a very close finish for maidens $58,000









More pics to follow...


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Start of a stakes race









Katie's Eyes wins the Giant's Causeway stakes $100,000









Protonico wins the Ben Ali $150,000 --- another very hard race to shoot thanks to harsh & very dark shadows.


















Ball Dancing wins the $300,000 Jenny Wiley stakes









White balance becomes an issue at this angle with the green grass, dark horse, and green jockey silks.









One of my favorite races was the $250,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes. 
Divining Rod is a sentimental favorite, and he won impressively! He has an awesome pedigree, and we're partial to his dam.
He's adorable!




































Another exciting race - Lady Eli winning the Appalachian stakes $125,000 for 3 yo fillies. She was the 2yo champion turf filly last year, and this was her first race back. She's stunning, and such a professional!



























Lady Eli the day before her race









Miss Ella wins the $300,000 Beaumont stakes









Carpe Diem again - a week after winning 



























Champion - Stephanie's Kitten ♥ wants to RUN! Love this horse so very much!


















She's so cute ♥


















I could go on and on. If anyone would like to see all of the pics I've posted, here's a link as there are just too many to share on here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hoosiershadow/sets/72157651696342266


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I don't normally share pics of myself, but my friends seem to have wanted to risk breaking their cameras taking pics with me in them <ha!>.

Group of us photogs on opening Saturday/before the $1,000,000 race
I am the short lady on the short stool on the left of the finish line lol









Don't break your camera! lol









Yeah, I look oh so serious <heh>









Standing on the stool w/black shirt, my 'perch' for the turf races. There is a drop off behind the bushes, so that stand I am on is about 15' off of the ground, which makes it interesting when I am standing on my stool up there lol.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Great pictures! You would never break a camera!


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Wow! Those horses such scream expensive!!! Gorgeous pictures and beautiful horses


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## GodsGarden (Feb 6, 2015)

Thanks for the pictures, they are beautiful! Have fun at the Rolex Three Day Event! Wish I was going


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All nice pics and I agree, you will never break the camera.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Beautiful photos! You have a wonderful talent! Thanks for sharing them.


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## ariella42 (May 22, 2014)

What a cool side job! I have serious camera envy, but I need to start taking more photos again before I even contemplate upgrading my DSLR. And you certainly aren't breaking any cameras


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks Everyone  I prefer to be 'behind' the camera, haha. But I am glad they were nice enough to take these pics & share them. 

It's a lot of fun, it can be very competitive, big races are a little nerve wrecking at times, mostly because you know how easy it is to screw up a finish lol.
Where I shoot for the dirt races, I am just barely able to get over the white safety rail, I like trying to stay somewhat 'eye level' with the horse. If your not careful your focus can bounce off of that rail real quick. It's a fun challenge.

I've been to the Rolex 3DE every year since 2010, and it's always a lot of fun. Looking forward to this year, but hoping that mother nature will co operate at least for cross country & stadium jumping.
I've worked the KY Oaks & KY Derby in the past. I worked for an overseas publication in 2009, that was such an awesome year. I worked it again in 2013, but the weather made it absolutely miserable. I was shooting final turn, and it was lousy getting back and forth in the mud. The horse that won that year never did anything else either, so a bit sad.


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## LadySecret (Apr 20, 2013)

That's such a cool job! I'm so jealous you have a job that requires you to be around such magnificent horses! What a great days work! And your really good at it. Great pictures.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

ariella42 said:


> What a cool side job! I have serious camera envy, but I need to start taking more photos again before I even contemplate upgrading my DSLR. And you certainly aren't breaking any cameras


What kind of DSLR do you have? I use a Canon 7D for the horse stuff. For messing around at home with the goats I typically use my old Canon 40D. I love the 40D, but it has a lot of spots on the sensor now, and shutter button has been trying to go out on it for a while. But, I bought that camera in 2009, and it's been a work horse, probably have taken nearly 300,000 pics, and it's still going lol. 
I'm not as happy with my 7D, but can't afford to upgrade right now. I had it in the shop summer before last, and it's still a bit so/so on good focus, it's really lousy in low light 
I've been tinkering with settings lately, and thinking it's helping overall. 
I'm hoping to either upgrade to the Canon 7D Mark II, or take a step up from that and look into one of the 1D or 5D models.


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## ariella42 (May 22, 2014)

I just have a T3i. It was my first step into DSLR, and while I've managed to pay it off selling some prints on Etsy, I certainly haven't done well enough to upgrade just yet. I was eyeing the 7D since it's less expensive than the 5D, but it's good to hear some input from an owner. Honestly though, I've spent so much money on goats this year that I think a camera upgrade is out of the question for a while on that point alone :lol: Maybe I'll just win one of those camera giveaways I always see


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

LOL Oh I know what you mean, all of my $$ goes on my kids and their goats! Back when we first got goats in 2010, I was planning to get another camera, a couple more lenses, remotes, remote stands, and an external flash.
Yep, haven't purchased ANY of that!! But it's coming down to a 'I have to start replacing stuff' issue.
I was going to get a new camera this month, but I just don't have the $$ for it. Everything is planned out, so I'm going to hold off until next year.

I hear the Canon 7D Mark II is really good, and doesn't have the issues the first generation 7D has. But still makes me leary about buying one!
I'm hoping I might be able to borrow one from Canon at the Kentucky Derby, give it a try and see if I like it. That's what I did before I bought my 7D, I borrowed one from Canon when they were at the World Equestrian Games in 2010, loved it. 
I borrowed another 7D at the Kentucky Derby 2 years ago, and it worked okay, used a 300mm F2.8 lens on it - that's when my 7D was on hiatus with a bad circuit board.

Tomorrow I start Rolex at the Kentucky Horse Park. Tomorrow is the first horse inspection which is always fun to shoot. Horse and rider both jog up/down the lane while vets look for soundness, they are either accepted or not accepted to move on to the Dressage test.
Dressage pics don't really move much, no real requests for them, so I may not do much shooting on Thurs/Fri. Look for some big riders, otherwise I may do some walking around and browsing 
Saturday will be busy with Cross Country.

Sunday will be a crazy day. My youngest daughter has First Communion at 11am! So right after that I have to rush over to the horse park for stadium jumping & awards. Then most likely rush home, and attempt to have a cookout <weather permitting> to celebrate her First Communion.

Did I mention there are only 2 of us shooting Rolex? lol

Week from Monday I'm hoping to go to Churchill Downs for morning works, if weather doesn't co operate then I'll go Tues or Wed. Then that Fri & Sat I'll stay up in Louisville with my friend who lives right behind the track, and who is also shooting with us, so it will be fun to have one of my good friends shooting on the team!  Most of the team are from around the country, don't see them very often at all.
There are 9 of us on the Derby team. Shooting with some pretty awesome people that blow my stuff out of the water lol


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