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On The Road
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#2 Clearing Skies Over Churchill Downs ... Breaking clouds
suggest that the rain storms of the past 4 days will move
out and it will be a fine day for racing. Once the training
is over, horses slowly make their way back to the barn for
grooming and some oats ......... what a life. Nikon D2Xs,
ISO100, 1.6 seconds at f9, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 10,000K,
Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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#3 Tack Time ... Groomers and exercise riders place saddles
and tack outside the barns to dry out in the fresh air after
the morning training session. I enjoy making pictures of
everything that is involved in the sports events I cover.
This includes details of sport whether it is a logo on a
golf ball, an athlete's tattoo or, in this case, a black
leather saddle from Woodward Racing Stables at Churchill
Downs. Nikon D2Xs, ISO250, 1/50 at f7.1, Nikon 17-55mm Lens,
WB 4000K, Nikon SU800 Commander, One Nikon SB800 Speedlight
with warming gel and LumiQuest Snoot "pinched"
with a paper clip and hand held off camera as a Remote in
i-TTL mode with a power output +1, Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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#4 Derby Thoughts ... The exercise riders that take the horses
through their conditioning at daybreak rarely experience the
heart pounding thrill of the actual Kentucky Derby race. They
tend to be quietly in the background of the Derby Day experience.
I had never met one who was a competitive jockey let alone
one who was riding in the Derby. This year I spent some time
gathering portraits of these men and women who help shape
championship thoroughbreds as they waited in the barn area
for their next mount. This portrait of Shaun Bridgmohan was
similar to the collection of portraits of exercise riders
but with one exception, the look on his face was much more
thoughtful and far away. Perhaps because he would be riding
Zanjero, a 30 to 1 odds long shot in the Kentucky Derby just
10 hours away. Nikon D2Xs, ISO250 at f5.6, Nikon 17-55mm Lens,
WB 6300K, Nikon SU800 Commander, One remote SB800 Speedlight
i-TTL mode with warming gel and LumiQuest Snoot "pinched"
with a paper clip and hand held off camera with a power output
of +0.7, Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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#5 Practice Makes Perfect ... There are 12 races on Derby
Day with race #10 being the Kentucky Derby. This allowed me
several pre-Derby races to school my assistants Sierra, Emily
and Erin ( also known as "The Angels" ) in the fine
art of firing remote cameras. I always strive to bring something
different to the magazine each Derby. Ground remote cameras
are commonly used in turn one and at the finish line but I
had never seen one used at the start. For this new camera
position to be acceptable during the Derby I consulted track
officials who allowed me to do a few dry runs with the camera
position during some earlier races. This would give both Churchill
Downs and myself some confidence and allow "The Angels"
to become acquainted with all the procedures surrounding the
start gate. While Emily and Erin handled the firing and removal
of the overhead start gate remote it was Sierra's job to fire
the ground remote and then remove the camera after the lead
Outrider had passed by but before they crew began to move
the start gate off the track. This is frame #4 from the first
test race. It showed me that the lead Outrider could potentially
block the shot as the horses advanced down the stretch. I
spoke to the lead Outrider who explained that his location
for the Derby was 40 yards in front of the start gate and
that he would not be advancing from the outside. Perfect,
the ground remote camera was approved. Nikon D2Xs, ISO250,
Aperture Priority EV -0.3 (1/4000 at f4), Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye
Lens manually pre focused, WB 71000K, Pocket Wizard Multi
Max Transceivers N90 M3-P Pre Release Trigger cable, OverXposed
Ground Plate with Gitzo Ball Head, Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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#6 Race Preparations ... Jockey's batons are placed on a rack
in the paddock area of Churchill Downs before each race. The
paddock area is behind the grandstands and is where the horses
for each race are brought to be saddled and made ready for
the jockeys to mount up. Patrons are able to get a close look
at the horses while they are paraded around the paddock in
an effort to best decipher which horse will win them money
in the next race. Nikon D2Xs, ISO100, 1/80 at f5.6, Nikon
17-55mm Lens, WB 7100K, Nikon SU800 Commander, One remote
Nikon SB800 with warming gel i-TTL mode and LumiQuest Snoot
"pinched" with a paper clip and hand held off camera
power output +0.7, Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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#7 Strolling the Paddock ... This is where many wonderful
hat pictures are made. Clouds lingered well into the early
afternoon making a nice cool/blue backdrop with a white balance
of 3200K so I pursued my previous days work of "Light
On The Run" pictures (see June 2007 Workshop at the Ranch
article "Light On The Run") and found this stylish
race fan strolling from the paddock area between races. Nikon
D2Xs, ISO100, 1/8 at f13, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 3200K, Nikon
SU800 Commander, Two remote Nikon SB800 Speedlights with warming
gels rubber banded together tandem with a power output of
+1 hand held off camera by an "Angel", Lexar 8G
Flash Card. |
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#8 The Stretch ... They're Off and running down the stretch
for the 133rd Kentucky Derby. The time spent practicing during
several pre-Derby races really paid off. This is frame #3
taken with the ground remote camera fired by Sierra. She not
only triggered the remote at just the right time but also
removed the camera from its location next to gate #20 (Great
Hunter, at 15 to 1 odds) just seconds after the horses were
away and just seconds before the start gate was hauled off
the track. Nikon D2Xs, ISO250, Aperture Priority EV -0.3 (1/4000
at f4), Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Lens manually pre focused approx.:
5 feet in front of gate #19 (Dominican, at 20 to 1 odds),
WB 10,000K (I went for a very warm WB tone), Pocket Wizard
Multi Max Transceivers, N90 M3-P Pre Release Trigger cable,
OverXposed Ground Plate with Gitzo Ball Head, Lexar 8G Flash
Card. |
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#9 Pack Mentality ... Scat Daddy, (10 to 1 odds) ridden by
last year's winning jockey Edgar Prado, and the entire Kentucky
Derby field of 20 horses race by me approx: 40 yards up the
stretch ... (oddly enough just in front of the lead Outrider.)
This kind of shot is a gamble to say the least. After 8 Kentucky
Derbies I have yet to pick out and nail an image of the winner
at this point in the race ...... but after all, if I could
pick the winner I would probably be smarter to place a large
wager rather than be a photographer sitting in the mud. Nikon
D2Xs, ISO250, 1/1250 at f4.5, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens
hand held, WB 6300K, Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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#10 Making His Move ... Street Sense (4 to 1 odds) with jockey
Calvin Borel (yellow and blue silks) emerges from the pack
on the inside of turn #4 and is three lengths behind the leader
Hard Spun (15 to 1 odds). The magazine has nine other photographers
covering the race from a variety of angles all of whom begin
to focus on the finish stretch at this point of the race.
My job is to photograph the start with remotes and a hand
held camera and then photograph 4th turn action as the field
of 20 horses reach the top of the stretch. My task is to pick
out the eventual winner making his move which can be difficult
with a come from behind winner like Street Sense. Nikon D2Xs,
ISO250, 1/1250 at f4.5, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens hand
held, WB 6300K, Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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#11 Hats Off ... Calvin Borel aboard Street Sense acknowledges
the crowd at Churchill Downs and begins a victory parade after
winning the 133rd Kentucky Derby. Nikon D2Xs, ISO200, 1/500
at f5.6, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens hand held, WB 6300K,
Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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#12 Congratulations To Calvin ... The winner circle and awards
ceremony are photographed by pool photographers. Although
I'm not part of the pool I still wanted something of Borel
and all the celebration surrounding his incredible come from
behind victory. I chose to wait at the entrance of the tunnel
that goes under the grandstands to the paddock. I mounted
a camera with a 10.5mm fisheye lens to my monopod and lifted
it up high overhead and shot a few frames as Borel walking
by and shaking hands. It's different and was a good choice
considering all the people and security surrounding him. Nikon
D2Xs, ISO250, 1/250 at f5, Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye Lens, WB 6300K,
Gitzo Carbon Fiber Monopod with Gitzo Ball Head, Nikon MC-30
Remote Trigger Release cord, Lexar 8G Flash Card. |
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Image
#1 Churchill Downs at Dawn ... This is my favorite time
of Derby Day. Don't get me wrong, I like the action, the
thrill of the event and all that, but dawn at Churchill
Downs on the day of the Kentucky Derby is something special.
Horses with their exercise riders and trainers slowly move
onto the race track from the barn area like previous days,
but there is excitement in the air on this day. It doesn't
matter to me if they are Derby favorites or new 2 year olds,
I just love to make pictures that I find interesting. Nikon
D2Xs, ISO250, 1/13 at f2.8, Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 3600K,
Lexar 8G Flash Card. There are many other images taken
during the day of the Kentucky Derby but I hope these give you
some idea of how Derby Day unfolds. It began at dawn with training
and finished just before sunset with Calvin Borel shaking hands
with a fan. For me and all the photographers who covered this
Derby Day the next 4 hours would be spent downloading cards, pulling
selects, captioning the pictures and transmitting them to the
magazine. I enjoyed each moment of this year's Kentucky Derby
Day and hope you did to.
See you next time On The Road ......................................
Adios. Dave
WORKSHOPS and PRESENTATION ScheduleSeptember 21-25 ... Rich Clarkson's Adventure Photography Workshop
in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. www.richclarkson.com
April 14-22, 2009 ... Photo Quest Adventures, The Netherlands. www.photoquestadventures.com |
September,
2008 (click here)
Olympians, Weather and Workshops
August,
2008 (click here)
Camp Life
July,
2008 (click here)
Lightpainting the Southwest
May,
2008 (click here)
A Southwest Tour
April,
2008 (click here)
The Endless Winter
March,
2008 (click here)
PMA Show in Las Vegas!
February,
2008 (click here)
At the Ballet
January,
2008 (click here)
One Week of Work
December,
2007 (click here)
A Look Back at 2007
November,
2007 (click here)
Traveling
with the New Nikon D3
October,
2007 (click here)
High Country Journey
September,
2007 (click here)
Walking
On The Road
August,
2007 (click here)
Speedway
Thunder from PA
July, 2007
(click here)
"Arlington National
Cemetery"
June, 2007
(click here)
"Kentucky Derby Day"
May, 2007
(click here)
"Mexico Trek"
April,
2007 (click here)
"Egypt Trek"
March,
2007 (click here)
Transit Mix
"Images From the Air"
February,
2007 (click here)
Ice Climbing in Ouray
January,
2007 (click here)
2007 Year in Review
People of Willoq, Peru
Lexington, Kentucky TREK
Training for the Mr USA Title
"The International Golf Tournament"
"Tour of Champions Documentary"
"Northern California, the FBI and Clint Eastwood ..."
"The 2006 Kentucky Derby"
"Off the Road Picture Sales"
Ladies Olympic Figure Skating
Torino Italy and the 2006 Winter Olympic Games
"Hey Dave, are you going to the Winter Olympics in Torino and What Equipment Do You Take?"
The Holiday Tea with Tchaikovsky
presented by Colorado's Classical Youth Ballet
Landscapes at Pebble Beach:
a look back at 2005
Lightpainting Landscapes
NFL Football
3 Day Photography Workshop
Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, North Carolina
Michelle Kwan
International Gymnastics Camp
the Men's US Open Golf Championships
The Kentucky Derby
Nevada Photojournalism Day
John Bolin's "The Thorn"
Indoor Track and Field
UC Irvine's Paul Spittle and
the Sports Shooter Academy
with Nikon's new DX2
Broncos Football:
Denver vs Indianapolis
the US Figure Skating Nationals
Portland, Oregon
College Basketball:
Colorado State vs Air Force
Broncos Football:
Broncos VS. Dolphins
Assignment work:
Wrestling
A look back at 2004
Rich Clarkson's Photography at the Summit Workshop &
Moose Peterson's Digital Landscape Workshop Series
Whitewater Kayaking
Gymnastics and more
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games
Athens, Greece
A look back at some wonderful Olympic moments
USAFA Graduation flyover
US Olympic Training Center - Swimming and Gymnastics
Last Month the Masters, this month The Kentucky Derby......I love my job
Masters at Augusta National
The American Cup Gymnastics
NIKON COLLEGE WORKSHOP
Indoor Track and Field
Women's Freestyle Wresting
Rhythmic Gymnastics Nationals
The Glass Flower Ceiling at the Belagio Hotel in Las Vegas
College Basketball
Women's Waterpolo
Olympic swimmers on their way to Athens
NFL Football
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Finals
A look back at The Greenbay Professionals
Monday Night Football the Sports Shooter Workshop and Luau in LA
Photography at the Summit workshop
Portraits to workshops to stock image sales
Lightpainting in Banf
The World Gymnastics Championships
International Gymnastics Camp
Thunderbirds
Gymnastics
The Sports Photography Workshop with Rich Clarkson
Velodrome Cycling, More
The 129th running of the Kentucky Derby
White water kayakers
The Champions on Ice tour
PBR Rodeo
Chris Shivers and Little Yellow Jacket ride for $1 Million
Nikon's featured speaker at PMA in Las Vegas
American Cup Gymnastics
USAFA Women's Basketball
USAFA Swimming
USAFA Boxing
NCAA Fencing Championships
USOC's Titan Games
Air Force Basketball
Pro Football Pre-Superball Stock Sales
Swimmers train at the Swim Flume at the USOC
Much more!
Diving at the Air Force Academy
Denver Broncos VS. The Arizona Cardinals
Olympic Hopefuls Lenny Krayzelberg and Tom Molchow practice at the USOC
