Evolving Photographer: Always Prepared - It's Not Just for Boy Scouts


Horses approach a jump in the Montpelier Steeplechase

So I was recently invited to head down to the Montpelier, Virginia annual steeplechase horse race. A steeplechase isn't like a standard thoroughbred horse race where they simply go around a track. Oh, no, a steeplechase has horses going over (and sometimes, by mistake, through) a variety of man-made jumps on a course that can be upwards of 1.5 miles long. But, not every race uses every jump, or even the same jumps. Throughout the day, each race makes use of different portions of the course. Per usual, I brought along my camera gear, hoping to experience a great day. One thing I did not pack, however, was a schedule of the day's racing. Now, were I professionally shooting this event, this would be an unforgivable sin. If you're being paid to produce photos of an event, you damn well better know what is happening and when. How else can you plan for the best shots?

This may seem like simple advice, even for the amateur photographer just going out to have fun (me). Well, let me tell you - over the course of several hours, schedule delays, and enjoying not just the racing but the infield sites, it is quite easy to lose track of things. When you lose track of things? You end up not knowing which event is up next, nor which jumps they will (or won't) utilize. The below photo is precisely what happens when you miss a chance to get a photo as several thousand pounds of horses come thundering by, less than a foot away.


Surprise! They're on the rail for this race!

The horses did two circuits for this race. As a result of having my telephoto lens ready on the first circuit, I had to choose which lens to use for the only remaining one - 35mm or 11-16mm. As you can see, I went with my 35mm lens, and I'm fairly pleased with the result. A shot just a split second later would've captured more energy, I feel, but I'm pleased. I'll never know what the 16mm photograph would look like, since I never had the chance. So, the lesson? Be prepared!