Jessica Chapel / Railbird v2

Photography

Déjà Vu Eclipse

The NTRA, DRF, and NTWA announced the 2009 Eclipse award for photography this afternoon, and there was something about the winner (below right), taken by Jeff Taylor at the Blue Ridge Hunt Point to Point Races for the Winchester Star, that felt familiar. But what?

Oh, that’s it — a similar photo by Douglas Lees (above left) won in 2007.

This year’s winner is also a bit reminiscent of Matt Goins’ winning 2006 shot:

Goins won again in 2008, with a picture of jockey Frankie Dettori leaping from Donativum in the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle.

Curious, that the Eclipse judges change each year, but that their recent taste for jocks in air — falling or jumping, falling while jumping — does not.

Posted in Media on January 8, 2010 / Tagged Eclipse Awards, Photography / 12 comments

Summer Beauty

The August issue of Vogue is now on newsstands and the magazine includes, as expected, a breezy feature on super filly Rachel Alexandra. The article offers little new information to racing fans (although I did enjoy reading this tidbit about the Preakness: “When Mike Smith, the jockey on Mine That Bird, rode up after the race to congratulate Borel, the highly competitive filly instinctively took off again”), but the accompanying photo is absolutely stunning. And possibly digitally altered? There’s no halter on her fine head:

Posted in Media on July 23, 2009 / Tagged Altered, Distaffers, Photography, Portraits, Posing, Profiles, Rachel Alexandra, Vogue / 5 comments