Our Trip To Far Hill Steeplechase
A day at Far Hill's in the fall foliage of NJ (the clean part).
The day has started extremely early.. Waking up at 5 a.m. is harder to do in the fall time then it is in the summer. But, being completely prepared for Saturday I was all set to jump out of bed and drive over to Skip's house.
Of to the track we go! First stop is at the Times Union to pick up out other shooters Trent and his daughter Emily. Pilled up the rest of the car with even more equipment, okay now we are set to go. Lets hit the road!
It wasn't a very exciting road trip, I actually read the majority of the time. "Bitter is the New Black," a book that I've been trying to read for a while, and started to pick it back up. It's actually a very funny book if I do say so. I got through a lot of that majority of the way down till we hit closer to Far Hill.
Three hours later and we have arrived! Yayyy!!!!! The place was already packed and it was only about 9:30! We get adjusted, meeting up with the other two photographers that were going to be working with. Tom and Mike. I didn't get to chat much with Tom, but Mike, a true NIKON photographers. Legit can I have your job Mike or at least be your assistant?!?! He was a blast to work with, shooting the shit majority of the time making jobs and making fun of people…. or each other. Either way, he was a blast to work with. Lets do that again!
So, my main job was to get the PR crap for the firm we were working with, shooting the crowds! Okay, so last year I had this same task, but if seemed easier last year. This year… I think everyone decided to pre-game the party. Majority of the people that "spoke" to me weren't the most polite people. TAKE MY PICTURE! WOW that's a big lens. OMG are you like a photographer. Take MY picture. Hey Camera Girl (don't' ever call me that for the record). I even got one threat from a girl saying if I didn't take her photo of her and her dumb drunk friends that I was "not going to get paid"… yeah like you can do anything to me.. Keep walking.. So, I didn't stay out as long as I would have normally, but I think I still got a lot more filled with color clothing, decorations, and drunken-ness.
I was the finishing photo girl. So, as two (maybe it was three) races, the winner of the race wasn't the first person over the last steeplechase. So my photos were pretty crucial. Especially the bigger race they had today, All the photographers didn't get the winner because he sped up at the end winning by a heads length.
I also got to be "in charge" of the winner circle photos. Honestly Skip did most of the "yelling" to get peoples attention more then I did. But one time I got to do it all on my own, I'm a big girl now. But it was still important that I got to get other shots of the owners, trainers, jockey celebrating with each other after the win.
The layout of the track was interesting. The inner circle is where the main party was, also known as the drunken shit show. Then there was a surrounded area where the horses raced in the inner track, another layer of party goers, and the final hurdle and finish wire (where I was). It was interesting to watch the horses running on the inner where people were surrounding them. They leaped over their hurdles with ease. It barely looked like a jump, as if they floated over them. Was amazing to see. These were some strong powerful horses. They would lap the inner track at least twice and end at final turn. The last race consisted running the outer track three times (which also included some stupid drunks getting onto the track while racing.. fools). I was amazed they would run for that long!
Once all the races were over it was time to pack everything up and get everyone back to their cars. Mike walked to his. We drove our golf cart back to the office, sliding parts of the way from all the slippery red clay. Which, on a side note, the whole track was a sloppy red clay mess. My boots were covered. Some people, maybe those drunken-ness fools, were covered… Fall?? So we make it back, all of us join together to give Skip our cards full of images to be transmitted. The whole drive back was mostly him editing photos and emailing them off to the PR and Bloodhorse.
Second Year at Far Hill, cannot wait food next year! Or better, Hope for Saratoga Steeplechase 2013!
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