Some horse racing images - including some remote work...

[gmen]

Some more horse racing from today's Craven meeting at Newmarket...

Tight, head-on shots are quite peachy...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bb011.jpg

Winning by a nose...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bb010.jpg

Here's the first attempt with a remote - across the finishing line...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bb001.jpg

And a second remote image - a very, very close call...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bb002.jpg

Bringing those horses home...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bb004.jpg

Sometimes a wider shot of the whole field serves the purpose...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bb012.jpg

And it's good to get tight up against the rails...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/bb006.jpg

[Mills]

WoW. You had amazing access. Excellent images.

[Dooglla]

Gmen...what camera do you use...may I ask?

[despot]

Oh yes, definitely "peachy" ;)

Andy

[ImperialRed]

That last shot is absolutely beautiful! by far my favorite of the bunch!!!

[Incomplete Pete]

Awesome shots, might have to take a trup down to my nearest horse racing place.

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

First two are awesome! Nice shots.

[gmen]

Gmen...what camera do you use...may I ask?

Hi Doogla... the remote shots are on a 1D and the other pics on a 1D MkII.

[gmen]

Awesome shots, might have to take a trup down to my nearest horse racing place.

Cheers Pete. Well worth doing... the next meeting at Leicester (not far from you I think) is on Saturday 23rd April....

[skade]

Look at the muscles on those horses! Excellent shots! Love the first two.

[herderdog]

These are awesome pictures! Very good work.
I used to work for a Thoroughbred farm in California for many years. I broke and trained yearlings and handled stock at the sales for them.
Brings back lots of memories. Thanks for sharing. :)

[aam1234]

All of them are just superb, especially the first remote and the last one. Personally, your horse racing photos are my favorite in the Sports forum.

[madplower4]

I humbly bow in your presence. You've got game!!! Superb!!

[PhotosGuy]

Great shots, especially there's something about that last one that I really like.

[IanBMW]

Def. like the last shot alot.

[sageone]

The gound level shots and the shot from the rail are slick shots. The rail brings in the depth of the shot...very nice touch.

[blinking8s]

1, 2, and 5 look like almost every good photo thats hanging on my familes office walls from their career in horse racing, excellent work...excellent

[dewmuw]

Amazing shots.

Where you stood on the track for the last one?

[reidr]

Great shots... Love those horses at work..

[gmen]

Thanks everyone for your positive comments - I really enjoyed this shoot and I'm looking forward to the next horse racing opportunity!

Amazing shots.

Where you stood on the track for the last one?

There was a bend just past the finishing line... allowing me to shoot directly down the course without standing on it - very handy!

[newgenphoto]

Everyone has summed it up here...INCREDIBLE!! I am nearly speechless seriously.

[gmen]

Everyone has summed it up here...INCREDIBLE!! I am nearly speechless seriously.
Cheers newgenphoto! I didn't expect them to have that effect - but I'm really pleased that you like them!

[dewmuw]

Thanks everyone for your positive comments - I really enjoyed this shoot and I'm looking forward to the next horse racing opportunity!



There was a bend just past the finishing line... allowing me to shoot directly down the course without standing on it - very handy!

I thought maybe you were that mad priest who jumps out in front of horses from tiem to time! :D

[BlueTit]

The last one is great, but I also love the third last, you can see the determination on the jockeys face, a real sense of action. Great.

[Ian_H]

Missed these when you first posted them but glad they were brought back to the top, I really like the remote shots, great angle.


Cheers
Ian

[gmen]

I thought maybe you were that mad priest who jumps out in front of horses from tiem to time! :D
When you work this close to these huge animals, you start to realise how completely bonkers that 'mad' priest really was! You wouldn't catch me running out on that course when those horses are in full flow.

[gmwinder]

I'm not able to see the images???:(

[aam1234]

I'm not able to see the images???:(

I think gmen took them off from his site. But boy, those are the best horse racing photos one can ever see.

[gmen]

I'm not able to see the images???:(
I was doing some 'spring cleaning' and took some of the pics down... I've popped them back in case you'd like to see them.

---- Gavin

[Croasdail]

Thanks for reposting ... I missed these first time around... my bad. Nothing I can add that hasn't been said before except that they do inspire one to do better, you keep the bar high. Cheers.

[Lightchaser]

Ooh ooh, please can you repost them? I can't see them either now.

[gmen]

Ooh ooh, please can you repost them? I can't see them either now.Images restored ;)

---- Gavin

[Photodawg1]

What a way to wake up. Those have made my morning. Excellent. I agree, I love your boxing, but your horse shots are breathtaking.

[superdiver]

Beuatiful work man!

[DwightMcCann]

Wow, how did I miss these? Love the last one! And with the 300mm and 1.4 TC no less.

[emurph2]

Awesome shots and angles! I adore the last one, what a wonderful perspective.

[gmen]

Wow, how did I miss these? Love the last one! And with the 300mm and 1.4 TC no less.:lol: You can probably guess how I'd shoot it now!

---- Gavin

[gmen]

What a way to wake up. Those have made my morning. Excellent. I agree, I love your boxing, but your horse shots are breathtaking.Thank you Photodawg... seeing them again reminds me that I haven't shot horse racing for the best part of a year :lol: Need to find a regular client for it I reckon!

---- Gavin

[grego]

Hahaha, your photos weren't perfect for once, Gavin. Well at least the remote ones, but then it was your first time. :p

[gmen]

Hahaha, your photos weren't perfect for once, Gavin. Well at least the remote ones, but then it was your first time. :p:lol: Thanks Grego... I have to agree with you... I'm really pleased with all the positive feedback on them, but I still have a huge amount to learn about horse racing... as a result they're a bit 'rough'n'ready' in places...

I used the wrong shutter speed for the remote stuff... I think I was only at 1/1000s which proved to be too slow when the horses were in close proximity to the camera. Also these have no post-production as such... Here's one of the remote shots again with a little bit of PP...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/blog/images/20050729214940_blog015.jpg

---- Gavin

[grego]

That's better, but i think the focus seems to be more on the background. But he, i'd do just as bad if not worse(no experience with the remote stuff).

[gmen]

That's better, but i think the focus seems to be more on the background. But he, i'd do just as bad if not worse(no experience with the remote stuff).The point of focus was set manually to about 5 or 6 feet in front of the camera and there was a reasonable slice of DOF as I was shooting at f/5.6 at 19mm... If you look at grass in the foreground, you'll see that it's nice and sharp.

It's a bit difficult to predict exactly where the horses are going to be on the track when they cross the line... so you have to buy a wee bit of DOF and hope for the best. In this case the horse was slightly closer than the point of focus on the track... However, what really let the image down was the slow shutter speed I selected (1/1000s) - a bad choice - so it's predominantly motion blur on the horse nearest the camera that spoils the pic.

1/1000s is plenty fast enough to the freeze motion of the horses when they're running towards you at a distance... but for this type of shot, I probably needed 1/2000s or faster to freeze the motion. A lesson for next time... ambient light allowing ;) This was shot on the old 1D at ISO640 - I was never too keen increasing the ISO too much on the 1D as the noise started to get somewhat intrusive... time to invest in another MkII body that I can write-off for remote use.

---- Gavin

[grego]

Good to know. Yeah, you are right. I guess i just didn't pay attention more on that. Hopefully i'll get to play with remotes someday...

[Alex_Galea]

what can i say, there awsome as always

[leni]

Gmen...what camera do you use...may I ask?

any particular reason for using 1.4x extender instead of 2x extender?

[Photodawg1]

any particular reason for using 1.4x extender instead of 2x extender?


1x has much better image quality...

[musicmate]

all im seeing is red x's pity as i would have loved to see them.

Steve.

[gmen]

all im seeing is red x's pity as i would have loved to see them.

Steve.Hi Steve... restored the pics from an old back-up CD.... not the optimised versions but hope they serve the purpose.

---- Gavin

[musicmate]

cheers m8 most appreciated im sure i just saw a few quid disapeer down the drain in some of those shots damn those bookies lol. No racing at donny atm can wait till it reopens will have to set up the 20D on a remote & see what i can get.

Steve

[butcha27]

Absolutely love them all! I do a bit of horse and greyound shooting myself. Unfortunately I don't have the equipment, access or the talent that you do! I'm yearning for the day when I can afford a big lens and one that can achieve that super depth of field that you have there. Until such time it's simply daydreaming for me and marvelling at awesome work like yours!

[DarrenL]

Amazing stuff Gavin.

I really need to expand what I shoot. I've got a long list of what I want to shoot, maybe next year.

Darren

[Eyelikedurt]

That last shot is incredible. An angle ive never seen from a horse race .... very well done indeed!

[Kiddo]

Great images!!!! You've got some great track access there!!