Pony Finals 2022 Day 1

After posts devoted to my photography on the days leading up to Pony Finals 2022, we’ve finally arrived at the main event.

Days start early and run long; this pair is already heading back from the ring in spite of the morning light behind them.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 I

Nearby, this trainer waits to lunge a pony.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 II

And this young rider hurries to groom.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 III

This was my first summer working with Sony’s 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens; the narrow depth of field (with its buttery bokeh) in combination with the eye-detecting autofocus has taken all of the luck out of capturing shots like this one.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 IV

Speaking of luck, the passengers on this overloaded golf cart might be pushing theirs.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 V: Loaded on the Golf Cart

Some pictures seem like they’re emitting sound. This is one of those.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 VI

Warm-ups in the Rolex Ring were a high-traffic affair.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 VII: Rolex Ring Traffic

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 VIII: In the Ring

In spite of the traffic, moments emerge in which a single rider is isolated.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 IX: Pony Triangle

I love those moments in which horse and rider seem to share the same expression.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 X

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 XI

Though there are no events in which adults compete during Pony Finals, this wouldn’t be a Kentucky photoset without Piper and Reuben in the mix.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 XII: Thanks

Emily Elek, one of Piper’s trainers, is always exceptionally busy during Pony Finals. This picture of Emily talking on the phone is rather special for folks who know her constant refrain: “Don’t call—text!”

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 XIII: EmilyNow for an amusing pair of shots: two head-on pictures of smiling riders—one with a somewhat larger mount than the other.

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 XIV: Minibike

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 XV

Lastly, a shot of Will during his last Pony Finals (he just aged out of the under-18 competition) riding alongside his father in the electric golf cart. (The cart is affectionately called “blueberry.”)

Pony Finals 2022 Day 1 XVI: Burtard Family on the Blueberry

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The Day Before Pony Finals

Progressing through important summer horse show days finally brings us to the verge of Pony Finals. To whatever extent the event was subdued in 2020 and 2021, 2022 brought back the full experience.

Around Stonewall Farm, Pony Finals wouldn’t have been possible without the work of a whole team of young equestrians. Catching them in a rare group shot felt like a rare alignment of planets.

The Day Before Pony Finals I: The Squad

Naturally, that was because of the amount of time spent ferrying to and from the Rolex ring. As in past years, golf carts play a key role.

The Day Before Pony Finals II: Golf Carts

In the ring, young riders have time to school and explore the space before they return for scored trips beginning the next day. Behind this squad, the VIP sits empty.

The Day Before Pony Finals III

There’s a mix of high stakes and informal context that makes this day before Pony Finals fascinating.

The Day Before Pony Finals IV

The formal riding clothes that will make up the next few days, the spectators in the stands, the judges, the jumps—all are absent.

The Day Before Pony Finals V

There’s even time to stop for a snack…

The Day Before Pony Finals VI

…Or for a group photo.

The Day Before Pony Finals VII

The huge expanse of the Rolex’s footing makes for some remarkably neutral backgrounds. Details in horse and rider are all that stand out.

The Day Before Pony Finals VIII

Back at the barn, pony after pony goes out for schooling or trials.

The Day Before Pony Finals IX

Will awaits a pony on the way back from the ring.

The Day Before Pony Finals X

Megan gets Piper’s horse out of his stall…

The Day Before Pony Finals XI

And grooms him.

The Day Before Pony Finals XII

Piper heads off to ride.

The Day Before Pony Finals XIII

The schooling ring is as busy as the Rolex.

The Day Before Pony Finals XIV

In the warm-up, young riders focus on perfecting their rides.

The Day Before Pony Finals XV

The Day Before Pony Finals XVI

Piper in the ring—with some good advertising.

The Day Before Pony Finals XVII

The Day Before Pony Finals XVIII

“Maybe the real Pony Finals champions were the friends we made along the way.”

The Day Before Pony Finals XIX

Sights from the Kentucky Horse Park

A year onward from the 2017 Kentucky Summer Classic and Pony Finals, I’m looking back at many of the images I captured. Many of these only saw the light of day previously through my Instagram account, so I thought it’d be appropriate to give a complete spectrum of the the KHP experience. Some of these shots are the from the Rolex Stadium’s Grand Prix, others from the humble warm-up ring; all of them show people focused on the equine world.

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 II

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 III

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 IV

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 VI

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 VII

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 VIII

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 IX

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 X

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 XIII

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 XIV

Kentucky Summer Classic 2017 XV

Views from Derby Day

St. Lawrence University’s Derby Day finished out the summer horse show season, and I was on hand to get some shots. The day started dry with a dramatic sky, but quickly turned to rain.

X Horse

Did you know that a group of vultures (of the turkey variety, in this case) in a tree are called a “committee”? I’ll not over-interpret that.

Vulture Committee

High-collared jackets are the perfect (badass) gear for when the weather turns stormy but you still need to warm up outside before heading into the ring.

Rain Rider

Jumping at Woodside

I spent Saturday at Horse Park at Woodside on the peninsula, photographing jumper events for The Plaid Horse. Sunburn aside, it was a productive weekend. I happened upon a particular angle near a jump where riders were forced to make a tight turn immediately after landing. That transition sideways meant some dramatic direction changes.

Turning In

Some riders were even looking to the next jump around the bend while they were still in the air.

Thinking About the Jump

Saturday Afternoon on the Pier

Spending an afternoon on the pier in Pacifica, CA is as good a time as any. Crab fishing has its varied sets of tools and techniques, but the experience to me has been about more than that. Cooking on a portable hibachi and getting crusty with salt spray is the real core of the process.

Saturday Afternoon on the Pier

After the Puck!

When I’m in the first row, inches from the action of St. Lawrence’s DIV I women’s hockey, there’s no better lens than my 35 mm prime. That lens let me capture this Last-Supper-esque shot of six players all chasing the puck; they’re all roughly equidistant from me, making the shot slightly flat and surreal, like a splash page in a comic book.

This picture comes with added good new: the women’s team won their first playoff game this weekend!

After the Puck!

Three on One

The regular ice hockey season has ended (and the playoffs are ahead!), but it went out on a great note: St. Lawrence crushed Brown 3–0. The very similar nature of the school colors helped the aesthetics. Then there was the actual play: the three Brown players against one St. Lawrence player about measured the balance of power. It made for some odd and dynamic hockey.

Three on One

Action at Appleton

The ice hockey season is winding down in the North Country (always much earlier in the winter than I expect), but I captured the last of the women’s games at St. Lawrence’s Appleton Arena. The school is on mid-winter break, so the crowd in the wonderful, old, wooden bleachers are a bit thin. We cheered all the harder when the Saints crushed higher-rated Quinnipiac 3-0.

Action at Appleton

Puck Control

Watching the Women’s Ice Hockey team cruise to victory over Dartmouth was satisfying from both the standpoint of a fan (Here we go, Saints!) and from the standpoint of a photographer. Though I know that my 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens will forever be the patron saint of action photography, I really enjoy the challenge of shooting with a 35 mm prime lens. Appleton Arena is a gorgeous old rink with acres of wood, and the less extreme lens gives me the chance to capture the action and the ambiance from the standpoint of a fan in the front row.

Puck Control

PRE-SMASH

In a moment of digression from my normal focus on landscapes: I’ve been inspired lately by the street photography of Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson, who captured images of humanity in the “real world.” People living their lives. Perhaps it’s not traditional street photography, but for today’s photograph, I have this shot from Saturday night’s hockey game: SLU vs. Yale. Though the Saints lost, they looked great doing it. The ferocity of this imminent check captivates me.

PRE-SMASH

Burn Demon(stration)

Fire gains an unearthly, extra-sinister quality when HDR reveals the true extent of its tempestuous geometry. (The convenient “Office Burn Demonstration” cropping only added to the effect.) Knowing intellectually what a fire at work can do is very different from seeing the full effect, and I have to admit that I found the example presented by Canton’s fire department to be chillingly effective. (Pardon the temperature puns.)

Burn Demon(stration)