Today was a tough day. In fact, I’ve probably never had a harder day shooting pictures.
So, the day started poorly. I was supposed to wake up early and get to the barns. I didn’t wake up in time. When I did wake up, I got really lucky and found someone who was heading over to the horse race. That was about my only luck today. There was no gorgeous light. I thought that there was going to be beacons of gorgeous light. I was wrong. Clouds all day. I thought that the color was going to be great. I was wrong. The afternoon shadows were going to litter the field. I was wrong. Here’s the thing. You can’t come into a situation with pre-conceived notions. You can’t come into the situation thinking that you are better than it. I learned my lesson. I still love horse racing, but I don’t know if I’m going to ever be able to love shooting it.
I ran away from horse racing and into rugby. We got lost, and we stopped to get some dinner, and then finally made it. When I went out there, I headed over to one of the “end zones” and the coach was chilling there. He and I bonded a bit, and it made the game easier to understand and then shoot. It allowed me to forget about how bad horse racing went, and just enjoy shooting. I borrowed a friend’s 300 and it made things a bit easier as well. I’m making a bit smarter photos then when I did coming in. I’m learning slowly. Gosh it hurts, but that’s the name of the game.
The review session was harsh. They were really attacking the photos that they didn’t like, but they did speak highly of the ones that were strong photos. After seeing photos, you think that submitting photos that others won’t see/enter is crucial. In fact, if you’ve ever seen it, don’t turn it in. There’s an intense degree of mean-ness to the ordinary. I got good reviews. I’m content. I need to do better.
1 day to go, and I’ve got to be big time…