Tampa Bay Downs

I went to Tampa Bay Downs, the thoroughbred horse racing track in Oldsmar with my dad. He makes $2 show bets and I take pictures. These are my favorites of more than 200 photos. Horses, as elegant as they look with our eyes, often look awkward and clumsy in photographs unless you catch them when all four of their hooves are off the ground.

Tampa Bay Downs Photos - Meetup

This time I had to go. I had organized an outing for the Brandon-Riverview Photography Meetup Group at the track so I was sort of obligated to go. Yeah, that's the ticket!

I did not have a brilliant day behind the camera. The overcast sky that is normally a photographer's friend because it eliminates shadows didn't seem to agree with my camera. A lot of these shots needed cropping to look presentable. I did spy one perspective you'll see in the montage that I need to shoot again when a race is going on.



And, yes, blackbirds will fight each other for the right to eat horse manure.

Perfection

Or as close to it as I get. The three photos below were consecutive frames taken at — say it with me — Tampa Bay Downs yesterday. I had actually gone Saturday and didn't like what I brought home, not to mention going 0-for-2 on my first two bets of the year.

These are NOT cropped. The first one may be the best action shot I have ever captured. It is certainly my current favorite.







Now the slide show:



Oh, and I even won my only wager of the day. The $3.60 payout means I'm down only $2.40 for the year.

See more of my work at photoquist.com.

Still More Tampa Bay Downs Photos

This is becoming a habit, I know. One of the jockeys walking back to the jocks' room after a race passed by and said, "you're always out here taking pictures." Not as often as she's out there riding horses but, apparently, often enough to notice.



Most of these are cropped at least a little bit but I did consciously shoot some tighter shots trying to capture expressions, either human or equine.

See more of my work at photoquist.com.

Tampa Bay Downs Photos

Like the zoo, the local horse racing track is a frequent venue for my photography. Strangely enough, I rarely gamble and can't remember the last time I bet on a race. But I visit the track fairly regularly to try to capture the action of a race. It's not easy.



See more of my work at photoquist.com.

Another Day at the Races

I know it's beginning to look like the only thing I photograph are horses, I know. My father goes to the track frequently and sometimes I meet him out there. It is a good place to try to capture action and there is color and character around the track, too.

Tampa Bay Downs Photos

The racing season has begun at Tampa Bay Downs. I don't gamble much. Instead I play games of chance with my camera. Can I capture the action? Will it be in frame? In focus? Perhaps if I shot action sports more than a few times a year I'd be more proficient at it.

As it is, I got a few good shots, though some of these had to be heavily cropped to fill the frame as much as they do.