I was sceptical at first. I mean, what can we shoot at a racetrack. The same old horses running one race after another. Well, let’s keep an open mind.
Anne and Jerry met me in our parking lot at around 6:30 Friday morning. We piled into Anne’s car and headed out to Campbellville. The drive was easy. I was surprised, given it was a workday. Oh there was traffic but nothing to panic about.
We got to Campbellville by 7:13. Wow, way too early. We’re supposed to meet them at the racetrack at 8AM. No problem. We found a great restaurant called Mohawk Inn or something. It was connected to a Motel. They were open. The place was wonderful. Very country with lots of wood panelling. It looked so cozy. We had coffee. Then we headed to the Racetrack.
Our people from the club were there and after we got our security passses, we were given a tour of the place by a very nice young man. We were not allowed to use flash as the horses get very skittish. No problem.
Then we started shooting. I thought “OK, this is better than sitting in front of the computer doing data entry.” We went inside the paddock. I took a couple of shots. Most of the shots were shit anyway but I got one good one, I think. Then I went outside to talk to the staff. One of the girls suggested I take a ride in the start car. I went over and asked if I could go along. The driver said sure so in I went. The other man sat on a structure in the back seat. They were great guys and had been doing that for over 25 years. Now that’s a great job to have.
What a thrill! I was up close and personal with the racing horses as they had to run behind the gate that was controlled by the folks in the car. When they dropped me off after going around for a four races, I was met by almost a cheering crowd. Well, my fellow club members were impressed.
We shot some more and then it was time to pack up and go. But before we did, we wanted to take a group shot. Well, here you have 10 photographers, most with incredibly expensive equipment – trying to set up a tripod and timer so we could all be in the picture. What a riot. I must have taken the better part of 15 minutes before we finally got it organized.
We then all went back to the Mohawk Restaurant for lunch and then got on our way. A beautiful time was had by all. I got home around 2PM
I guess I shouldn’t have fretted too much. Winter made a sort of entrance.
Last night we were at a photo shoot in Niagara Falls for the Festival of Lights. It was OK but I should have skipped the various lit up reindeer etc and concentrated on the Falls. But, by the time we got to photographing the falls, my battery was empty, so I ended up looking at the beautiful lights on the falls and taking pictures with my eyes. Damn.
I must have seen these falls thousands of times but, each time I see them, I’m in awe all over again. Last night the coloured lights were shining on them, add to that the mist coming off them mixing with the below freezing air, it had a mystical charm.
The night was pretty cold and raw. The bricked areas became quite slippery. The salters roared up and down the broad walkways to spread the salt in order to keep the slippery surfaces in check.
We ended up packing it in and heading to the nearest Tim Horton’s. There, I had 10 Tim Bits and a hot chocolate. Boy, did that feel good going down.
The drive back home was uneventful but we were all pretty tired and pretty quiet all the way home what with all that cold, fresh air. We got home around midnight.
It is well into January 2007. Normally we’d have snow. Normally, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa would be frozen over and people from all over the globe would be skating on the longest “skating rink” in the world. They’d be building their ice hotel in Quebec.
Yes, there are people who say they love the warmer weather. I must say, I don’t hate it but it’s disconcerting to have anything so uncharacteristic occur. If this is winter, I am already dreading the summer. But, we are totally helpless against Mother Nature. Nevertheless, I want my winter back. You can’t have spring without there having been a winter. Right?
So, that is how I saw it the other morning. Hopefully, we’ll soon have a change in the weather. It’s not right for the golfers to be out at this time of year. Not here, anyway. The tulip trees in the park are in full bud. Come on. This is nuts. Here’s what I mean.
It was a gathering of like minds that -15C February morning. I’d been up since 5:00, had breakfast and got dressed in layers, packed my gear and was out the door by 6:10AM. It was dark and it was cold.
I got to what I thought was our meeting place, saw nobody else around so walked across the street to Starbuck’s and had a hot chocolate. As soon as I walked in, my glasses fogged up. I couldn’t see worth a damn. I waited for them to clear up and then I cleared out to see why nobody had arrived yet.
Some finally did. Turned out we were at the wrong site. Thank God for modern technology. One of the guys got on his cell and phoned our fearless leader. We weren’t far away but we were in the wrong spot.
It was a lovely get-together. All 30 of us crazies were gathered together. Love those photogs. Nothing keeps them from that “perfect shot”. Around 9 we left for breakfast at a restaurant across the street from Starbuck’s called “Sunrise Cafe”. We had such a good time talking and laughing and telling stories. I discovered I needed yet another piece of equipment – this time for the tripod. It never stops, does it?
After breakfast, we went out again. It was a sunny and beautiful morning. To get some of those shots, I had to sit on the ice and half lie on my belly. (What we don’t do). When I got up I realized my pants were soaked right through. It was time to leave. Besides, it was already nearly noon. Time to go home and get out of these cold, wet clothes. I thought I’d show one of my pictures here. If you want to see more, go to
