Creativescans

My horse won a race!

Over the weekend one of my two horses won a race for the first time. (For the story on how I became part owner in two race horses see my earlier post “So I bought a race horse…”)

I got to the track a little later than usual on Sunday, race day, so the first thing I did was make my way down to the winners circle area where the sign-up sheet for access to the paddock is located. (Our horse is entered in the 3^rd race so we get paddock access after the 2^nd race). With that done I went to the betting window to cash in a few winning tickets I had from last weekend and placed a small wager for the 3^rd race. Next, I watched and photographed the first 2 races of the day and chatted with a few people I have met and seen before at the track.

After the 2nd race was over I walked to the paddock, showed my racing license, and was let in to the paddock area. I watched all 6 horses entered in the 3^rd race walk around the paddock, paying special attention to number 6, our horse Shooting Jacket. As you learn how things work you get to know what may (or may not be) good places to position yourself to get good photos. Some of the horses were jumpy others more subdued and Shooting Jacket looked good and relaxed. On the final lap walking around the paddock the jockeys mount their respective horses and then are led from the paddock directly onto the track. After all six horses had left the paddock everyone made their way out to get a spot to watch the race or maybe place a quick bet on the race. I made my way to a spot along the fence close to the finish line. I wanted to be close to the winners circle if Shooting Jacket won and I wanted to get my own photos of our horse crossing the finish line no matter where he finished.

After the parade to the post, where the track announcer names each of the horses and each of the jockeys along with the horse owners and trainers and the odds of each horse, the horses made their way to the starting gate. Soon all the horses were in position and they were off and racing! Shooting Jacket started out a bit behind, tried to make several moves in the middle and outside but was blocked by other horses and had nowhere to go. On the back stretch he made his way to the inside and off he went steadily closing the gap on the leaders. Coming out of the final turn he was side by side with two other horses and down the stretch he clawed his way to the lead on the outside and won the race by a head!

There were a lot of other owners around the finish line (about 75) and it got very loud at the end of the race! We made our way onto the track beside the winners circle (it’s not big enough to hold that many people) for the winners photos. Everyone was all smiles and laughing and thrilled that our horse had done so well!

Below are a few photos from our winning race.

Shooting Jacket before his race in the 3rd

Jockey Ruben Lara aboard Shooting Jacket

Coming to the finish line ahead by a neck!

Crossing the finish line to win the race!

Winning jockey Ruben Lara being congratulated after a big win!

Empire Stadium site has changed a lot…

For those of us that grew up in the Vancouver area Empire Stadium at the corner of Hastings and Cassiar was a fixture on the city skyline. The stadium was built in 1954 to host the British Empire and Commonwealth Games and was, at various times, home to the BC Lions football club of the CFL and the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer club of NASL/MLS. Other notable events held at Empire Stadium; performances by The Beatles and Elvis Presley; “The Miracle Mile” where two men ran a sub 4 minute mile in one race during the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Growing up, I remember going to several BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps games at Empire Stadium. I remember being at field level for high school football games as well. The old stadium was demolished in 1993.

Fast forward to today and the site where the stadium once stood is now home to Empire Fields and Plateau Park which is part of the larger site of Hastings Park. I walked through part of the area on my way to Hastings Racecourse and was impressed with what I saw. The site has several full size community playing fields with synthetic playing surfaces and spectator seating and a 560 meter walking/running track with rubberized surface. There are also walking and biking trails running through the park. In the Plateau Park area there are basketball courts, a bike skills area, playground, beach volleyball area, ping pong tables and parkour area (“parkour” is like an obstacle course). I plan to check out more of the larger Hastings Park area in the future so stay tuned for those entries and photos.

Empire Fields in Vancouver BC. Looking south west.

Walking path at Empire Fields in Vancouver BC. Looking west.

Empire Fields in Vancouver BC. Looking south west.

The Miracle Mile statue, of Roger Bannister and John Landy who both ran a sub 4 minute mile in the 1954 Empire Games

More information about Empire Fields and Plateau Park is available at the City of Vancouver website: http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/hastings-park.aspx

I watched one of my horses workout…

Sunday morning was the first day I watched one of my two race horses work out live and in person at the track.

First I had to check in with security at the “Horseman’s” entrance to get into the property. (The entrance for the general public is not open this early.) The stables were bustling with all kinds of activity as I made way through the stables to one of the viewing platforms track side used by owners trainers and other track personnel. Horses were being fed or groomed and some horses were being kitted out for training sessions. Two horses were behaving badly as was evident by one horse repeatedly kicking at a wooden fence while being led back to the stables and the other horse that was not listening to its rider and was galloping through the stables erratically causing me to give it a wide berth just to be safe.

Once alongside the track at the viewing platform I watched as several horses made their way onto the track. At first I was the only person at the viewing platform but soon there were than a half dozen people watching the horses “breeze” (work out but not at full speed or intensity). I met the trainer of our horses, a jockey agent and a few other owners.

It was interesting to see my horse work out and see the differences in how the different horses went through their work outs. Some ran faster than others some slower than others. Some horses ran in pairs some alone. I learned that horses going at a slow pace do not stay close along the rail because the faster horses are usually running close to the rail. And photographically it was nice to get some images of the horses and the track from a new perspective.

After the workout was over I walked over to New Brighten Park to look around and get some waterfront photos then it was back to the track at Hastings Racecourse to take in the afternoon racing. I will be writing about and sharing some photos of New Brighten Park soon.

Below are a few photos of one of my horses, Shooting Jacket, “Breezing” on the track.

“Shooting Jacket” working out.

Photography tip: Do not rush a photograph…

We have all taken a rushed photo. You see something and want/need a photo of it so you aim and click to capture the photo. What I mean by do not rush a photograph is when you have taken the time to set up a shot and you think all is well and you click the shutter without a second thought. You might do this so you can move on to a new location, maybe your parking meter is close to running out, it doesn’t matter, we have all done it.

For the times we are not rushed, take a moment and think about the image you are trying to create and its composition. Is the horizon level and is there anything distracting in the photo? There are many other things to consider when creating an image but these two are the most common “mistakes” people make especially in landscape photography. The level horizon is pretty self-explanatory. Checking for distractions in your photo is worth a few more words. If you can remove something that is a distraction in your photo by a slight change of location or simply by waiting for the distraction to move out of the frame take the time to do it. It really is worth it.

Take the photo below. Not a fantastic photo and not a really bad photo either but it could have been better. I wanted the focus of the image to be on the circular bike rack and the lines of the wires in the fence. At the time I did not notice the distraction of the man working in the upper left of the frame. Had I waited for him to move out of the frame the photo would have been much stronger.

DSC01938s — Circles and lines. Note the distraction in the upper left of the frame.

Photography tip, use a lens hood…

I see a lot of people out and about using nice cameras who do not use a lens hood on the front end of an attached lens. Why should you use a lens hood?

Using a lens hood can help stop lens flare from showing up on your photos. The hood helps stop light entering the lens from the sides causing lens flare. A lens hood can help with the color and contrast of your photos by stopping light from coming into the lens from the side of the lens. Try taking a photo on a sunny day with the sun at at your side and you may see notice the image is washed out. Using a lens hood can help stop that from happening. Also a lens hood can help protect the face of the lens from finger prints and can help prevent a more serious issue like the lens getting scratched.

IMG_4846s — Lens cap on my 75-300mm lens.

So I bought a race horse…

DSC09770s — Another close finish at Hastings Racecourse.

Ok, I bought a 1/200th share in 2 race horses, but still.

At Hastings Racecourse you are able to buy into ownership of a horse (or horses) for one year in a club type setting. There are a set number of people in a club, in my case 200, and our club owns two horses for one year.

Each member pays a one-time set amount to be in the club. Food for the horse, veterinary care, training etc. are all included in the one-time fee. There are no more costs to incur during the year. Each member shares equally in any winnings the horse may produce and if the horse is sold each member shares in that as well.

There are a few other perks of owning a race horse through the club; free parking in the horse man’s lot, a free program on days your horse is racing, seating in the owners area of the grand stand, attending a training session to watch your horse train and inside access to the paddock area when your horse is in a race.

The club setup is a low cost, low risk way for people to be more involved in and enjoy horse racing and adds to the excitement. So stay tuned for more posts and photos about the world of horse racing, horse ownership and tips for photographing horse racing.

You can get more information from the Hastings Racecourse website: http://www.hastingsracecourse.com/

DSC09805s — Rounding the last turn before the stretch run…

Preakness Stakes race day at Hastings Racecourse

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Preakness Stakes race day proved to be a popular and exciting event at Vancouver’s live horse racing venue, Hastings Racecourse. The Preakness Stakes is the 2^nd leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing and is run in Baltimore, Maryland. The ladies and many gents had their best hats and attire on for what was a nice spring day in Vancouver. There were several food trucks and other food vendors doing a brisk business on the outdoor tarmac track side and at the concessions and restaurants inside. Henry’s Chicken was a popular choice for many and is what I chose to have for a quick lunch track side between races. Adding to the excitement was that Mario Gutierrez, a jockey who has raced at Hastings Racecourse in the past, was riding Nyquist, the favorite to win the Preakness Stakes race. There was some exciting horse racing to watch live before and after the Preakness Stakes race and excitement was building as the time for the Preakness Stakes race approached. All eyes were on the big screen TV in the infield as the big race got underway but unfortunately, Mario and Nyquist did not win, finishing a close 3^rd. First place went to Exaggerator and 2^nd place in a photo finish went to Cherry Wine.

Saturday June 11, 2016 when the Belmont Stakes race takes place, the third race in the triple crown, will be another busy day at the races if the Preakness was any indication, even if there won’t be a triple crown winner.

Photographing a sunset…

When photographing a sunset, if you meter off the sun (set the exposure for the brightest part of the photo) other areas will be under exposed (dark or black). Depending on the look you are going for this can be a good or a bad thing. In the above image I exposed for the sun and sky which then made the trees and mountains in the foreground under exposed.

Aviation and ATC…

I am interested in all things aviation related. So as a self-confessed “Aviation Geek” or “Aviation Enthusiast” this is my first post of many about aviation related topics.

DSC01894s — A view of the control tower at YVR in Vancouver with an aircraft lifting off in the background.

I am interested in all things aviation related. So as a self-confessed “Aviation Geek” or “Aviation Enthusiast” this is my first post of many about aviation related topics.

I find it interesting and enjoyable to listen to ATC (air traffic control) with the ATC app on my iPhone (LiveATC) or listing on the internet at http://www.liveatc.net/. The speed at which a lot of information is passed between air traffic controllers, pilots and ground service personnel can make your head spin. I usually listen to the controllers at YVR, but the app and website mentioned above lets people listen to airports around the world.

Different air traffic controllers are responsible for different operations in and around the airport as well as between airports. I will be writing more about the different ATC positions and responsibilities in the future.

Live horse racing at Hastings Racecourse…

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Hastings Racecourse is the place to be to enjoy live horse racing action in the Vancouver and Lower Mainland area. You can watch the racing from several different areas on the property. I prefer to watch at the fence at track level mainly because I am photographing the action and like to be as close as possible to the action. You can also watch the action from outdoor covered grandstands and box seats as well as from inside Silks Restaurant. Silks has floor to ceiling windows giving great views of the track and the North Shore mountains. There are closed circuit TV’s throughout as well, so you won’t miss a minute of the action. It is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening that doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

Saturday May 21, 2016 is the Preakness Stakes race from Baltimore MD. First Post of live racing at Hastings Racecourse is at 1:50PM, and the Preakness Stakes will be shown live on the Big Screen at 3:30PM.

Admission is free. Parking is $12 at gate 6 or 9. There is a free shuttle that runs every half hour to and from Renfrew Skytrain Station on live racing days. More info can be found at their website: http://www.hastingsracecourse.com/

There are lots of interesting aspects to Hastings Racecourse and I will be writing about them in the future!