Tag: mclain ward
Eventing, Olympics and Emotion: My Favorite Photos of 2016
On December 31, 2016 January 5, 2017 By Lindsay BerrethIn TravelLeave a comment
I've traveled a lot this year, and photography is my favorite part of my job, so it was hard to narrow down my favorite photos, but I chose the following for two reasons. First, I love a classically perfect jumping photo, so I've included a few. Second, I've worked really hard this year on seeking out more candid moments. Sure, I can get a hundred shots of horses with perfect knees over a big oxer, but in the end, I think it's the more emotional moments that really resonate with people.
It probably helped that I had a borrowed Nikon D5 and 200-400 lens to play with at the Olympics, which was amazing, but many of these were taken with our trusty D3 or D4S and a fixed 300m or 70-200mm lens.
Click on a photo to view the gallery in higher res.
Maya Black and Doesn't Play Fair landed in balance over the huge drop at the Head of the Lake at Rolex. She went on the gather up her reins quickly and jump out over a corner.
This shot of Z Terminator ended up being my second cover shot for COTH!
HH Azur had springs in her hind feet over this triple bar at the Olympics.
Valegro and his groom Alan Davies seemed to be speaking their own language during the medal ceremony at the Olympics.
Severo Jesus Jurado Lopez of Spain and his amazing partner Lorenzo, who moved effortlessly through each test at the Olympics with a floppy upper lip.
Brazilian Joao Victor Marcari Oliva gave his horse some love at the Olympics.
Laura Graves got congratulations from her teammates at the Olympics.
First Class was a freak of a jumper at the Olympics with Daniel Deusser.
I played around with different angles over the water jump at the Olympics and loved this one of Harrie Smolders and Emerald.
As she turned up her final centerline in competition with Valegro at the Olympics, Charlotte Dujardin's face broke into a smile.
I wasn't able to find my way to a good spot for this shot of Nick Skelton amongst a huge group of photographers, but he still looks noble!
Nick Skelton and Eric Lamaze walk to the podium together at the Olympics.
Kent Farrington and Voyeur looked focused on the way to the final jump-off at the Olympics.
Steffen Peters gave Legolas a big hug at the Olympics.
Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville splashed through the new water jump at the Carolina International CIC***.
William Fox-Pitt's comeback at the Olympics was remarkable. He was in the lead when I took this shot, and I hoped it would become a cover photo, but it wasn't to be!
Just a pretty photo of Michael Jung and Sam on their way to Olympic gold!
This photo of Ireland's Judy Reynolds and Vancouver K became another cover shot after Dressage At Devon.
Liz Halliday-Sharp and HHS Cooley galloped through the water at the Carolina International CIC***. Sadly "Cooley" was euthanized later in the year after a fall on cross-country in England.
Jonty Evans was thrilled with Cooley Rorke's Drift all weekend at the Olympics.
Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh were another inspirational pair at the Olympics. Such a game mare!
Jennie Brannigan had the perfect position over this fence at Plantation Field on Waterford.
Jonty Evans loving on his horse again!
Clark Montgomery's Loughan Glen was beautiful in the summer sun at Great Meadow.
I won a trip to the Wellington Masters this winter and took this fun shot of Kent Farrington on his way to a win.
The Wellington Eventing Showcase was truly something else! Competitors galloped through the VIP tent.
Chile's Carlos Lobos Munoz and Ranco were another inspirational pair at the Olympics.
Boris O"Hara wasn't going to touch a fence for Will Coleman at Fair Hill.
At the Wellington Eventing Showcase, Buck Davidson's groom Kathleen gave Ballynoe Castle RM a treat right before he headed out of the start box.
The colors at Fair Hill weren't that vibrant this year, but I can always count on this tree by the entrance to the main stadium to give me a little fall color.
Michael Pollard's son was super cute at the Wellington Eventing Showcase.
The mighty Sam at the Olympics.
My Favorite Photos of the Year
On December 31, 2015 December 31, 2015 By Lindsay BerrethIn Competition recap, Fair Hill2 Comments
I had a pretty crazy year of travel for The Chronicle and I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos I've taken.
I mostly covered eventing, including Red Hills, Bromont, the Carolina International, Great Meadow, Jersey Fresh, Plantation Field, The Fork, Fair Hill and the AECs, as well as CDI***** dressage in Florida, the USEA Convention, two Jimmy Wofford clinics and the Pan Am Games.
I wrote about my favorite memory for COTH as well.
"This year I headed to my first ever championship as a member of the media when I covered the Pan American Games in Toronto with my co-worker Lisa Slade.
I was a little nervous, having heard tales of chaos and stress at multi-discipline championships from other more seasoned staffers. But I'd also heard them rave about how amazing it was to see Valegro dance to music or feel the tension so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife as the final horse cleared the final show jump in eventing.
In the end, the experience was much more the latter. Sure, Lisa and I had to sneak in PB&Js every day for lunch because the few food vendors were overwhelmed and yes, there were some stressful days worrying about getting our coverage up even though we were wet/hot/cold/hungry/tired, but to me it was worth it to experience the U.S. team on the podium multiple times, and to be able to witness equestrian sport on a global scale.
I wish I'd had time to talk to every rider from another country and learn their story, but reporting on the medal contenders was first priority, leaving little time for much else. I did get to talk to a few South American riders across all three disciplines over those two weeks though, and learning the stories of what they go through to be able to compete at the Pan Ams, which for many is the pinnacle of their career, and how excited they were to bring attention to equestrian sport in their countries was really amazing. They took their jobs as ambassadors of the sport very seriously and with a great amount of pride.
There really were so many memorable moments, it's hard to choose! McLain Ward riding the spicy Rothchild to his first individual championship medal, Brazil's Ruy Fonseca so close to an individual gold before dropping the final rail in the eventing to give Marilyn Little the gold, the impressive Brazilians across all disciplines, Steffen Peters' elation aboard Legolas in the dressage…Some say the Pan Ams aren't as prestigious as other championships, but to me and the many riders who were privileged to be there, those medals and experiences mean so much."
Without further ado, here are my favorite photos in no particular order.
Brazilian dressage rider Leandro Aparecido Da Silva's daugther gave Di Caprio a pat after his test at the Pan Ams. I'm not the strongest candid photographer (I'm working on it!), but this one was pretty sweet.
Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM at Jersey Fresh. "Reggie" and Buck's partnerships is one of my favorites. I just love how Reggie is jumping picture perfect over this massive table and how Buck is in the perfect balance. This is something to emulate!
Kim Herslow and Rosmarin at the Pan Ams. Dressage riders are the most emotional riders as I came to find out at the Pan Ams. Kim took a moment after her test to give Rosmarin a hug, even among the loud cheering in the stadium.
I turned around quickly and captured this shot of a rider during dressage day at Fair Hill. It's my favorite event to go to, especially when the weather and fall foliage cooperates like it did this year!
A lot has been said about Marilyn Little this year, but this photo captures the side of her I see when I interview her at competitions. RF Demeter is a special partner for her, and it showed after they won the Bromont CCI***.
Kim Severson and Cooley Cross Border standing off at Fair Hill. I love a photo of a good jumping horse, and "Crossy" sure looks scopey here! Kim is soft-spoken, but I love interviewing her because she's so real. She'll humbly admit how difficult it was to learn to ride this horse and it's wonderful that they're now on the same page (and getting results!).
McLain Ward and Rothchild at the Pan Ams. This photo (in its' original form here) was a little back lit, but our design team worked their magic, and it became my second ever cover shot! It's also one of the rare shots of "Bongo" with her ears forward. McLain's partnership with this fiery little horse is one of my favorites in show jumping.
A few days at the Devon Horse Show
On June 6, 2013 By Lindsay BerrethIn TravelLeave a comment
I headed up to Devon, Pa. last Tuesday to cover a few days at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair after a last minute emergency with one of COTH's staff members.
I'd been to Dressage at Devon about 10 years ago, but I haven't been to a hunter/jumper show in quite a while, so I was a little apprehensive. I'm not a fan of the culture and stigma that goes along with that world, but I appreciate a good equine athlete.
Luckily I got to cover the fun stuff- the professional hunters and the grand prix. I used to go to Upperville every year to watch the grand prix, so I was comfortable with that. Wednesday started out with all of the professional hunter divisions. Kelley Farmer and Scott Stewart did most of the winning on several different horses and I think I got some decent photos. Hunter people are pretty picky about their photos apparently!
I had most of Wednesday afternoon free to work on my story and get some interviews done. I also got to watch some really neat traditional classes like five gaiters, driving and Hackneys. Devon is 117 years old this year and I love the history that goes with the Dixon Oval.
Thursday night was the Grand Prix of Devon and McLain Ward won it for a record eighth time. I wasn't too pleased with my photos, but I think I got the hang of it by the end of the night. It's tough shooting under the lights, but I'm sort of used to low light conditions from shooting so many concerts.
I feel like I wasn't totally prepared to ask good questions at the press conference because I'm not as familiar with the who's who of hunters and jumpers, so I had to make some phone calls on Monday, but the story came together nicely for the magazine I think.
All of my Devon coverage can be found at our Devon hubpage.
I'm off to a family thing this weekend in upstate New York. The weather looks to be nice, so I'm excited to not sweat!