The Eclipse for photography

[gamblin4ever]

QUOTE=PatCummings]The measuring stick for Eclipse media awards is a complete farce.

This year's photo was a VERY good shot. The typical shot of a horse with rider or two simply isn't that engaging - they are taken every day with very little variety, big race or not. A photographer really needs to have their proverbial ducks in a row to get a shot like the one that won this year, same for the Leparoux incident a few years back.

I still think my favorite Eclipse pic was of Stephen's Angel acting up on the Preakness undercard when she hovered above the track, off all four legs. Cindy Dulay took that shot spur of the moment. http://horseracing.about.com/od/late.../aa010304a.htm

There was one several years back of an incredible close-up of a horse head mid-race with dirt flying. That picture took incredible skill, and of course, some luck.

Consider that last year's picture was a MESS. Dettori dismount from Donativum, with the name of the race incorrectly spelled in the background, and practically the SAME picture having won an Eclipse a decade before. Now THAT was a travesty. The act of the dismount was completely expected, everyone took it, everyone knew it was coming, was completely UNSPONTANEOUS, and how you could judge that particular shot as better than any of the 50 other photogs who took is beyond me. Oh yeah, and the whole "we've done this before" thing wasn't considered, cause the committee probably never knew it.

The unusual almost HAS to reign in the photography category.

As for Drape's jury selecting his piece, according to the release from Bloodhorse, the panel of judges for the "Features/Enterprise Writing category was comprised of Rob Longley of the Toronto Star, Fred Klein, former columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and Neil Milbert, former horse racing writer for the Chicago Tribune."

But after all, considering some of the people who have Eclipse ballots, and their general inability to even comprehend past performances, is ANY of this surprising?[/quote]


I agree with you on the picture, it takes a keen eye and quick reflex to get a picture like this one. The pic itself represents something bad, but not many photographers are ready for a shot when this happens. He deserves the award IMO.