I had the pleasure of photographing the working hunter show at Badgworth Arena on 19th January – I’ll be completely honest this was a venue I’d never been to, the first time I have photographed in an indoor arena and the first time I have seen a working hunter competition. Therefore, I felt a little anxious but mostly excited!
When I arrived, I was so impressed by the facilities – the outdoor schools, indoor school and, to top it off, a café! It was freezing cold, and as I was setting up, the owner Jane came over to greet me. I happened to mention regretting not bringing gloves but that they’d just get in the way and as if by magic, Jane grabbed the sweetest pair of pink owl gloves for me to wear! This was such a lovely gesture, and worked a treat!
There we were, ducky and I (yes, that’s his name) waiting for the show to begin. I was actually amazed that the jumps set up were low enough that even I could jump them! I made a mental note to bring Blake sometime. What happened next was the biggest cuteness overload – tiny children on tiny horses! It was brilliant!
I really enjoyed the low-pressure and fun atmosphere, where everyone was supporting each other! It was refreshingly different to the many BD competitions I’ve been to, where it is quite competitive.
As the day went on the cold began to hit (despite the 20 layers I’d put on!).
You can imagine how pleased I was when Jane offered me some chips for lunch! I always pack a lunch (being a vegan, I don’t expect venues to cater for me), but I was so thankful for something warm to eat! Not gonna lie, the chips were exceptional – fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside and crinkled – which automatically makes them tastier.
Anyway, that’s enough of me rambling about the chips, this is meant to be a photography blog not a food review (although I’d definitely go there to compete knowing the food was good;)).
Back to the photography – I really found it challenging on the mirrorless in the low light of the indoor, and had to rely a lot on my theoretical knowledge of white balance, aperture and shutter speed etc. I just felt like the images just weren’t as sharp as normal and this was frustrating. Nonetheless, I managed to get a full day of photos that I was mostly pleased with. I think it’s important to maintain a healthy amount of critique when looking at your photos – it shows that you want to improve!
