Colette's Horse & Dog Shows at Blue Barn

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Thanks
Graham

Merry Christmas to all...

With the last equestrian event of the season over and all orders printed, packed & posted, I'd like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Just one more wedding to cover today then I can relax and start my Christmas shopping....

Colette's Horse & Dog Shows at Willow Farm

I couldn't resist using this shot for the blog. It's not a one off either, he pulled the same face a few times. Click on the photo to see the rest of the show and then read on to find out about my special offer if you order in time for Christmas.

Ditch the Mounts

Buy any three 6" x 4" prints without mounts and get three more for Free!!!

Order any three 6" x 4" prints from the website by 19th December and not only will you get free postage & packing but if you ditch the mounts, you can choose another three absolutely FREE!!!

Just send me an e-mail (with the subject line "Ditch the Mounts") after you've placed your order telling me your choice of three free prints and they will all be sent together in time for you to give them out to friends or family for Christmas.

Last Orders - Midnight 19th December 2010

The Quantum Archive Project

I seem to be getting an increasing amount of orders for photos taken a long time ago. Some as far back as 2002. Yes, all my images have been safely archived since I started back in 1996 and I can pretty much lay my hands on them straight away - if the customer knows the reference number. And there lies the problem... most people can't remember the date of the event let alone the photo number. A few years ago, due to technical reasons, I had to remove my entire archive from the website. Now that technology has moved on, I thought it would be a great project for the winter to put them all back on.

Look through my archive pages then hit the comments button below with your suggestions on which events should go up first and I'll start straight away with the most popular.....

Colette's Team Dressage at Willow Farm

Although today didn't quite go as I planned, I think the results were actually better than I was expecting. First, it soon became clear that not all riders were aware that I was only taking photos to order, so some of you were photographed anyway. I think it worked out for the best in the end when people realised how good today's offer was. Second, the lighting was far worse than I expected. Apart from the shift back to GMT and darker evenings, not all the arena lights were working. I really had to push my cameras sensitivity to the limit and time my shots to when you were in the best lit area (and on the right leg). This wasn't always possible so I took some more photos just to make sure you had some good ones. Since the original plan was cut down on the amount of pictures I had to take by only taking photos of those who specifically wanted them, I ended up taking far more than usual - 2,040 to be exact with each test having between 20 and 100 images. Either way, £10 for the lot (if you paid on the day - or order more than one test) is a BARGAIN!
To achieve this low price I couldn't possibly check every image let alone process them ALL for the website. So I've just uploaded one image of each test (without any adjustments or colour corrections) for identification purposes and those who order can have their whole set of pictures for the price of one. Once ordered, I'll batch process your images to achieve the best possible quality and zip them up in one - easy to download - file. Those who have pre-paid on the day, please e-mail me and I'll send you your download link tomorrow.

Click on the photo above to see your sample images....

Digital Downloads for less than £1 at Colette's Dressage this Saturday

That's right, less than one pound each!

For some of you, it could be less than 50p...

That's because I take, on average, 12-25 photos during a dressage test. This Saturday I am offering all of them as full screen digital downloads - without watermarking - for just...

£10 per test!

There will be no viewing screens or printing on the day because there will be no need to spend time choosing your photos.

YOU GET THE LOT!

Just make sure you book me BEFORE you start your test and your photos will be available for download the following day.

Colette's Horse & Dog Shows at Blue Barn

To be honest, as soon as I looked out of the window, I was in two minds about attending today. I knew the weather would improve, I just wasn't sure what affect it would have on the competitors. I needn't have worried though, when teams are involved, the competitive spirit goes up a few notches and no one wants to be the one who lets their side down.
Lots of entries, lots of action and lots of great photos...

Colette's Horse & Dog Shows at Barville Farm

While not the busiest of shows this year, it was one of the more relaxing (for me, anyway). A glorious day without a cloud in the sky, the sun producing a wonderful low light across the jumps and a steady stream of competitors eager to make the most of Colette's last outdoor event of the season. What more could I ask for...?

Click on the image above to see your photos...

Southern Counties Horse Show 2010 at Barville Farm

Colette certainly pulled it all together this year with a great line up of championships across all four rings. From show jumping through to in-hand and ridden showing there were plenty of entries keen to compete for the titles and prizes. I concentrated on the showing classes to start with, trying to make sure I captured all the winners but the jumping got the better of me as the competition got serious when the jumps increased in height. With over 1500 pictures taken throughout the day, the option to have all your images burned full size on a CD proved extremely good value for money for many riders. If the interest is still there, I may be able to give you a similar offer via e-mail.
Click on the photo above to see how many I've taken of you....

East Kent Hunt Pony Club - Open Show at Knowler Farm, Stelling Minnis

Another well established and organised annual event that has seen it's numbers dwindle due to other event organisers lack of research and forward planning. C'mon you guys, it's not like there's a shortage of weekends out there and it doesn't do anyone any good to compete for competitors. Maybe there should be an independent body to organise the organisers!
Meanwhile, they can click on the photo above to see where their missing entries were...