I did my day trip to Nagambie today where I spent a couple of hours at Gilgai Farm.  I've photographed Helsinge a number of times now since 2012, however this was the first time she's not had a foal at foot, or been in foal.  It was also the first time we'd fussed about so much and made it all about her, and had her glammed up and looking gorgeous. Helsinge is a big mare.  She was foaled in 2001, which will make her 13 years old on the 2nd of September.  Glancing over her pedigree makes my eye pause on Helsinge's own dam Scandinavia.  With a start I realise that the little chestnut mare who started the whole Famous Pony legacy was foaled on 11 November 1994.  Rememberance Day, no less.  This makes her 20 years old this spring.  It makes my need to photograph her feel more urgent.  I take a deep breath and tell myself that my own mare Freelance is 20 and is in great nick.  Freelance hasn't had 12 foals though!   I stop ...

Yes.  I am back to that 'on the road' stage of the Spring.  On Thursday I drive out for Scone.  I have been watching the weather forecast/outlook all week.  Is it tempting fate to put it up here?  I'm not sure, but currently, this is what it looks like, and I have to say, that this looks more than ok.  Scone has also had some welcome rain, just like Canberra, over the past couple of days, and so I would hope this would bring out some greenness too. Scone Forecast updated at 9:49 am EST on Tuesday 17 September 2013. Detailed Scone Forecast Tue. 17 Sep Wed. 18 Sep Thu. 19 Sep Fri. 20 Sep Sat. 21 Sep Sun. 22 Sep Mon. 23 Sep Summary   A few showers.  Chance storm.   Mostly sunny.   Sunny.   Mostly sunny.   Sunny.   Partly cloudy.   Mostly sunny. Max. Temperature 21 °C 24 °C 23 °C 23 °C 25 °C 26 °C 27 °C Min. Temperature 8 °C 7 °C 5 °C 5 °C 6 °C 7 °C Without seeing Tuesday yet, which will ...

I'm stopped with Maxie at Lake George. We are having an uneventful trip home. I've been receiving many truly ace messages about the image of Gai Waterhouse and John Singleton that ran on the front pages of the Sunday Telegraph and Herald Sun. Maxie has worn his harness tied to the passenger seat so that he can sit next to me but not be a complete pest and a menace. And he is having a little look around at the rest stop as well. We will set off again shortly. Driving makes me reflective. And recall things good and bad. There was definitely some of each. Whether in equal parts I guess depends on whose perspective you look at it from. If the Waterhouse v Singleton drama tells us anything, it is that different people can have differing views on the same event or set of events depending on which end of the stick they were getting. I am under no illusions that this image, and its byline, will be differently received in different households in both Sydney and Melbourne where...

In a major drama owner John Singleton announced after More Joyous' unplaced run in the G1 All Aged Stakes that he was transferring all his horses from trainer Gai Waterhouse.  These images say it all. The image will run on the front page of tomorrow's Sunday Telegraph and hopefully in a number of the interstate News Ltd mastheads.   The editor of the paper just messaged me to say that the image is a definite award nominee and to make sure I enter it in all the awards (I only know of the Walkleys, what else is there???).  And yes, I still want to pick up the phone, and wanted to do so during the talks about it, just to check I was doing the right thing.  Old habits..  Dying hard... http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/superracing/john-singleton-and-gai-waterhouse-lock-horns-after-failure-of-more-joyous-in-all-aged/story-fn67tkww-1226630657653 On the way to the track, ABBA's Super Trouper came on over Dan's crackly speakers. "Tonight the Super Trouper....