SNOWFIELDS PROOFS are now POSTED! (Please read the info in the right sidebar for all disclaimers.)

Many thanks to my regular co-photographer, Paige Vrooman and to MeCTA President Bobbie Grenier for assisting with this shoot. If you are interested in knowing who took what, the clue is in the filename. The 6 digit number after the rider’s name is the date of the event. If this is followed by 2 letters, they will be the initials of the photographer (PV = Paige; BG = Bobbie; nothing = ME!)

Even BIGGER THANKS to everyone who makes Snowfields happen each and every year… the organizers of course, but especially all the volunteers!

Alert jump judges caught the riders coming … and going …

The PROOFS for the PUCKERBRUSH DRESSAGE SHOWS are now POSTED!   Yippeee!   Click HERE to find them.

***IMPORTANT** Don’t forget to check out the EVENT SPECIAL CD offerings!! Click on the tab above.

Now to start working on Snowfields….

We’re back… from 5 straight days of photographing on the lovely grounds of GMHA.

Paige and I covered the novice/training 3-Day event from Wed. through Friday with help from Jacob Powers, Christine Lafreniere, Bethany Bennett and Tom Cross, then we caught a second wind to shoot the horse trials that ran Sat. & Sun. Need I say that we came home with close to 12,000 images and feeling a tad overwhelmed?!

I’m sure there are a lot of folks out there wondering when the proofs will be posted from the Puckerbrush Dressage show and Snowfields H.T. that happened before the GMHA events. Shooting 4 competitions, back-to-back with no time in between to process and post proofs is a killer. I’ve learned to avoid filling my calendar with a shoot every weekend. Such was not possible this summer and now I ask everyone to be patient.

Priority is to finish posting the proofs from Puckerbrush in the next few days, then work on Snowfields. I’ll get to the GMHA proofs as soon as physically and mentally possible!

As always, check back in a few days for status updates.

This is the time of my shooting season that gets hectic, crazy and very challenging.

Hoof Pix® staff consists of Me, Myself, and Paige Vrooman. I can only afford to pay Paige to photograph at events (yes Paige, I know you do a lot of extra stuff for which you don’t get paid). This means there is only one person (Me) to stay in the office to process proofs from events recently photographed and to fill orders, while the rest of the staff (Myself and Paige) travel to the next venue to shoot. (Are we getting the picture here? no pun intended)

This season, 4 competitions at which we photographed or are about to photograph, fall back-to-back on the calendar. Proofs from Puckerbrush Dressage Show are partially processed and Snowfields H.T. are waiting to be processed. All would get accomplished this week except for one tiny problem, we leave today for GMHA to photograph the 3-Day (Wed. thru Fri.) AND the horse trials (Sat. thru Sun.).

The good news for riders at the 3-Day is that I have hired an extra shooter for endurance day and will have some “interns” getting candids as well. On the other side of this however is the extra # of images to process.  Considering we brought back ~8,000 images from the 3 days at Groton House in June, with only Paige and me shooting … well, you do the math!

I totally understand the frustration of waiting to view photos from an event. But frankly folks, 99% of the people who pester me about “when will the proofs be posted” only want to LOOK at them.  Not much incentive there to hurry.  I will do the very best I can as fast as I can but there are only 30 hours in (my) day.

As always, I greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of each and everyone of my customers!

P.S. if you are at GMHA, stop by our booth on the porch of the Youth Center!

Our ONE USEA sanctioned event in Maine will take place this coming weekend. Snowfields Horse Trials has been held for years on the gorgeous farm of Patsy and David O’Brien in Pownal Maine.

Every year, hard working, devoted members of MeCTA spend HOURS upon HOURS of their own time to get the site ready.  As any organizer of any event knows, this is a huge undertaking, even when the event runs at the same location from year to year, the land needs to be mowed and trimmed and made safe, old jumps need to be repaired & painted, new jumps built.  The stadium course and dressage rings must be set up, XC course flagged, signs made, etc. etc.

Every year (sadly),only a handful of MeCTA members try to accomplish all of this and more. Every year, the e-mail requests go out asking then begging, for other MeCTA members, friends, family to help get Snowfields ready.

Every year, the same handful of MeCTA members manage somehow to get it done with only a trickling of help from the rest of us (me included!).

This year is no exception.

We are all busy, especially in the summer. I am swamped as most of you know because I tell you all of the time. And taking even a few hours from my never-ending “to-do” list will set me even further behind. My customers will complain that proofs aren’t posted yet or they haven’t received the orders they placed. Don’t forget there are the horse’s to ride/train/care for … and life in general.

This is NO different for Wendy and Al Bellows, Peggy Paine, Lila Townsend, Bobbie Grenier and the others that make up that handful of workers. They have outside jobs, family, horses, LIVES… yet they somehow find or make the time to get Snowfields ready for not only Maine eventers but out of state riders as well, to enjoy for 2 days each summer.

Yesterday I took some time away from my busy schedule. Penny Young (who helps @ Snowfields every year) and I spent ~ 5 hours stuffing brush in jumps and painting others. Hot, sweaty, tiring for these two (ahem) “aging” ladies, but fun. Wendy was there of course, looking worn and exhausted but chipper and friendly as she always is. She directed us to our tasks then headed off to work on her long list. Peggy arrived a little later (looking equally as exhausted and rashed from poison-ivy encouters). She helped us paint one of the jumps while entertaining us with stories of past Snowfields preparations. When Penny and I were finished and about to head home, Al arrived (after a long day at his regular job) to work until dark!

Yes, I am even more behind in my work… proofs from the recent dressage show at Puckerbrush may or may not get posted before this weekend, when I both ride and shoot at Snowfields. The pile of orders on my desk may have to wait a little longer too. But I feel good knowing I helped get Snowfields ready in my small way.

At least Wendy, Al, Peggy, et al. have one less brush jump to stuff and 4 less XC jumps to paint.

FRIDAY (tomorrow) IS THE LAST WORK DAY TO GET EVERYTHING DONE IN TIME. I HOPE MY READERS WHO ARE CONNECTED IN ANY WAY WITH SNOWFIELDS (competitors, event enthusiasts, MeCTA members) WILL FIND EVEN A FEW HOURS TO LEND A HAND.