My job can be challenging at times. My coworkers here at the Courier laugh because I always seem to come back to the office telling of another "incident" that happened at an assignment, whether it is being told I’m not allowed to take pictures at an event that we were invited to take pictures at or unsuccessfully trying to get the names of camera-shy people who don’t want their picture in the paper.
On Oct. 18, Staff Writer Annette Jiménez and I visited Finger Lakes Racetrack in Farmington to interview and photograph female jockey Elaine Castillo. Everyone there was really helpful and accommodating. I was even able to get right up on the edge of the track to get some good shots of Elaine in action. Elaine and the horse she raced that day, "House On Toilsome," ended up winning first place, and so a photograph in the winner’s circle was in order. This was all working out perfectly.
Annette and I were invited into the winner’s circle by one of the horse’s trainers who knew we were there for Elaine. We didn’t want to be in the wrong place since there was a very large animal involved and other races were about to begin, so we were trying to be careful and listen to direction. The problem was a lot of people were talking at the same time and everything was moving so fast and apparently all of us were not on the same page because, as it turns out, I actually wasn’t asked into the winner’s circle to TAKE a picture but to BE IN the picture!
And so, I returned to the office with yet another "story" — this time accompanied by a picture. It isn’t always toilsome things that happen to me — but always interesting!
Photo © 2011 Tom Cooley
