Preakness Fun!

Some of you might have noticed the lack of "editorial month in review" posts on our blog lately - It is not because I have not been shooting the news, as I certainly have - but more due to the fact that I tend to keep up with the facebook page much more so than the blog!

With that said, I know there is a bit of interest every year in Preakness coverage, as it is one of the largest events in the Baltimore area. So I decided to throw some of the winners up ASAP on here! :)

Preakness is an interesting event to cover - as a photographer, I look around to see people I normally shoot with in the DC/Baltimore area. But unlike most DC political events where I often know every other photographer in the room - it seems that only a handful of the Preakness photographers are political photographers from the area.

Additionally, it's interesting to see the various types of people that attend the event. Specifically noticing the stark difference between the people who frequent the infield, and those in the grandstands / corporate tents. After spending some time in the infield, I decided it was probably not in my best interest to be walking amongst a ton of drunk people ready to spill their beers all over multiple thousands of dollars in equipment I was carrying! Additionally the fact that every single one of these drunks wanted to stop in front of my camera and have me take their picture really slowed down my progress thru the infield towards the stage.

In prior years, I've been excited to see the Preakness coordinators head in the correct direction in terms of marketing the event. This year however, Preakness took a turn for the worse with the introduction of "kegasus" - the half man-half horse beer drinking, pot-bellied mascot used to promote the race. For the last few years Preakness had been trying to market the event to families - but this year they decided to go straight back to the college frat party roots. Undoubtedly this decision helped to keep families and kids away from the "grown up" entertainment.

Given the history of the Preakness, in many ways I'd like to see Maryland keep the race as part of it's tradition. However, in many other ways I see how a much nicer facility like Delaware Park would make such a better home for this race!



A horse gets worked out during sunrise at Pimlico racetrack the day before the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes


Trainer TODD PLETCHER walks past the starting gate to watch his horse Dance City's morning workout. At 12-1 odds, Dance City can't be overlooked. But he does lag behind favorite Animal Kingdom, Dialed In and the other Kentucky Derby holdovers in the eyes of the oddsmakers.


Mucho Macho Man during a morning workout one day before the Preakness Stakes. After disappointing in the Kentucky Derby, Mucho Macho Man is listed as 12/1 to win the Preakness.


Trainer NICK ZITO washes off Dialed In after a morning workout one day before the Preakness Stakes. Dialed In is listed as the 9-2 second choice behind 2-1 Derby winner Animal Kingdom. Trainer Nick Zito said "He's got a lot of energy... He is a strong, determined horse, and I am fine with him."


Trainer Dale Romans' Shackleford runs during a morning workout one day prior to the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico


Horses head into the final turn and approach the home strech in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint $50,000 race at Pimlico Racetrack. Ben's Cat ridden by JEREMY ROSE finished 1st followed by SHELDON RUSSELL aboard Local Celebrity and MALCOM FRANKLIN on Super Chunky.


WES SCANTLIN of Puddle of Mudd sings in the infield at Pimlico on Preakness day.


A fan shows off a stylish purple hat while enjoying the races at Pimlico racetrack on the day of the Preakness Stakes.


XAVIER PEREZ aboard No Brakes (left) comes from behind to win the 2nd race of the day at Pimlico Racetrack on the day of the Preakness Stakes


PHIL VASSAR performs on stage at Pimlico Racetrack on Preakness day.


A fan shows off a stylish hat while enjoying the races at Pimlico racetrack on the day of the Preakness Stakes.


JESUS LOPEZ CASTANON leads Shackleford (blue helmet) down the straight away at the start of the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes


JESUS LOPEZ CASTANON leads Shackleford (blue helmet) down the home strech of Pimlico Raceway to win the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes


JESUS LOPEZ CASTANON aboard Shackleford (blue helmet) celebrates after winning the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes


JESUS LOPEZ CASTANON aboard Shackleford celebrates after winning the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes


National Volleyball League player LISA RUTLEDGE spikes a ball against HEATHER LOWE (hat), and TEALLE HUNKUS as teammate ANNETT DAVIS looks on during the final round of play at a NVL match at Pimlico Racetrack on Preakness day.


National Volleyball League player TEALLE HUNKUS spikes a ball against ANNETT DAVIS (left) and LISA RUTLEDGE during the final round of play at a NVL match at Pimlico Racetrack on Preakness day.


National Volleyball League player TEALLE HUNKUS celebrates with teammate HEATHER LOWE (white hat) after winning the final round of play against LISA RUTLEDGE (Red hat), and ANNETT DAVIS at a NVL match at Pimlico Racetrack on Preakness day.

Katy & Bill @ Heritage Hills

A part of my job that I really enjoy is being able to go to different gorgeous venues on a regular basis. I actually prefer to shoot anything, weddings, corporate events, political events – in a location I’ve never been to before! Seeing a new scene with a fresh eye – it’s like a kid in a candy shop for a photographer – and some locations have a lot more candy than others!

I had heard of Heritage Hills outside of York, PA before, but had never been there to shoot a wedding prior to Bill & Katy’s. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to see what I had to work with! A beautiful location on a picture-perfect day! And even better – a super-friendly staff with a fantastic on-site event coordinator!

Here is some shots from Katy and Bill's special day! :)

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Jenny & Jason @ Valley Mansion

Typically, my wife will forbid me from taking any jobs on July 4th. Aside from being her favorite holiday, it also happens to be our anniversary! But when I told her that a friend of hers that she went to school with was getting married on July 4th and wanted me to shoot her wedding, she was happy to give me up for the day so I could shoot her friend's wedding!

Now, if you are wondering why we are posting a July 4th wedding on our blog in February -- the answer is simple. - We typically fill our schedule up with work before worrying about updating the blog! But, we tend to be much better at keeping things up to date on our facebook page - www.facebook.com/bephotographyllc so be sure you become a fan on FB! :)

Here are some of the photos from Jenny and Jason's wedding at Valley Mansion - a Martin's property in Hunt Valley.

Jessica & Jonathan @ Mountian Branch

Having been married at Mountian Branch myself, it is always a pleasure to return to work another Mt. Branch wedding! :) The staff here is excellent! Always a pleasure to work with and everyone is very friendly -- even to the other vendors (which is NOT always the case at other places!). And of course, the food is always wonderful as well! :)

Although about 90% of my couples refuse to see each other prior to the ceremony, I always tell couples that for the 10% of people who dont mind seeing each other before hand, doing so makes the entire day run so much smoother! Being a part of their cocktail hour and wanting to get the posed photos out of the way was important to Jessica & Jonathan, so they happily decided to do all the formals before hand.

A beautiful wedding on a perfect day with a great group of friends - I was honored to be able to capture the day in photos for this couple! :)