Cafe Thursday November 14, 2024

Mark Keefer

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Apr 3, 2023
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Location
Philadelphia PA and California PCH
Welcome to Cafe Thursday,
the weeklong thread open to all camera types and brands. All are welcome here.

This week's subject can be about anything, but please tell us a little about the shot and gear used.

My shot was taken with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. A handy phone with 5 cameras.

These shots taken on or around election day in Pennsylvania. These shots are not my opinions and certainly not my making any political statements, just a couple of observations of what was going on. The tequila and lime drink was mine, made after several hours of watching election results that evening. I held it down to a good stiff drink🍸 and shortly called it a night and went to bed.
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Rainy Day Prayer
Fujifilm X-T5; TAMRON 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD

Weather cannot stop an intrepid photographer! Taken on a dreary afternoon in the Catholic section of Hope Cemetery in Corning NY, she is fading away like the underground neighbors near her. I visited the community mausoleum opposite her thinking to get some images of the statuary inside there. Death has a smell that is unique--and I was quickly reminded why I left nursing and chose a new career path... 💀 The rain livened up the lichen and caused the color to bloom nearly right in front of my eyes.

This was my only prize of the day.
 
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I'll keep the recorded history theme going . . .
The central Subject is the grave of William Henry McLachlan (nicknamed 'Midget') and his Son, William Henry McLachlan Jnr (nicknamed 'Billy').
Both were Jockeys (Flat Track) of renown: 'Billy' rode primarily in England in the King's Colours and broke his apprenticeship at the early age of 15yrs and a few months; 'Midget' was the first Jockey to win three Melbourne Cups (1909, 1910, 1917).
Another quirky element to this History Record, is the adjoining grave, that of David Hugh Munro (nicknamed 'Darby'), is that Darby also won three Melbourne Cups, (1934, 1944, 1946).
The photograph was made using a 5D Series and an EF 135 F/2L, Available Light, (which required a few visits and waiting a while)

WW

Footnote: The Melbourne Cup is a (perhaps the) World's prestigious Flat Track Horse Race, having an history dating to 1861, in an arduous selection process the race commands entries, trainers and jockeys from around the world.
At the time of publication: two Jockeys have won the Cup 4 times; Bobby Lewis and Harry White; in addition to Midget and Darby, five other jockeys have won the Cup three times.

Image © WMW, AlexJordanGroup 1973~2024
 
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For the Finish
Minolta Dimage 7

@William Michael yes, talking about the theme and how we get it is the whole purpose of FotoFora!

The graves set me to thinking, and I took my personal Wayback Machine into the dusty digital archives. In the early 2000s, I was institutionalized at the University of Kentucky in Lexington for severe academic grandiosity. Repeated doses of departmental politics eventually cured me of it and I was released.

Lexington is Kentucky Bluegrass horse country. My world was historic preservation--and I had the opportunity to work with some of the most noted properties and structures connected to horse racing history.

Toward the east end of Main Street lies Thoroughbred Park. The image posted is a detail of a bronze jockey on a horse--one of several in the stretch to the finish... Click on the link below to learn more about the park and the sculptures.


Would you believe that this was shot in 2002 with a Minolta Dimage 7, boasting a whopping 5 megapizzles?

Post is an ever expanding adventure in mono interpretation through some custom Nik Silver presets I am working on. As I have always been fascinated when shooting with fine grain films like Pan-X and Tech Pan, this application of things looks to bring the zone latitude of TechPan to a slightly more grainy but high acutance balance of the old Plus-X. I think that it works well for this one.
 
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Lexington, Kentucky is on the list of areas of the USA on the list: yet to visit. One of the main draw-cards is Thoroughbred Park. There is a racing museum in Kentucky too, I believe.
Flat Track Racing, at its best, is one of the British/Irish (etc.) heritages both Australia and America share, and each in our own way, we have developed to be singularly ours.
***
I think your photograph is of Bill Shoemaker. Though I believe Shoemaker never rode in Australia and he was a bit younger than W.H. McLachlan Jnr., I understand, from my Wife's research papers, that they both knew each other, possibly an acquaintance grew from WHMcLJnr.'s visit to the USA. Certainly Bill Shoemaker is a name known well in the Racing Fraternity, here.
WW
 
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