Preview of images for the book can now be viewed in the gallery under 'Your Images'
Having been part of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt all my life in one capacity or another, the Opening Meet on November 1st '08 saw me begin the journey of an idea that came to me a couple of years ago when I began my career as a Freelance Photographer.
Inspired by books such as the Horse and Hound’s ‘Celebration of Foxhunting’ and the much sort after book of the legendary Geoffrey Sparrow, I decided to undertake the project of a book myself.
I have given myself a year in which to gather enough hunting images to produce a story in photos or a photographic account of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt and the Opening Meet seemed like a good place to begin putting my project into action.
The book will be hard back without dust jacket as I want it to look more traditional like the Geoffrey Sparrow book. It will be red cover with gold lettering on the front and spine with the Hunt button logo on the front.
It will be a limited Edition production consisting of 100 numbered copies and I am aiming to have them printed sometime in November next year ('09).
I will begin advertising them Spring of next year and will be happy to take pre-orders for them a little later on in the year.
The reason I am publicly announcing this book now is because you will all be seeing me out and about with my camera a lot over the next year, both out hunting and over the summer at Hound shows and events and then early morning Hound exercise next autumn, and you may wonder or already are wondering why you are not seeing any photos up on my website? The reason being, that I am holding all images back for possible use in the book!
However I know you are all quite keen on photos that involve yourself and your horse (hopefully united!) sailing over hedges, so should I get any photos like this I will put them up on my site.
I should also like to say that I am not producing this book solely for my benefit as I do hope enough money will be made from it to give a healthy donation to the Hunt in whichever way I choose to go about it, whether I donate some of the profit or give a book to auction.
Over the course of the next year I promise to try my hardest not to get in anyone’s way (especially Andrews!) but please be aware that a photographer trying to get that one great photo is like a terrier with a bone and I could be stood in the middle of a war zone, with bullets flying to my left and right, but nothing is going to stop me from getting that photo!
If I look lost during a hunting day any direction anyone could give me would be most appreciated, especially as I can see myself being on Shanks’s pony most of the time!
This book is a chance for me to have a bit of fun, be creative and really put some enjoyment back into the business of photography and I hope you will all like it.
