Eventing Photographer Profile

Name: Beth Colllier

Photography Area: Yearly Eventing Calendar featuring my photos

Location: US & Great Britain

Years of experience: Many…many years

I’ve always been interested in photography, because photos are a visual record of something that happened.

Husband Burt and I were x-c jump judges for Prelim. at the Maryland Combined Training Association horse trials at Shawan Downs, north of Baltimore. We had a big corner jump, although there was a non-corner option. Phillip Dutton comes by and his horse whacks the corner flag and runs-out. The flag was broken off and we didn’t have a hammer or nails or a twist-tie. Phillip comes to a screeching halt and almost falls off. He turned around and said, “Can you set up the flag?” I’m thinking we don’t have a way to easily fix it and the next horse will be coming in 2 minutes. So, Burt tried to prop the flag up but it just tilted over. So, he stands there and holds the flag for Phillip. The volunteer coordinator later asked me if I had taken a photo, and I said, “No, because I thought I was having either a stroke or a heart attack.” Burt said he only held the flag because of his faith in Phillips experience as a top rider.

Here’s another story about a photo I didn’t take:

2008 Fair Hill International CCI***/CCI**, Elkton, Maryland

Burt and I were volunteer jump judges for cross-country at the Farmyard 6A/B for CCI** Intermediate Division. (a log cabin then about 5 strides to a narrow brush jump on a diagonal line). It was all going pretty smoothly with very few riders missing the narrow brush on the landing. Burt was on the take-off side and I was sitting further down the hill so I could see the 6B brush. Rustic Design and Karen Shull had a stop at jump 4 and did the long way at jump 5, and I thought, “Oh, no, this is not going well for her.” And, sure enough, she came galloping near jump 6 and starts shouting “LOOK OUT!” since she had no steering. Somehow her horse managed to tip-toe past Burt in his chair, and she finally stopped and said, “I’m retiring.” Well, thank-goodness after nearly making me have heart failure.  Needless to say, Burt moved his chair next to a big TREE. Karen Shull rode Just My Style later in the day and was double clear.  After she rode by, I told Burt that was the rider who had nearly run him over.

 

Advice: From an artistic background, I always look for the beauty in a scene.

Website: www.BethCollier.com
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Thanks for your profile Beth.  Photographers, please send in your profiles by filling out this form and sending it my way.  And remember to send us links to your event photo galleries if you would like us to link to them.