What do you think the top 5 photo ops at Churchill Downs are?

[letswastemoney]

I'm writing an article on the Top 5 photo ops at Churchill. Do you have any opinions on this?

Right now, I have them ranked in this order:

1) Barbaro statue

2) paddock

3) grandstand overlooking the track

4) winner's circle

5) not sure yet

[exactatom]

1. Derby Winners Circle and white house like structure in back of it.

2. Twin Spires from the balcony off of the Stakes Room. It is higher floor of the Clubhouse side.

3. Shot from the Longfeld parking lot facing the facility.

4. Paddock

5. Shot from backside rail that has the Twin Spires centered.

Special Mentions

A. Shot from Club house catching the track and Papa John's stadium
B. Shot of area where Perfect Drift was kept in front of Derby Museum.
C. Barbaro statue

[Fingal]

To add a couple-

The Pat Day &/or Aristides statues in the paddock gardens.

Shooting out those circular windows behind the Day statue as the horses circle the paddock. Those windows are on the 3rd floor walkway in the clubhouse.

The finish line. That's what it's all about.

[Stillriledup]

I'm writing an article on the Top 5 photo ops at Churchill. Do you have any opinions on this?

Right now, I have them ranked in this order:

1) Barbaro statue

2) paddock

3) grandstand overlooking the track

4) winner's circle

5) not sure yet

You gotta get some sunrise shots, horses working out as the sun starts to come up.

[jk3521]

A nice shot of me cashing a 75 grand superfecta ticket. ! :D

[TheGarMan]

I certainly do not want to hijack your thread, but I never miss a chance to post this photo my daughter in law took last year on Derby day...

Shot simply with an iphone-5 , from our seats, its a photo of the derby field on their first time past the grandstands, just a few hundred yards into the race.

Have we seen better Churchill photography? Of course! But for an amature , on a cell phone, its is pretty amazing :)

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z249/thegarman69/derbyfirstpass_zps5131c5c7.jpg (http://s188.photobucket.com/user/thegarman69/media/derbyfirstpass_zps5131c5c7.jpg.html)

[letswastemoney]

I certainly do not want to hijack your thread, but I never miss a chance to post this photo my daughter in law took last year on Derby day...

Shot simply with an iphone-5 , from our seats, its a photo of the derby field on their first time past the grandstands, just a few hundred yards into the race.

Have we seen better Churchill photography? Of course! But for an amature , on a cell phone, its is pretty amazing :)

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z249/thegarman69/derbyfirstpass_zps5131c5c7.jpg (http://s188.photobucket.com/user/thegarman69/media/derbyfirstpass_zps5131c5c7.jpg.html)For an iPhone, that is stunning. I can't get my Galaxy S5 to take a non-blurry picture when everything is standing still.

[Stillriledup]

That's an incredible picture Garman, thanks for posting!

[Bettowin]

Sunrise shot of the twinspires from the backside.

[Hoofless_Wonder]

I thought the Derby replays in the Derby Museum were very cool. Dial up 1941 and gauge a few reactions from someone watching Whirlway crush the field.

[chadk66]

view of the grandstand from the back side. priceless.

[sandpit]

Plenty of great angles to choose from...here's a few that might give you some ideas.
First one is from the infield on a Friday evening.
Second is from the backside a week before the Derby when the Great Balloon Race is held that morning
Third is Lost in the Fog schooling in the paddock.
Last one is self-explanatory.

[chadk66]

:ThmbUp::ThmbUp:

[Grits]

There's no real need for five. The only two you want are:

a. The original grandstand, box seats, roof, underneath the two Twin Spires. Both have now been dwarfed but still stand as iconic landmarks.

b. Looking towards that same spot, but from another angle. The twenty horse field going into the first turn, this year, on May 2.

Looking to the west at Sunset, photographing one of the Spires, as Sandpit shared. That's a gorgeous bonus.

Everything else is clutter.