‘It never gets old’ – why US horse racing photographer loves Hong Kong

Equine photographer Alex Evers has the utmost respect for his subjects. “It’s my job to make a picture as good as the horse is,” the American says.

When the 40-year-old, winner of a Media Eclipse Award – presented annually for outstanding racing journalism in the United States – turns his lens to the action on a racecourse, he wants to capture the beauty, speed and athleticism of horse and jockey.

“That’s always my drive […] to be able to articulate that in the photo and share that with fans [who] can’t get on a horse or can’t get really close to a horse,” he says.

The 30 images featured in the exhibition highlighted some of the season’s most breathtaking moments, and included portraits of champions like Romantic Warrior, who was just named Hong Kong Horse of the Year, and another champion, Golden Sixty.

Evers, who wanted to be a jockey as a child, quips that when he was old enough to pick up a camera he figured being an equine photographer “was the easiest way for me to get a credential and then go to the races for free”.

Evers says that of all the exhibition’s photos, the most meaningful is the one showing an aerial view of Happy Valley Racecourse.

“It’s a picture that I wanted to make for so many years, and I had to figure out how to do it,” he says.

“And it would never have been possible without Hong Kong racing fans and the guys that worked at the [nearby] Crowne Plaza [hotel] that were big racing fans, who took me to a special spot to make that picture.”

He says that colour-blind photographers can see contrast better, and since colour grading – the post-production process of tweaking an image’s hues, contrast and more – is more maths than art, the condition does not greatly affect his work.

“The only thing I notice is, if I can’t get the colour of the grass quite right, I tend to go black and white […] but I’ve never had anyone say, ‘Your colours look funny to me,’” he says.

The view from Happy Valley racecourse is one of a kind, Evers says, with skyscrapers surrounding the track on which horses can be watched from close.

“Backdrops are incredible here […] You get the horse real close and the high rises. It never gets old, to be honest.”

Although Evers’ exhibition ended with this year’s racing season, Hong Kong Jockey Club says it will invite him back to photograph major events in the future.