| December 24, 2007
BEA WITTEN'S "TELL ALL" PHOTO CAPTURES 2007 SMALLSREED AWARD
After watching her husband, Dave, collect the George Smallsreed Award for photojournalism the last two years, the honor has finally fallen to Bea Witten in 2007, it was announced today by the United States Harness Writers Association.
The Wittens, familiar photography partners at all the major harness races in the United States, live in Chapel Hill, NC.
Bea Witten's honored photo of Three-Year-Old Pacer of the Year Tell All, like the 2005 and 2006 winners for Dave, was shot at the Little Brown Jug in Delaware, Ohio, and appeared in Horseman & Fair World.
Witten's photo, shot from the infield, captures the three-horse finish won by Tell All over Hot Rod Mindale and Always A Virgin with the crowd looking on at the rail. It appeared as a two-page spread in the September 26, 2007 issue of Horseman & Fair World.
"This photograph is a winner due to the strong composition, bright color and feeling of action," said Barbara Livingston, the two-time Eclipse Award winning photographer who judged the contest. "The background crowd provides interesting colors and patterning, and even the horses' head numbers provide a focal point. In addition, the overall image - despite tricky lighting - is very well exposed."
Bea Witten, who grew up in New Jersey, saw her first harness race at the Van Wert, Ohio fair in 1988 and has been photographing harness racing since 1999. "For me, following the horses and the colorful people with a camera is like eating ice cream all day long," she said.
Livingston, who has been photographing racing for more than 35 years and recently published her fourth book, More Old Friends, also selected an honorable mention award recipient, Karen Bockus of Lansdowne, Ontario.
Bockus' image of a yearling named Mild Mannered leaping in the air appeared in the November 15, 2007 issue of Canadian Sportsman.
"While perhaps not a humorous situation to the [three] men in the [jog] cart, this photo of a standardbred flying high feels playful," said Livingston [www.barbaralivingston.com]. "The horse seems annoyed by its constraints, yet the photo somehow still brings a smile. And it's not easy to photograph such an unusual moment at its peak."
The Smallsreed is named for the late chief photographer for the United States Trotting Association, a much honored photojournalist. The eighth edition of the Smallsreed is a component of the John Hervey Awards which are presented to print and audio/video journalists.
Winners will be honored as part of the Night of Champions Awards Banquet at the Dover Downs Hotel in Dover, DE on January 27, 2008. For tickets to the banquet, contact Mark Short or Scott Warren at (302) 398-7595 or DEValleyUSHWA@aol.com.
Further information is available on www.ushwa.org.
SUMMARY OF SMALLSREED WINNERS
Year Photographer Where Photo Appeared
2007 Bea Witten Horseman & Fair World
2006 Dave Witten Horseman & Fair World
2005 Dave Witten Horseman & Fair World
2004 Mark Hall Hoof Beats
2003 Mark Hall Hoof Beats
2002 Claus Anderson Canadian Sportsman
2001 Joseph Kyle Horseman & Fair World
2000 Sylvain Gagnon Track Times
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