Before the annual Carolina Cup steeplechase horse race in Camden, SC, there is Biscuits and Breezing. At this event, trainers run heats to test their horses and show them off to the public. Those who attend are the diehard fans of the horse community. It’s a mashup of a social event and time trial. The attendees rank the horses, observe how each jockey is coming along, and talk Camden gossip over shrimp cocktail.
For the students of JOUR 452 Photojournalism class at the University of South Carolina, it was a chance to see the track and photograph a horse race for the first time. They arrive on location by 8 am, document the event, and then are invited to the stables to see behind the scenes.
All of this is mere preparation for the main event. Students take part in the Talmadge Moore LaGrand Photojournalism Workshop on April 1 – 3, 2022, which centers around the Carolina Cup. A team of professional photographers will coach them as they photograph the preparation, the attendees and the race itself. Access to the Cup is provided through a partnership with Carolina Cup Racing Association, who will use many of the students’ photos in the future.
Class images from the day. Keep scrolling for photos of students on location.
Students on location
My Life in Pictures 