Gilles Tourigny of Ste Julie, Quebec, is the Heart of Harness Racing Calendar’s photographer for September. Gilles captured this image at the 2015 Brome Fair, which is an annual fall agricultural fair that takes place every Labour Day weekend.
Gilles explained he was in the infield and crouched on the ground, trying to capture a good action photo. “Horses are beautiful animals. I really enjoyed the people and the racing. I had the chance to speak with the drivers and the racing fans and I met people that ended up following me on my blog.”
The Brome Fair is the largest rural agricultural fair in Quebec, and has been taking place since 1856. During the fair, the tiny village of Brome with a population of 250, swells to over 40,000 people over the four days.
This year, harness racing will take place on Monday, September 5 with a 1:00 p.m. post time. Eleven races will be featured on the matinee card, which is part of the Circuit Regional. To view Monday's entries, click here.
Gilles was a project manager in the tech industry, and is now retired and dabbling in photography, which he finds relaxing. “I am an amateur photographer who developed his passion late. But it is never too late to start and this activity allows me to visit areas of the country that I've never seen before,”he explains.
“I first took some racing photos in 2013 at Bedford. I wanted to explore the sport more and racing was interesting to me, so in 2015 I decided to follow racing that was close to my hometown.” Gilles ended up traveling to Bedford, Brome and Ayer’s Cliff, all part of the Circuit Regional.
His favourite things to photograph are landscapes and nature. “I find this calm, walking around in the woods or wherever. I have lots of time to take shots and relax.”
Gilles has a blog where he posts stories and shares many of his photographs.