At the end of the Louisiana Downs Thoroughbred meet in 2022, respected photographer Lou Hodges Jr. transferred power to assistant Ann Switchalski. He is still a full-time photographer at Fair Grounds but wants to take a break in the summer, after taking on assignments at the Louisiana Downs since 2005.
Hodges hired Ann McKnight Switalski in 2016. As an avid equestrian, she began photographing morning jobs and benefited greatly from Hodges’ expertise.
“Lou made sure I understood that there was very little time to do the shots that we needed: stretch, stretch and roll back,” says Switalski. “He taught me the importance of putting the horse in the front so there’s room for correction.”
The transition went as smooth as silk with Switalski completing the 2023 Quarter Horse season to full professionalism under the support of her assistant, Dawn Thomas.
Switalski is always on the lookout for creative shots, and when she’s shooting the main 1.6km dirt road, she’ll stroll to the gate as they load up hoping to capture an interesting moment. On June 18, she had the most exciting opportunity.
“I took a few pictures as the horses were leaving the gate and noticed some unusual movement,” explains Switalski. “After the race and back at my office, it was clear that all the horses were out of the gate, except for one. Upon further investigation, I discovered a horse that got taller and taller with each forward shot. until I could barely see its head.”
This horse is End Zone Athletics’ Aligned Interest, trained by Karl Broberg with jockey Juan Vargas guiding his horse through the awkward break to finish sixth without any problems. any obstacles.
“I believe my reaction when I reviewed the footage was ‘Holy Crap,'” she added.
Management and, of course, the riders running in the Louisiana Downs admire Switalski and hope their racehorses will appear in spontaneous moments in the future.
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