A photographer has been awarded a prestigious fellowship for her work capturing behind-the-scenes glimpses of the world of horse racing in Newmarket.
%image(15155280, type="article-full", alt="Newmarket photographer Jane Odell said she was "thrilled" to receive a Fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society Picture: JAYNE ODELL")
Jayne Odell FRPS, from Newmarket, was fascinated by the daily routines at the Charlie Fellowes Racing, literally at the end of her garden, and began photographing moments in time at the yard.
The 50-year-old has achieved a Fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society for her four-year project, titled ‘At the end of our garden’, for which she worked closely with the stables.
It brings together 21 black and white images depicting the behind-the-scenes world of horse racing in Newmarket.
MORE: Young people ‘tackled monumental task’ to achieve new £200k skateparkMs Odell said: “I fell in love with moments at the yard, capturing the yard and how hard the staff work - for 365 days a year the clockwork of the yard is a daily routine.
%image(15155281, type="article-full", alt="Jayne said she became fascinated by the "clockwork" daily routines at the stables at the end of her garden Picture: JAYNE ODELL")
“I built a body of work that captures the moments in time behind the scenes, behind the glitz and the glamour of the horse racing world; part of the whole process that people don’t see.”
Ms Odell, who runs a graphic design agency in Newmarket, originally focused on landscape and coastal photography, but when she moved to Newmarket in 2016 she became captivated by the horses as they trained in the morning on the gallops.
She said: “Living in Newmarket offers me a wealth of opportunities to get out early in the morning and photograph the wonderful rhythm of the town. The daily routine of the trainers, stable staff, riders and horses are the town’s timekeepers. I feel very fortunate to be able to witness and capture beautiful moments in all weathers and enjoy some truly spectacular conditions.”
MORE: Shop Local: Coffee shops open in lockdown offering takeaway serviceAt the end of her garden she would hear the horses “clip clopping” around the yard and getting ready to go out and train and became interested in the “clockwork motion” at the stables.
%image(15155282, type="article-full", alt="When Jayne moved to Newmarket in 2016 she loved seeing the horses training in the morning on the gallops Picture: JAYNE ODELL")
One day, Mr Fellowes asked her ‘did you get any good pictures of my horses?’ and that’s how the project began.
Ms Odell said she was “thrilled” to be awarded the Fellowship, the society’s highest distinction level of worldwide recognition.
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She said she was particularly proud being a woman in quality black and white photography and capturing an unusual subject.
She said: “I am now one of only 750 Fellows in the world which is an incredible feeling!”
The Fellowship requires the highest level of technical proficiency, but also originality and a deeper understanding of the subject with strong narrative.
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