The combined Canterbury gallops and harness community is reflecting on the life of renowned racing photographer Colin Berry following his passing in Christchurch at age 89.
For all of six decades Berry was a fixture at Riccarton, Addington and other Canterbury venues, initially as a photo-finish operator and then as a photographer.
In that time his countless thousands of photographs included iconic images in both codes and he commanded the respect of all participants.
“He had a special affinity for Addington and Riccarton and he continued to work well beyond what could be called retirement age,” his son and successor Ajay Berry said.
“He had a special goal to cover 60 New Zealand (Trotting) Cups, and when he did so in 2016, then it was time to hang up his camera.”
Berry senior gained his first photographic experience while undergoing compulsory military training, making good use of a photography course. His career options at that point were chemistry or photography and he chose the latter.
“To begin with my father ran the photo-finish camera. That enabled him to also do preliminary shots of horses, for which he found a ready market with owners and the like.
“That’s what led to him becoming a full-time racing photographer, establishing himself as a freelancer under the name Colin Berry Photography, which in time became known as Race Images Christchurch.”
Photography technologies have changed dramatically over the years, from the early days of manual black and white cameras requiring darkroom development, then to colour and ultimately the current age of digital photography.
“I remember growing up in Springston and he turned an old school building into his workshop with a darkroom and all the necessary other parts,” Ajay Berry recalled.
“He had some wonderful stories to tell, like Show Day at Addington in 1961 when Cardigan Bay was leading the field and the public grandstand caught fire.
“From his position inside the track he was able to take a photograph of Cardie leading the field with a round to go while the grandstand with smoke billowing out of it was the backdrop.
“He knew he had only four frames left in his camera, so he was able to take just that one shot and save the remaining three for the actual finish of the race. That photograph went everywhere.
“Another was the jockey being catapulted out of the saddle jumping one of the stand double fences at Riccarton. It wasn’t until that night when he got back to the darkroom that he knew he had captured the jockey at the highest point above the horse.
“Photographers from his era had to adapt when digital cameras arrived, but he made the adjustment and continued to work happily for some years after.
“I stepped in and worked alongside him for 26 years, when I already had an appreciation of the importance of his role. He took immense pride in his work and he always dressed impeccably for the races, it really was his life.”
With a legacy of great horses built up over his lifetime, the horse that stood out in Berry’s catalogue was Christian Cullen, and it was appropriate that at the time of his retirement he was inducted to the Addington-based New Zealand Harness Hall of Fame alongside the champion 1990s pacer.
Berry’s Manawatu-based colleague Peter Rubery credits him with much of his own development in the field of racing photography.
“Colin took his profession seriously and was full of great ideas that he was happy to share,” Rubery said. “The knowledge he had in both codes, he was very well respected and popular, always with a ready smile.
“With Colin it was easy to use that description ‘old school’, the breadth of horses he captured over so many years and the way he engaged with them and everyone involved.
“Working with a manual camera it was incredible that he made a real art of it, the way he understood light in a sporting environment and that enabled him to produce so many great images.
“He took genuine pride in his work and will be remembered as one of New Zealand racing’s exceptional photographers.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
