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 Coady Photography Family With a Keen Eye on the Sport of Kings The photographers of Coady Photography have firmly established themselves among the elite racing photographers in North America. Their success combines their excellence and skill as photographers with an enduring family legacy that has transcended three generations. Back in 1949, Jack Coady Sr. decided he had enough of the brutal Chicago winters. Phoenix seemed like a good destination, so he moved his family and embarked upon a new career: working for the Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette. He didn't have a degree in journalism or background in photography, but one day the photographer was out sick, so Jack took some shots. The birth of Coady Photography had an unexpected beginning when Jack met the director of marketing for Turf Paradise in a card game in 1961. Jack could not have imagined a better way to make a living. He was able to enjoy the mild Phoenix winters, snapping racing action shots and selling the photos to proud owners. Vince Francia, the track's general manager, is quick to acknowledge that Coady Photography plays a prominent role in the history of Turf Paradise, which opened in 1956. “Jack Sr. had a wonderful sense of humor,” Francia said. “He could find humor in any situation and had an impish, playful disposition that endeared him to so many people.” From Arizona to Canada Once the racing season at Turf Paradise concluded, Jack would pack up and head to Canada with his sons, Jack and Jeff. Their travel trailer was equipped with living quarters in front and a darkroom in back. When Jack Jr. was drafted and headed off to the Army in 1966, he taught his younger brother, Jeff, how it was done. “I enjoyed the racetrack life and made great friends in Canada,” Jeff recalled. “We traveled to four tracks in 67 days: Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan and Regina.” Taking It to the Next Level Neither Jack, 63, nor Jeff, who will turn 60 in August, ever considered other careers. In 1989, they began thinking about expanding the scope of Coady Photography beyond Arizona and Canada. Their first track was in Birmingham, Ala., and shortly thereafter, they signed a contract with Trinity Meadows in Texas. Jeff added other dimensions to the company by creating Full Stride Productions, offering video, timing and photo-finish capabilities. Signing racetracks is a very competitive process. Jack has been the photographer at Sam Houston since it opened in 1994 as the first Class 1 track in Texas. He remembered that the track reviewed 33 bids. “We work as a team each time we approach a track,” Jeff said. “First and foremost, we want them to understand our longevity and knowledge of racing. We serve the horsemen, but are responsive to the needs of each track, taking facility shots and trainer and jockey heat shots for publicity purposes. “We have always tried to bend over backward to meet the needs of the horsemen and racing management,” Jeff said. “In 50 years, we have never been asked to leave a racetrack.” As their company began to grow, so did the Coady family. Jeff has four sons, and three are part of the third generation of Coady Photography. His oldest son, Shawn, 35, is the photographer at Turf Paradise and Rillito Park. Twins Kurtis and Kevin, 31, travel to locations that include Delta Downs and Keeneland. Fourth son, Christopher, 27, is a distribution manager for UPS in Phoenix, but will also come on board for big weekend racing events. Coady Photography is affiliated with 21 racetracks in the United Stakes, including Delta Downs, Sam Houston Race Park, Oaklawn Park, Colonial Downs, Prairie Meadows, Will Rogers Downs, Sunland Park, The Downs at Albuquerque, Indiana Downs, Hialeah Park, Presque Isle Downs and Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. “Keeneland was a huge accomplishment for Coady Photography,” Kurtis said. “We were committed to working 18 hours a day to deliver the highest quality photos and service to horsemen and the media.” Advancing into the Digital Age Kurtis has been prodigious in advancing the business into the new technology. His path into the technical world began when he was a sophomore at Grand Prairie High School and took an art elective with a teacher named Jerry Horn. Grand Prairie High School had a lab full of Apple computers and all the most advanced software, including Photoshop and Illustrator programs. Teacher Horn had little experience with the new technology, but shared Kurtis’ fascination with its unlimited scope. “Mr. Horn was a great teacher and very personable,” Kurtis recalled. “He just encouraged us to figure it out.” Kurtis was the main architect behind a multi-media class project that received huge acclaim and, as Jeff remembers, received “oohs and aahs” from everyone who saw it. Horn was honored as Teacher of the Year at Grand Prairie High School and went on to be named Texas Teacher of the Year. Kurtis, Kevin and Shawn have all continued to implement technological advances at Coady Photography. Jeff credits Kurtis for initiating a vector graphic on an Illustrator program that identifies photos. This was a huge step as Coady Photography boasts a library of more than 80,000 winning racehorses. “All the boys are amazing with the new technology,” Jeff said. “Jack and I might have been left in the dirt if it had not been for them. We wanted to get out of the darkroom and into the digital age.”
Digital
photography has resulted in multiple benefits that
upped the ante for Coady Photography. Instead of
hours in a darkroom, images are processed within
minutes. If any owner has travelled to attend the
races, he can leave with his photos. It has been
especially advantageous to members of the media.
Shortly after a stakes, the action shot can be
emailed to publications and websites, oftentimes
before the turf writer has filed the story. Coady Photography has been up close and personal with many of the legends of the sport including, Cigar, Azeri, Smarty Jones, Curlin, Afleet Alex and 2009 and 2010 Horses of the Year, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. Oaklawn Park is one of their tracks, and each spring, some of the nation’s finest Thoroughbreds make the trip to Arkansas for the many Grade 1 stakes and prep races for the Kentucky Derby. Shots of these winners are prominent on all the major racing publications, and these days are big for Coady Photography. “You know what you are looking for,” Jack said. “There are some surprises, but on major stakes, we always have several photographers at different angles.” Jack and Jeff are rarely star struck, but Kurtis admits that Zenyatta's win in the 2010 Apple Blossom Handicap was one of his most memorable racing experiences. “She is an unbelievable mare; from all angles, but her rear end is amazing,” Kurtis said. “It was a really neat experience to photograph her, but also to see the way the Zenyatta team communicated. No words were spoken; they all knew what she needed.” On the big days, Coady Photography will have staffers positioned at several vantage points. The company employs up to 22 photographers and assistants throughout its North American locations. “We enjoy training photographers and have taken some kids with virtually no experience who have become very good,” Jack said. “We could not be as successful at so many tracks without our employees.” Weather Woes and Loose Horses It’s no secret that horsemen, racetrack promoters and racing fans prefer a gorgeous sunny day to enjoy the Sport of Kings. But through the years, each of the Coady men has had his share of downpours, freezing cold and raging winds. “Your mind is not on the weather; it’s on the race,” Kurtis said. “We have to watch our equipment and stay on the other side of the rail if the track is really muddy.” Years of experience have taught the Coadys what to watch for in the paddock, on the rail and as horses enter and exit the racetrack. But every now and then, the unexpected occurs. In the summer of 2005, Jeff came into Houston for a weekend when Jack had another commitment. It was Quarter Horse season at Sam Houston Race Park, and due to the many close finishes, the action shot is always taken off an 8-foot ladder positioned on the rail across from the finish line. The horses broke from the starting gate, and one of the horses bucked and unseated his rider. Instead of taking a straight path, he veered at top speed toward the rail. Jeff saw him out of the corner of his eye and quickly bailed off his ladder. In a split second, the horse jumped the rail and landed broadside into the ladder. The horse was not injured, but the ladder was destroyed and Jeff could have been seriously injured had he not jumped off when he did. He was promptly asked if that was the scariest thing that had ever happened to him. Without missing a beat, the laconic Coady replied, “No, my first two divorces.” Profits on Racetrack, Farms and Calendars After each race, the winning connections order photos, which is the primary profit center for Coady Photography. But the collective thinking caps have forged some clever ideas outside the racetrack. They have gone to farms to shoot photos of stallions, broodmares and foals, for both the Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse industries. They have provided videos of conformation and fertilization programs at farms, including JEH Stallion Station. They produced a Zenyatta Commemorative Calendar, which sold quickly, and two calendars are in the works for 2012, Racing Legends and a different concept, tentatively dubbed the Colors of Racing, which will feature unique shots of equine athletes. Visitors to the Coady Photography website, coadyphoto.com, also can order prints or posters of their favorite racing champions. Family, Past and Future In addition to Jack and Jeff, there is a third Coady brother, Clay, 62, who chose a different career path from the family business. Jeff said Clay left home at 16 to join the circus, learning the nuances of animal training and parlayed that into a successful career in the show dog world. His clients included Emmy award-winning actor, Bill Cosby and Olympic Gold Medal diver, Greg Louganis. He founded two exclusive pet resorts in Paradise Valley and Mesa, Ariz. Clay resides near Turf Paradise in Phoenix, and hosts a party each year after the running of The Jack Coady Sr. Stakes. The race was named to honor the family patriarch who passed away at the age of 80, after an aggressive onset of prostate cancer. The hallways of Turf Paradise are adorned with historic photos of the track’s opening and key racing shots, all taken by the men of Coady Photography. “Coady Photography has been with us so long, they are considered family,” Francia said. “It is so nice to see his sons and grandsons carry on the tradition.” In five decades, Coady Photography has made the major transformation from black-and-white to color and from the darkroom to the digital age. Jack Coady Jr. reflects on the history and always gives his father credit for the founding principle, which he feels transcended photography. “My father gave us a strong foundation of the importance of respecting people,” Jack said. “He had tremendous common sense, and was very supportive of us expanding our business.” Kevin is the first of Jeff's four sons to add to the family tree. He and his wife, Robin, welcomed their first child, Ethan, one year ago. While Kurtis and his wife, Linda, have not started a family yet, he is hopeful that his son or daughter will become part of Coady Photography. “I have had quite a few opportunities in my life, but cannot imagine having a better job,” Kurtis said. “Seeing what my grandfather started and what my dad and Jack have done with Coady Photography is amazing. It makes me want to work even harder to take it to the next level."
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