Most foxhunters, after a particularly exciting hunt, look forward to reliving the thrills of the day. Likewise, on days when work, illness, or a lame horse prevent them from hunting, many hunting addicts would love to have a way to vicariously experience the day: Who was out? Where did they go? Did they have good runs?

At the Genesee Valley Hunt in Geneseo, N.Y., these wishes are fulfilled thanks to resident photographer, Bill Gamble. Whether cubbing, formal season, or late season–when the snow and cold can be fierce and few members venture out–Gamble follows the action to record the events and posts his photos on the hunt web site, usually the same day.

Gamble also produces an annual calendar with a spectacular hunt photo for each month. Several of his pictures have been published in The Chronicle of the Horse, and his photography is rapidly becoming known outside the Genesee Valley. Martha Wadsworth, jt.-MFH of Genesee Valley Hunt, said of Gamble: “I love his photographs! In addition to being a great photographer, he manages our hunt web site and is a great asset as a road whip.”

Gamble’s introduction to foxhunting and hunt photography was accidental. He grew up in New York City, but his family had a country retreat in northern New Jersey. It was there that he started taking pictures as a child with a Kodak Brownie box camera.

In his late teens and early 20s, Gamble got his first taste of photographing horses. A girlfriend showed and whipped-in for Windy Hollow Hunt, and Gamble enthusiastically chronicled her activities on film. But when the relationship ended, so did Gamble’s connection with horses–at least for the next 30 years.

He worked 32 years for DuPont Chemical in the division that made medical and commercial film, but his job was in environmental safety and he did not do any professional photography. After taking early retirement from DuPont in 1989, he actively pursued his hobbies, which included skiing, flying, and photography, but not horses.

But in the fall of 2000 he helped install a new snowmaking system at the Hunt Hollow ski area in Western New York. On a foggy morning, he was driving to Hunt Hollow to take photos of the new installation. Out of the fog, crossing the road in front of him, appeared the Hopper Hills hunt.

Camera ready as usual, Gamble took some photos. He sent them to Bob Andre, the huntsman and Master of Hopper Hills, who was delighted. “Bob realized that he had almost no photos of the Hopper Hills hunt. No one in the field would take a camera along. So, he was tickled pink to have the photos,” said Gamble.

“Bob really encouraged me and mentored me about hunting and hounds,” Gamble said. “He was instrumental in helping me develop my skills to follow the hounds and think about where to go.”

Gamble started photographing the Hopper Hills hunt on a regular basis, and when they merged with the Genesee Valley Hunt in 2004 he went along.

With the change, Gamble had to change his style a bit. “Hopper Hills had a more compact territory, and I did a lot more following on foot. I got to know the lay of the land, and could get in position by hiking down trails,” he said. “Genesee Valley hunts such a broader territory, that there’s no way I could follow on foot. I’ve had to learn where all the fixtures and coverts are in this territory.”

Gamble sees himself as more of a photojournalist than an art photographer. He said, “I appreciate a well composed scene, and try to get my share, but I would much prefer a good action shot, which captures the excitement of the hunt and tells a story.

“My interest in foxhunting revolves first and foremost around the hunt. I enjoy watching and listening to the hounds doing their job and get a thrill out of photographing the action, especially when I can capture the quarry, the hounds and the riders in sequence.”

Gamble’s trusty steed for his hunting days is his Ford Escape SUV.

He’s taken some riding lessons, and has hill-topped with the hunt, but can usually be seen zooming around the countryside on wheels, not hooves.

To say that Gamble “follows” the hunt is not exactly true. He anticipates the hunt in the same way the huntsman analyzes what the hounds are doing and where they might go. His Canon 30D, an 8-megapixel digital camera with a 28-300mm zoom lens is always at the ready, and his ability to anticipate has led to many excellent shots of foxy pilots alone, before their pursuers arrive.

“My goal is to get a clear picture of fox or coyote and hounds in the same picture–better yet if some of the riders are in it as well. This hasn’t happened yet, though I have gotten a few with fox and field in the same shot,” Gamble said.

One of his favorite shots of a fox–a close-up photo of Reynard on the run–was the inspiration for a painting by Frankie Pardoe. The oil painting, titled Breaking Cover, will be featured in the MFHA Centen-nial Traveling Art Exhibition, to debut at the MFHA Hunt Ball in January in New York City.

Through years of experience, Gamble has developed an uncanny instinct for where the fox is likely to go in most situations. John Chanler, a longtime whip, remarked that Gamble can be a whip’s best friend. “If you aren’t quite sure where the hunt is and you see Bill, you know the hunt is close by.”

Gamble does use cell phone contact with the whips and even occasionally the huntsman to get himself reoriented, should he lose track of the hunt. The phone contact works to the advantage of the hunt as well, as Gamble is frequently pressed into service as a road whip when hounds are approaching a dangerous highway or leaving the territory.

Marion Thorne, Genesee huntsman and jt.-MFH, appreciates this help. “Bill is a dedicated and loyal road whip who is out for the duration of every hunt. He is an avid photographer, but if the hounds are in potential danger he always puts down his camera and helps out,” she said.


Hunting With Bill Gamble
I have hunted with the Genesee Valley Hunt since 1993 and thought I knew the territory fairly well. I learned a different perspective riding with Bill. I learned to appreciate the importance of knowing where there are breaks in the trees and shrubbery along the road that will provide an unobstructed view, that seemingly flat roads are not flat but have high points where a view of the action is much more likely. I discovered farm lanes and trails that I didn’t know existed, much less that they could be negotiated by car without getting stuck or drowning in some huge puddles.

To say Bill has quick reflexes with his camera is a gross understatement. One time we were standing on a roadside with the hounds coming toward us in full cry on a coyote. The coyote burst out of the woods and into a field on the far side of the road. I caught a quick glimpse of him as he disappeared into the tall grass.

When I got home that evening and checked the hunt website for the day’s pictures, much to my surprise Bill had three pictures of the coyote, one as he emerged from the woods, one in the center of the road, and the last where I had seen him disappearing into the grass!

Last year I had serious back surgery and was not allowed to ride. Since my wife planned to hunt and I am not a stay-at-home kind of person, I decided car following was my only option. I hooked up with Bill who, after checking me out and deciding I wouldn’t interfere with his photography, agreed that I could ride with him. Bill is very intense about his photography and there are several rules for riding with him: Be prepared to stay out for the whole hunt. We will not return until the huntsman has blown in.

No talking! We once had a pair of ladies ride with us and as we started out chatter arose from the back seat. He stopped the car immediately and announced that if they were going to ride with him there could be no talking so he could hear the hounds and the horn.

Always stay between Bill and the car. This was my own rule since in my post-back surgery state I couldn’t run very fast. We would often get out of the car to be prepared if the hounds were coming our way, seek a better vantage point, or perhaps hear better. If Bill decided we were in the wrong spot and it was time to move, he moved! If you weren’t at the car when he put pedal to the metal, you risked a long walk home.

Last, but certainly not least, never interfere with the hunt!

Paul S. Frame