Commission Bunny and Charlie Ferguson-Davie

by Will Clarkson


"I would like a picture of dogs racing". This was the brief Bunny gave me for a photo to hang in her new house. Its always great to get a commission that is so open and simple. The wimbledon dog track, while not quite holding the sporting grandeur of it's past, is still pretty busy on the weekend. A lot of the younger people there are there purely for the cheaper drink, but there remains the old-school bookies and the longstanding community of punters, trainers and owners. A successful dog can take an enormous amount of money (the 2010 winer of the william hill derby won £75,000), so there is very much an industry still there. Its the antiquated atmosphere there that really appeals.

Anyway, with a little help from the excellent security guard Nelson, I managed to get myself into a decent position at the corner. The dogs can run up to 40mph, so naturally it took a few races (5 in fact) to get the shot, this is the one that Bunny chose. She has blown it up to 3mx1m and has it in pride of place above the kitchen table in her new house.