Philadelphia’s week in pictures: June 3, 2019

Every Monday, we present a gallery of pictures of the week just passed, taken by our staff photojournalists — and tell you the story behind one of them. This week Yong Kim talks about covering sports and the Devon Horse Show. You’ll find the weekly staff gallery after his story.

Inquirer staff photographer Yong Kim says he actually got nervous watching the horses jump during the Sapphire Grand Prix at Devon. If a horse and the rider knock down a pole on the obstacle along the course they are disqualified. “I was hoping they don’t knock one off,” Kim said. The premier competition at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, the Grand Prix offers a $205,000 purse.

In twenty years of covering sports at the Inquirer and Daily News, Kim had never covered the Devon Horse Show. He had no idea what to expect but found it just like covering any other major sporting event. "Capturing the peak moment of the horses leaping over the fences is the key,” he said. He also noted that the spaces between obstacles are all different, "so riders have to control the length of each of their horse’s strides to get themselves ready between each jump. The rider and horse have to be on the same page, just like the other team sports.”

“I know equestrian is an Olympic sport but I never paid much attention, I might now,” he said. “Maybe even cover equestrian or any other events in an Olympics, some day.”

>> SEE MORE: Kim’s photos of the Carson Wentz 2019 Charity Softball Game

On nights where there are no major sporting events, Kim could be photographing anything — like another first for him: a restaurant — Pizzeria Beddia — for a Craig LaBan review. He also photographs concert, like The Who last weekend at Citizens Bank Park — and a “performance” debuting the newly renovated case for the famous Wanamaker Organ. “There is always something going on.”

>> SEE MORE: Last week’s staff photo gallery and the staff photography page