Mentorship Feature: Grace Bradley

During her 2024-2025 mentorship, Grace worked with DPPF Advisory Board members Maddie Meyer (Chief Photographer at Getty Images) and Sean Haffey (Staff photographer at Getty Images)

As part of her 2024–2025 mentorship and with the support of the DPPF, Grace had the exhilarating opportunity to attend the Kentucky Derby with her Mentor Maddie Meyer.

As part of her 2024–2025 mentorship and with the support of the DPPF, Grace had the exhilarating opportunity to attend the Kentucky Derby with her Mentor Maddie Meyer.
Grace’s Derby work not only embodies the spirit of the event but also reflects the transformative power of the Pensinger mentorship: fostering technical growth, artistic daring, and real-world, high-stakes experience. This milestone beautifully illustrates how the DPPF’s support is shaping the next wave of sports photography talent.
When asked how her and her mentor decided what event to do together, Grace remarked:
"Maddie and I wanted to choose something new and challenging. I was looking to try a sport I hadn’t shot before and gain more experience with remotes. The Kentucky Derby felt like the perfect fit"
" It involved plenty of remote work, I’d never covered horse racing, and being from Louisville, it was a meaningful hometown assignment."
"I hoped to walk away with a few photos I genuinely liked, which can be harder than it sounds. I also wanted to experience working as part of a large photo team. It was my first time covering a major event with that many photographers, and it was valuable to see how responsibilities were divided and to learn from everyone around me."
"Over the three days at Churchill Downs, I was surprised by how much time we had to shoot features and explore. Between prepping for the race and helping with remote setups, there was still plenty of room to roam, capturing everything from morning barn scenes to creative moments in the crowd."
"The actual types of demands for the Derby and my typical match day were what stood out as different. For match days with the soccer team I work for there is a routine I follow and similar shots to be had each game."
"Match days usually follow a set rhythm, arrivals, warmups, the game, and post-match coverage : with a focus on creating stock for graphics, articles, and social. At the Derby, while stock was still needed, I had more creative freedom. It was a refreshing change to slow down and look for photos, rather than just capture them out of necessity."
"It was lovely to integrate photographing horses and trainers by searching for creative hats and scenes from within the viewing areas of the race."

As part of her 2024–2025 mentorship and with the support of the DPPF, Grace had the exhilarating opportunity to attend the Kentucky Derby with her Mentor Maddie Meyer.

As part of her 2024–2025 mentorship and with the support of the DPPF, Grace had the exhilarating opportunity to attend the Kentucky Derby with her Mentor Maddie Meyer.

When asked how her and her mentor decided what event to do together, Grace remarked:

"Maddie and I wanted to choose something new and challenging. I was looking to try a sport I hadn’t shot before and gain more experience with remotes. The Kentucky Derby felt like the perfect fit"

" It involved plenty of remote work, I’d never covered horse racing, and being from Louisville, it was a meaningful hometown assignment."

"Over the three days at Churchill Downs, I was surprised by how much time we had to shoot features and explore. Between prepping for the race and helping with remote setups, there was still plenty of room to roam, capturing everything from morning barn scenes to creative moments in the crowd."

"The actual types of demands for the Derby and my typical match day were what stood out as different. For match days with the soccer team I work for there is a routine I follow and similar shots to be had each game."

"It was lovely to integrate photographing horses and trainers by searching for creative hats and scenes from within the viewing areas of the race."

DPPF