Photographer William DeShazer was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. And if you’re from Louisville, there are three things that you identify with regardless of your personal relationship to them: bourbon, baseball (the Louisville Slugger), and of course, The Kentucky Derby. There’s a sense of anticipation leading up to that first Saturday in May as the city comes together to celebrate with fireworks displays, parades, airshows, hot air balloons, and elaborate decor.
Once William became a photographer, he knew had to be there to capture it all and has done just that since 2014. He says that of course the horseracing is incredible, “but what always appealed to me was what’s happening outside of the race track. Whether it’s the backside stables that start working horses before the sun rises, the day drinkers in the infield, the gamblers looking to hit a trifecta, or the men and women dressed to the nines. Every year I’m like a kid in a candy store. It’s a homecoming for me and a reminder of the magic I experienced in my youth growing up in ‘Derby City.'”
Images shot for the New York Times.