Obsession

obsession
əbˈsɛʃ(ə)n/
noun - the state of being obsessed with someone or something.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND TEXT BY KEVIN MULLINS

Every March, they march.  From every corner of the globe they trot.  

It's the "World Cup" of horse racing, they say.  Something like 50,000 people each day, for four days, pass through the doors of the famous Cheltenham Race course for the festival.  10,000 of those travel from Ireland.

It's an emphatic collection of souls, sods and lucky ladies.  Broke men, happy lads and tic tac hand signals litter the side tracks and walk ways.

One thing remains constant throughout the day; the obsessiveness of humanity but all a gallimaufry.  A £2.50 bet or a £10,000 accumulator yields the same anxious faces.  Nervous sups of beer, twitching hands lighting cigarettes until the first horse crosses the line.

And then.

And then, for a small amount of equine trustees, arms in the air, pats on backs and deep swigs of the drinks at hand before collecting their loot.

For the rest, the obsession continues.  And continues.

 

Kevin Mullins

Kevin is a documentary photographer and educator with over 800 weddings behind him, well over 1,000 students taught and a passion for honest, story-led photography.

He was the first Fujifilm ambassador for Wedding Photography, a lover of street photography, and co-host of The FujiCast photography podcast. Through workshops, online courses, and one-to-one mentoring, Kevin now helps photographers develop their own style—without chasing trends.

You’ll find him sharing work and thoughts on Instagram and YouTube, and—occasionally—behind a microphone as a part-time radio DJ. He lives in the Cotswolds, where he is a Black-Belt in Judo and British Judo Coach.