Wild New Mexico
Views from my back yard
Views from my back yard
Read less
Read less
Sep, 2023Views
713
Likes
Awards
Contender in the Photography Awards
Winter 23 Award
Top Pick 2023
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my back 10 acres of. my yard. There are several herds of wild horses in the East Sandia Mountains and high plains areas. Due to the drought and high temperatures, some of the herds moved from their normal summer area into our neighborhood which still had a trickle of water in the arroyo.Time
This photo was taken in the late afternoon in July a super bright and very hot day. The two stallions were aggrevated and prancing around the herd and then took to fighting each other. I had a broken foot at the time and was out by my corral in with walker when the action started. They were heedless of anything or anyone in their way. I was quickly backing away from the action when the 'Horseplay" took a turn to full battle mode.Lighting
The late afternoon light was just getting diffused enough for photography. As you can see by the details of the sweat & scaring, the light (with a bit of tweaking on shadow & dehazing) was perfect to capture the violence and movement of the scene.Equipment
Photo was captured with the Nikon Z9, NIKKOR Z 100-400mm ƒ4.5-5.6 VR S Z TC-1.4x, shot at 1/320 sec F9, ISO 160, at 140mm.Inspiration
The wild horse herd had 3 colts and I was originally trying to capture the tender interactions between the colts and their mare. However, when the stallions started challenging each other, I was drawn to watch their interaction. The brutality and movement was astounding and I could not look away. This photo was one of the less viscous one but still gets the strength and emotions across.Editing
I use Lightroom Classic as my main post processing tool. I also tweak a bit with Topaz Sharpen AI to enhance the clarity of the motion. This shot was cropped only a little to focus the attention on their leaping battle. They were way too close to me for comfort so I was moving away as best as I could with the walker.In my camera bag
I mostly shoot wildlife in motion, so I have several different bags depending on my subject for photography. Normally I would use the Nikon Z8 with the Z100-400mm lens for around the area & bird photography. I have both the TC-1.4x and the TC-2.0x for the extra reach for the hummingbirds and Ravens in flight. I normally use the Z9 camera with Primes using the FTZ and Nikon PF500mm or PF300mm lenses. I also have the Nikon 70-200mm lens and the Nikon Z 70-200mm lens, the Nikon Z 30mm Macro lens and the Nikon Z 20mm S-Line F1.8 lens for specialty work. My hiking kit includes the Nikon D500 and one of the older f-mount lenses.Feedback
First- BE CAREFUL! fighting stallions are singularly focused on each other and it is dangerous to be in their way. Second- The motion is swift and erratic - so shoot fast and follow the action. You will need to work between finding the right F-stop to capture clearly the center of the movement you want, the shutter speed quick enough to stop or blur the action that you are looking for, and enough diffused light so as the muscles and movements are not in the shadows.
