The Horse Whisperer
Mar, 2014Views
714
Likes
Awards
Lucky 3 Award
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Jaw Dropping
Exceptional Contrast
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Alfoto336699
May 17, 2014
Fletche.....Thank you so much!............Chrissy Thank you! these are wild ponies that live on a small island off the North Wales coast of the UK called Landwynne Island.
Platinum
PRO+
mihrt
November 07, 2016
Congrats on winning Staff Favorite in May of 2014!! Well deserved ! Beautiful detail in both these beautiful ponies and the grasses in the foreground. Lovely edit Alf!! Landwynne Island must be such an amazing location to visit and photograph!!!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on Llandwyn Island, a peninsular on the isle of Anglesey, North Wales that gets cut off at high tide. The ponies roam wild there and I was fortunate enough to encounter these lovely animals just as they were having a chat.Time
This shot was taken late afternoon in January as I headed back to the car park. It is a long but very pleasant walk through pine woods, sand dunes and grasses, and I knew there would be photo opportunities.Lighting
Even though the weather was cold, the late afternoon light was warm and soft and I like the way it was illuminating the ponies flanks and the foreground grasses.Equipment
I used a Nikon D800 camera with a Nikon 50 mm F/ 1.8 prime lens, a Tripod Settings ISO 100 Shutter Speed 1/125 sec @ Aperture F/5.6.Inspiration
I love the unspoiled nature of Anglesey landscape and the abundance of wildlife that exists there. I usually concentrate on Landscapes and on this visit I had already taken numerous photo's of the very photogenic lighthouse. I knew that the ponies existed as I had seen them several times before, but only from a distance. Being able to capture the image of the ponies close up in their own environment was a great bonusEditing
The image was shot in RAW as that was the settings I used for my landscape shots. There wasn't a great deal of processing required but I did bring out some of the shadow from the ponies flanks and increased the contrast slightly in order to highlight the textures in the foreground grasses,In my camera bag
Nikon D800 Camera, Nikon 27- 70 mm F/2.8 for general landscapes, 14- 24 mm F/2.8 for wide angle landscapes and a 50 mm F/ 1.8 prime lens for low light photography. Manfrotto Tripod, cleaning kit, cable release (for long exposures) Range of ND filters, fold up waterproof clothing, water bottle, and energy bars, torch / headlight.Feedback
Llandwyn Island is a most beautiful wild unspoiled place and there are amazing photo opportunities at every turn. My best advice would be to be prepared for anything. If you want photo's of the ponies, be prepared to walk to find them. When you do locate them, move slowly, stay low and let them get used to your presence. Very often they will be eating the grass with their heads down. This doesn't always look like a good pose, so wait for them to lift their heads. If you can't get close a good quality telephoto lens can be invaluable. Something like a 70 - 300 mm which offers a decent range but doesn't weigh a ton. As described above, carry water and food, you just never how long you are going to stay for.
