Unbraiding BW
Jul, 2012Views
2458
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Photoshop World Las Vegas Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Black and White Contest
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Exceptional Contrast
Jaw Dropping
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Top Class Lighting
One Of A Kind
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
garthurdavis
August 08, 2012
Fantastic photo ! ! ! Gorgeous horse ! ! ! Great creative thinking ! ! ! Added to my FAVORITES ! ! !
Emerald_Wake
August 20, 2012
I like portraits too, so i give some award from me:)
very creative hairdo! bravo
Bless
very creative hairdo! bravo
Bless
FrankSomma
September 01, 2012
Very impressive image and in BW it just goes up a notch. Nice work (can I call you jesus!?)
PRO+
Ultimate
PRO+
PRO+
stripeymittz
October 16, 2012
Gorgeous - depicts the horse as a truly gentle and composed animal - great in b&w! Its got my vote!
PRO
sarahallegra
September 03, 2013
This is so stunning! Exquisitely ethereal. Congrats on being a finalist!
PRO
KelceyJean
September 05, 2013
What type of backdrop did you use for this photo? Was this done in a stall?
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo while touring an Andalusian stables in California, near San Francisco. It was one of those "chance" shots where the horse seemed to pose just for me. I have taken some photography classes but I mostly just take photos as a hobby. It was during one of my classes I sought out a few ranches and asked to photograph for them. This was the first ranch I visited, the Ranch Of Fortune.Time
This is defiantly one of my favorite shots. It was taken in mid afternoon on a hot California summer day in April 2012. Later, I got to photograph this horse and a few others in a more open enclosure. I wasn't expecting to get such a wonderful shot while the horse was still in the barn but (as one of my favorite breeds) I couldn't resist snapping away while his owner unbraided his long mane.Lighting
The lighting was actually much darker than I wanted, especially when that slowed my shutter speed drastically. When taking the shot, I was worried it wouldn't come out at all, because there was such limited lighting. While it was mid afternoon, the major lighting entering the stall only came from one corner (which is what enables his beautiful profile). I would love to say I had lighting equipment but alas, I had none.Equipment
I used a Canon Kiss (or Canon T2i equivalent). My settings were 1/100, f/5.0, and ISO 400. I used a 70-300 mm lens for this particular shot. In retrospect I should have had a shorter distance lens but horses don't wait for you when you're photographing them. They often seem to say, "It's now or never". I was worried the image wouldn't come out, due to the low light and horses are not known for holding still, and because of that worry I was delighted to see how well it took.Inspiration
Inspiration..inspiration. My inspiration tends to follow animals. Horses were a perfect subject for me to start on because of my love for them. This particular breed, an Andalusian, has long been one of my favorites and easily reminds me of long forgotten days with knights and their warhorses. They always seem to appear royal in my eyes. During the summer of 2012 I researched and called several stables hoping to photograph their beautiful animals.Editing
I sadly do not have a dark room for processing (that is however, something I hope to add to a future house).In my camera bag
My equipment consists of my one camera, and usually 2-3 lenses (An 18-55 mm and a 70-300 mm lens are my favorites and most used).Feedback
Take tons of photos! Know your settings, and reserve the checking of your images until after you're done. Too often, I've stopped to check out my shots and missed the better pose, step, etc. In my experience, animal photography is all about patience and lots of snapped images. I would also recommend figuring out that one thing that you just can't wait to photograph and going for it. Before summer 2012 I had never taken photos of show horses. It was just something I knew I'd have a blast doing. If this is something you want to do, reach out, contact people. It never hurts to ask. Find your niche. And last but not least, practice, practice, practice.
