big skies, big hearts
Mar, 2015Views
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Awards
Action Award
Featured
People's Choice in The Glory of God's Creation Photo Challenge
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Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a beautiful field, near Axtell Bride, outside of Bozeman, Montana. I stopped off the road when I saw these horses and it must have been feeding time, because the herd saw me and just swarmed around me and my camera! They seemed SO interested in my lens!Time
It was taken around 4:30pm in the afternoon. Summer afternoons in Montana are spectacular and always lend itself to dramatic skies!Lighting
The lighting on this photo was all natural and made for this lens. The slight cloud cover in the evenings here in Bozeman, make for a beautiful natural diffusion of light on the subject.Equipment
I used my Nikon D600 and a wide angle, Sigma EX 10-20mm lens.Inspiration
Honestly, everything in Montana makes for a backdrop of beauty. I was a horse trainer for 5 years, so it was a natural instinct to gravitate towards the horses. I had just been at the river with my boyfriend and my dog, and the skies above these horses were SO incredible. I wanted to see if I could get their attention and they were SO curious about my lens... Horses are inspiring.Editing
I did some basic color correction, and cropped out the natural vignette that this lens creates. Also, I bumped up the saturation about 13%.In my camera bag
I always pack an essentials bag: my Nikon D600, my Nikor portrait lens, my Sigma Ex, and a REALLY scratched and dented old lens, for "creatively flawed" shots. There's also occasionally a flask with a sipper of good tequila in it, and two cheater ciggies in an old tin in the side pocket.Feedback
I know, as a professional photographer, I am constantly talking myself out of stopping and photographing when I'm driving around. I live in a beautiful place, so if i stop every time I see something gorgeous, I'd never get anywhere!! There are some shots, I'll never forgive myself for missing. I still obsess about them. My advice would be to listen to your gut and stop every chance you get, no matter how "busy" you are.
