Drink for a Friend
A St. Louis mounted cop gives his horse a drink on a hot day in Forest Park in St. Louis.
A St. Louis mounted cop gives his horse a drink on a hot day in Forest Park in St. Louis.
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Mar, 2015Views
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Behind The Lens
Location
I made this photo in Forest Park in St. Louis on a very warm day. Close to the entrance to the St. Louis Zoo I pulled up to a stop sign and looked to my left and spotted this scene. I always carry my cameras with me on the seat of my car, so I grabbed the longer lens and made this photo out the window of the car. I knew I didn't have time to park and get out of the car. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen a really good human interest photo, but couldn't pull the car over quickly enough. This time I was in the right place at the right time.Time
This photo was taken in the afternoon. I was driving through the park looking for feature photos for my newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which, by the way, I just retired from. I spotted this mounted police officer giving his horse a drink. My wife and I have owned horses all our adult lives so I was immediately struck by the concern this officer had for his horse.Lighting
It was a nice, bright day for feature photos, which is always desirable for the newspaper.Equipment
I believe I was using a Canon 1DX with a 70-200mm f 2.8 lens.Inspiration
If we didn't have specific assignments for photos for the newspaper, we were frequently asked to just drive around and look for good human interest scenes. Some times I got lucky, while many times I struck out. I was out in the city every day so I knew the areas such as Forest Park that produced good people photos. As mentioned, we have always owned horses, so this was an easy situation for me to focus on. I've spent time with the mounted officers on other stories so I knew what good people they were.Editing
Since this was a grab shot out the window of my car, it did require a little cropping.In my camera bag
For everyday use at the newspaper, I always carried a 1DX with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens and a 5D with a 24-70 f2.8 lens. Absolutely great and reliable equipment that I used for many years in all kinds of weather and lighting.Feedback
I tell students to always keep their eyes open for photo possibilities and stay flexible with an open mind. One too many times I have been out looking for a specific image and passed up a different image. I have too many regrets of the photos I've missed because I didn't stop to really work a scene.
