tonybruguiere
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Chatter Award
Top Shot Award 21
People's Choice in Horse Portraits Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Color White Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Tenderness Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Horses Photo Contest 2015
Contest Finalist in Glorious Moments Photo Contest
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
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Superior Skill
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clareparsons
May 05, 2015
I love this photo. There's something just wonderfully endearing about it. Thanks for sharing it with us all!
tonybruguiere
June 04, 2015
These are purebred AQHA registered Quarter Horses. The dam's color is Buckskin and the colt will be the same. Thanks for the kind words.
adriankrueger
June 22, 2015
I believe this shot should have been the grand jury winner. Wonderful shot and composition!
tonybruguiere
February 04, 2016
Thanks, Renee, I am so fortunate to have free acess to this ranch. The mares remember and trust me which is half the battle.
tonybruguiere
July 15, 2016
Thanks, Michael. This is one of my favorite places to photograph. KeSa Quarter Horses takes pride in breeding athletic horses with good minds and good dispositions.
adavies
May 29, 2017
Awww! Love this...so sweet! Nicely captured! If you haven't done so already, please consider joining my Random Acts challenge:)
https:// viewbug.com/challenge/random-acts-photo-challenge-by-adavies
https:// viewbug.com/challenge/random-acts-photo-challenge-by-adavies
Pjerry
March 11, 2020
so tender, so perfect, almost monochrome, all the high lights under control (how often do you see this kind of captures overexposed). Here one can see every detail. You feel the love. I do love this capture.
Eduardbetz
August 01, 2020
Pressing that shutter at the right time ! They don’t wait ! Wonderful capture !
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Behind The Lens
Location
KeSa Quarter Horse Ranch, located east of Fort Collins, Colorado. KeSa raises top quality working and performance Quarter Horses. They have line-bred Blue Valentine, Hancock, Driftwood, and crosses. They have 70 brood mares, and eight stallions. Four of the stallions have AQHA World points and two of them are AQHA World Champions. I am incredibly fortunate to have open access to photograph on the ranch.Time
Well it's that time of day when all the experts say that I shouldn't be shooting - 1 PM. It is still early Spring and the light at altitude is not as harsh as summer in the desert. Except when I am looking for something really specific, I go when I can and work with what nature gives me. I know that golden hour light is really beautiful, but if I had stopped shooting at 10am, I never would have seen this shot.Lighting
No, just available light.Equipment
Canon 40 D with a Canon 70-200 mm (L) f/2.8 IS, @ 70mm.Inspiration
I will go out to the pasture with a plan of what I want to concentrate on. For this shoot, I wanted to photograph the interaction between mares and foals. This foal is only two days old and it is in this early stage that the foal stays close to the mare and a lot of bonding takes place. After a week or so the foal becomes more adventurous during the periods between feeding and sleeping.Editing
The mare is a light Buckskin Quarter Horse and her foal will have the same colors. Right now he is still in his baby coat. The subjects were good but the pale tan coats gave a overall blotchy appearance. On top of that there is no green grass yet. The shot was good but unappealing. I converted it to a somewhat high-key B&W and added a light blue filter, mostly to bring color back to the sky. I masked away a lot of the color from the horses. There is a vignette added (pretty primitive compared to today's automatic filters).In my camera bag
When working with horses, I normally use a Canon 70-200 mm (L) f/2.8 IS and a Canon 100-400mm (L) f/4.5-5.6 IS. I hand hold the 70-200mm and use a Manfrotto monopod with the 100-400mm. Camera bodies are a Canon 40D and a 7D. My working bag consists of the 70-200mm, Canon 24-105 (L) f/4.0, and a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM.Feedback
Photographing horses can be a humbling experience. Domestic horses seem to be always head down and eating. Horse people want pictures of their animals with their ears pointing forward, but because horses are "prey" animals, their "inner wild horse" is always on the alert for any perceived danger and scans for it with its ears. Sometimes it is best to work with a partner to attract and keep their attention while you shoot. I have photographed these 70 brood mares for years and they know that I pose no threat. I start quietly talking to the horses the moment I enter the pasture. I move slowly and obliquely to get into position. When working with mares, babies, and any unfamiliar animals, ALWAYS stay alert to what is happening around you. You never know what is going to flip the switch on that docile, well trained animal and turn on that "inner wild horse" that is totally unpredictable. Patience is the golden key to photographing horses.