The light
A gray horse in a dark stall with afternoon light
A gray horse in a dark stall with afternoon light
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Aug, 2015Views
1562
Likes
Awards
Legendary Award
People's Choice in Black Background Only Photo Challenge
Winner in That first wow picture you took Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Horses, Horses, And Even More Horses Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Horray for Horses Photo Challenge
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Genius
Love it
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
PRO
Platinum
PRO+
Platinum
Platinum
Tiff
May 14, 2016
Congratulations On Winning People's Choice In My 'Horses, Horses, And Even More Horses' Challenge. Great Shot, Well Deserved! ;)
joycealicesmith
June 24, 2016
Great shot! A very unique angle for photographing a horse! The lighting is excellent! Congratulations on winning the Challenge! Very well deserved!
PRO+
PRO+
PRO+
synergySB52
April 02, 2017
Thank you for entering my Black Background Only Challenge! This shot is amazing! It made my top 4 Favorites and was the only horse! With over a 1,000 entries you should be very proud!!!!!! Love your work!!!!
PRO+
Platinum
p_eileenbaltz
April 02, 2017
Extraordinary work! Congratulations on winning all the awards for this stunning image.
PRO+
PRO+
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I had spent the day at a barn, as I was leaving a horse in one of the back stalls started to kick his stall door a few times. I started to continue out but felt compelled to go see him. As I looked into his dark stall he stood perfectly still in the most beautiful lighting I could imagine. I ran to grab my camera and managed to pull off a bunch of shots before he moved. To this day this is still one of my favorite photographs.Time
This photo was taken in the late afternoon, with the sun shining in through a small window in the horses very dark stall. Any other time of day and the light would not have been hitting the horse in the way that it did to create this image.Lighting
This lighting was a true gift, just enough light streaming in through the small window in a very dark stall. The horse is standing so perfectly allowing the lighting to highlight him but does not light his entire body. The way his ears, mane, wither, and jaw line disappear into the darkness adds so much to the mood of this photograph. I could not have planned more perfect lighting if I had tried, it is all so natural the way the light flows around the contours of his body.Equipment
This photo was taken with a Canon Rebel SL1, I believe it was the 18-55 lens. I did not have a tripod with me so I had to steady the camera on the stall wall to secure it for a slow shutter speed as a flash would have completely ruined the whole mood of the picture.Inspiration
I was inspired to take this image the moment I saw the lighting. Natural lighting like this in a dark stall with the horse in perfect position is a true gift for a photograph, an opportunity to not be missed. My biggest fear was that he would move before I was able to get my camera and set my exposure.Editing
I did a little bit of post processing for this photograph because I was not able to get my settings perfect before the horse moved. I basically increased the detail and the exposure and the picture came to be what it is, with a little cropping as well. I always try to do minimal post processing but almost always do a little bit of cropping. I usually bring my highlights down if there is some strong lighting and if it is a color photograph I will also increase the saturation a bit. Lightroom offers all of the editing options that I need at this point so that is my "go to" program for editing. I feel that not enough post processing can rob an image of it's true potential but over processing can ruin a great image as well. They key for me is to find the happy medium where you have fixed the weak areas of the image and brought out it's greatest points without going too far.In my camera bag
I now shoot with a Nikon D750. I carry a 24-120 prime lens and an 80-400 zoom. All of my wildlife photographs are taken with the zoom which is actually the lens that is usually on my camera ready to go. I work on the road and I always keep my eyes out for wildlife and beautiful scenery shots as I travel. When not in my work vehicle I also have a tripod at the ready in my car. My camera and lenses go with me everywhere I go, as an amateur photographer I am constantly looking for opportunities to expand my knowledge and capture new scenes and learn how to work out the challenges that some can pose.Feedback
I believe one of the biggest factors in taking a great image is lighting. Always be on the look out for great lighting opportunities. Don't shy away from low light situations, if a photograph is taken in RAW you will have all of the details captured in the photograph and they can be brought out with a little post processing. Stabilizing your camera in low light situations is also key, if you do not have a tripod at the moment use whatever you can to brace your camera against to avoid movement. When cropping always keep composition in mind, a potentially great image can lost with poor composition. Finally, learn how to use your manual settings, I never shoot on automatic settings and the more you shoot manually the better you will get at quick adjustments when needed. Experiment with exposures and lighting, great images can be created with the right lighting!
