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Jan, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I met Bob at a log skidding event the previous winter, and expressed an interest in coming to his place to do some shooting. He invited me out to the sleigh riding event he and his wife hosted every January, in Wisconsin, with lots of people and lots of good, hot food and drinks, and of course, horses, sleds and an antique sleigh.Time
This was taken at the end of the day. I had spent the day walking the property and looking for good scenery to shoot against. The angle of the road and this canopy of trees caught my eye, so I waited for the last ride coming back to the barn for this shot.Lighting
Early winter afternoon light was all I needed to capture the feeling of cold, and closing daylight hours.Equipment
I shot this with an Olympus E-500 and Zuiko 50-200mm f/2.8 lens. Because I was moving around all day, I carried a minimum of equipment, and backup batteries in my inside coat pockets.Inspiration
Winter offers its own special magic, and I had great success shooting another winter event, the log skidding, and when Bob invited me to come to this event, I felt certain that it would be fun, cold, and offer opportunities one finds only in winter time. His dog Queenie went out on his sled every trip, and I knew I wanted to catch that special shot of them.Editing
This image was shot in color, and converted to b&w image for a challenge. There were minimal adjustments, such as curves, highlight/shadow adjustments, contrast, etc. This was just one of those shots that required very little post-processing.In my camera bag
I normally carry an E-30 with a longer lens such as the 50-200mm or 300mm with an EC-14 for wildlife/bird shots. The Olympus E-1 is a great old workhorse which I keep fitted with a 14-54mm or 9-18mm lens for landscape shots. Of course, plenty of spare batteries are always brought along, especially in cold weather. A plastic camera cover and lens hoods are also handy in case of rain or snow.Feedback
Photographing horses has its own set of difficulties; getting the timing right in the horse's stride, using the right lens to avoid distortion, using a fast enough lens to freeze the movement. I shot horse shows (dressage) for years and timing is everything. When people pay for horse show images, they want to look good, and their horse to look even better. A poorly timed shot that fails to capture their best moment takes a lot of practice, and a thorough knowledge of one's subject. I can't emphasize that enough: The photographer must know the subject inside and out to get the best results. Even for an informal event such as this, that criteria carries over so that the subjects appear at their best. For me, it is more about creating an art piece than just shooting a picture - there is an element of magic that I want to capture and impart to the viewer. I feel I succeeded with this one.
