Anyone for a Swim?
On a shoot, we decided to have some extra fun and take the horses to the pond. We'll never know why the horse bolted but capturing the expression is someth...
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On a shoot, we decided to have some extra fun and take the horses to the pond. We'll never know why the horse bolted but capturing the expression is something she will now remember for the rest of her life. She is an extremely experienced rider and a fraction of a second later, all was calm again and they all continued to frolic in the water.
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Feb, 2016Views
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Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Legendary Award
Top Shot Award
Member Selection Award
Spring Selection Award
Outstanding
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Love it
All Star
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in northeast Texas. Both girls are rodeo royalty and very experienced riders.Time
Near high noon on a July day in Texas.Lighting
Thank goodness it was cloudy that day. No extra lighting was used. I didn't even have a polarizing lens on.Equipment
Nikon D5200, 28-300 f3.5 lens (the best "go to" lens). 1/500 sec at f5.6 190mm ISO 100 (better to be a tad underexposed) No tripod, but since I'm left-eye dominate, I learned a trick years ago from Joe McNally about using my shoulder and body as a tripod. It works very well.Inspiration
We were finishing up a photo shoot and for some added variety, we decided to take the horses to the pond for some more fun. I'm an action-candid rodeo photographer, and have been told I've got this internal alarm when action is about to happen. The horses at first were hesitate about going in the water, and I have several shots of the horses "hoving at the water" making a splash. It was very funny and the girls were laughing very hard. Horses are like kids and have their own personalities. Some are more playful than others and the horse that is bolting out of the water in this shot, likes to have fun! In other shots, the horses tried to roll over, splash, swim, etc. I think they were enjoying the coolness of the water on a warm July day. In the very next shot after this, the horse stands up in the water and you realize that it was on it's belly. This actually would have been the better shot, but I clipped the riders head since she emerged from the water so quickly. Grateful that both girls are excellent riders and so photogenic, which certainly added to the popularity of this photo.Editing
Oh yes! Much post-processing was done for added depth. Using Lightroom, Photoshop and On1 products to bring out shadows and highlights. This is worth the time it takes. I think the biggest improvement was the changing of the water color. Since this part of Texas has sandy-loam soil, the ponds are light-sandy color and not very photogenic. Adding just a slight blue tint made all the difference, yet not noticeable if the viewer was not aware.In my camera bag
Since this photo was taken, I now have a Nikon D750, the same 28-300 lens and a polarizing filter. I have much more equipment and tools in my computer for post processing than I have in my camera bag.Feedback
When doing anything that is action, I find manual mode works the best. Set aperature, ISO and shutter speed for the best conditions. (For the D5200 auto ISO was not dependable; with the D750 I now can set my ISO to auto and be comfortable knowing my camera will make the right choice). Then I can just concentrate on zooming in and out with my lens and be alert for anything to happen. This photo was one of the last taken in the water, and the jolt of the horse causing a surprise look on the riders face is not able to be planned. Be constantly alert and expect the unexpected to happen in a second. I know I've missed many once-in-a lifetime shots because I was a tad too slow, but I also captured a few.
