Double Trouble
This is from a horse and cattle ranch in Westcliffe, Colorado. I got to shoot the cowboys and cowgirls rounding up the horses and crossing a creek. One of the m...
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This is from a horse and cattle ranch in Westcliffe, Colorado. I got to shoot the cowboys and cowgirls rounding up the horses and crossing a creek. One of the most fun shoots I've ever had.
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Feb, 2018Views
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in An Unforgettable Adventure Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Wonders of the World Photo Contest
Community Choice Award
Honorable Mention in Covers Photo Contest Vol 46
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 46
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Virtuoso
Superior Skill
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
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Top 20 rank
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on a Colorado horse and cattle ranch in the beautiful Wet Mountain Valley.Time
It was early morning and I was hoping for a colorful sunrise, but as you can tell from the picture, it was a blue-sky day.Lighting
All natural light.Equipment
There were around 15 horses that were being driven by the ranchers, also on horseback, from quite a distance. I started out with a 70-200mm Nikon f/4.0 lens on my Nikon D750, shooting them as they ran toward us. When they drew closer, I quickly switched lenses to my Nikon 20mm f/1.8. I had to be fast because they were running, and I was afraid I'd miss the shot. The picture I envisioned wasn't just about the horses. The vast, open landscape and mountains was just as important to capture in the photo in order for the picture to tell a story. I needed a wide lens to do that, and my 20mm was my widest and fastest lens. It was hand-held.Inspiration
I was on a photography workshop. To this point, all my photography had been landscapes, but I wanted to do something different and expand my skill-set. When the opportunity to shoot a real working ranch in Colorado came up, I jumped on it. If you ever get the chance, and really want to improve your photography, take a workshop. It's well worth it. Just be sure to do your homework first and make sure the photographer leading the workshop is credible and really knows what they are doing.Editing
This was shot in RAW, so yes I processed this myself using Adobe Lightroom. It has very minimal processing. I try to process mine to look as real to the moment as I remember them.In my camera bag
I usually take one body for the sake of weight and space since I'm carrying a backpack most of the time. I have yet to have a camera fail me. In this instance it would've been nice to have two bodies with different lenses so I wouldn't have to switch out lenses, but at the time I only had one camera, the Nikon D750, which I can't speak highly enough of. I've since bought a Nikon D850 which I also love but I'm still just as happy shooting my D750. My usual compliment of lenses is a 20mm, 24-70 & 70-200, all of which are Nikkor lenses. I also have a Really Right Stuff tripod and ball head, which I found out makes a pretty good crutch when you twist your ankle on the top of a mountain. I also carry two extra batteries, a circular polarizer and a few ND filters which I don't use as often as I should, out of pure laziness.Feedback
Shoot and shoot some more. Keep shooting. Shoot more than you think you need to. With animals, you hope to capture that unpredictable moment, or expression, that happens in a blink of an eye, and you won't know you've got it until you get back and download them onto a computer. With this picture, the ranchers were intending to drive them in the direction of the horse on the right, but these two rogue horses had a mind of their own. They suddenly turned and ran right at me. I just kept shooting. I've spent enough time around farm animals to chance that they wouldn't trample me. I thought I was safer staying put then attempting a sudden dash one way or the other, as they probably would turn, and I couldn't predict they wouldn't turn the same way I was going. Luckily I was right. They split, and I have pictures of their heads and bodies going right past me. Not good ones, but they make for a good story.
