[Aerlind]

After a few weeks of thought and input from friends on another forum (not photography related), I've finally chosen this image for mine. It was taken at National Western Stock Show, in an arena in which I've tried and failed (for 3 years) to photograph horses. I finally found a lens/camera/settings combination that worked, and I was SO happy. This image was actually taken during the "experiment" phase of the night, when I was still tweaking things. Taken at 300mm, ISO 400, with in-camera flash to give me a 1/125 shutter speed at 5.8 aperture (widest open for this lens). As far as editing, I cropped a touch, adjusted the exposure a hair, and put a small -.3 exposure gradient filter over the bottom left corner to help bring the focus to the flag.

The image itself means a lot to me, as an equestrian (hence the "ultimate freedom" title). It's always an honor to carry your country's flag, and this horse/rider combination is one of the most well-known/popular/loved in Colorado: Ann Judge-Werner and Thunder, mascots of the Denver Broncos (especially popular when this was taken, about a week or so before the Broncos went to the super bowl [and failed].) I've been there, in that exact arena, running like the wind on my horse carrying my country's flag, so I was able to relate to this image on a very personal level. The lighting just made the photo that much better for me, it was one of those images where everything just came together perfectly.

So here it is:

[missile]

After a few weeks of thought and input from friends on another forum (not photography related), I've finally chosen this image for mine. It was taken at National Western Stock Show, in an arena in which I've tried and failed (for 3 years) to photograph horses. I finally found a lens/camera/settings combination that worked, and I was SO happy. This image was actually taken during the "experiment" phase of the night, when I was still tweaking things. Taken at 300mm, ISO 400, with in-camera flash to give me a 1/125 shutter speed at 5.8 aperture (widest open for this lens). As far as editing, I cropped a touch, adjusted the exposure a hair, and put a small -.3 exposure gradient filter over the bottom left corner to help bring the focus to the flag.

The image itself means a lot to me, as an equestrian (hence the "ultimate freedom" title). It's always an honor to carry your country's flag, and this horse/rider combination is one of the most well-known/popular/loved in Colorado: Ann Judge-Werner and Thunder, mascots of the Denver Broncos (especially popular when this was taken, about a week or so before the Broncos went to the super bowl [and failed].) I've been there, in that exact arena, running like the wind on my horse carrying my country's flag, so I was able to relate to this image on a very personal level. The lighting just made the photo that much better for me, it was one of those images where everything just came together perfectly.

So here it is:

Nominated - Excellent composition, and the story had me tearing up!!