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02-25-2013, 08:04 PM   #1
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Overexposed buckskin mustang
Lens: SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR Camera: K-5 Photo Location: Sandy Beach, AB, Canada ISO: 400 Shutter Speed: 1/350s Aperture: F6.7 

Please let me know your impressions about this picture

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02-25-2013, 10:55 PM   #2
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The hot treatment goes fine with the horse. But I think you should crop the piles out of the top left. They don't add anything to the image. Could use a bit of tightening up right across the frame, actually.
02-25-2013, 11:53 PM   #3
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Besides what you already know (its really, really overexposed), the horse movement isn't very interesting. I shoot the occasional horse portrait and its takes a while to get it right. Like people, they have personalities, You can't pose them like people, its the language thing, so you have to watch and be patient. And that's after you've figured out backgrounds.

If the photograph is about the landscape, the horse is incidental so if he's simply standing, that works, just correct your exposure. Hopefully, ears are forward.

If its about the horse and movement, figure out how to get him moving and watch and shoot. If you get a few good exposures in an hour or two, you've been successful. And tired, because you'll be moving too.

During a session, I'll make a lot of technically sound, boring images. It takes patience. And unlike you with that snow, I'm picking off ticks later after running around and kneeling in a pasture. Partly my fault, I told them not to mow.
02-26-2013, 08:39 AM   #4
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Thank you both for your crits! They are much appreciated!

Yes, I suppose the picture could take some cropping to the right, and yes it is very hard to get a decent picture of a horse: it takes hours of observation!

I've had the wonderful opportunity of being an hour or two around horses with my K-5 for the past four months now, and at the end of the day I only get one, if one, decent picture. I won't say that I am able of getting the horses to move around the way I'd like them to, as I am taking pictures of a herd and I'm trying not to disturb it and to take pictures of natural, casually occurring instances. I really like that photo of yours there, Brit, it really captures the movement! I don't have many days left to shoot those horses as I will be leaving this place and returning to Italy, but considering that I'm completely new to photography and the feedback I got from people on this picture rather than the many others I made, I thought this was the one to show

02-26-2013, 11:35 AM   #5
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I really like the tones and I think the overexposure actually works here, I also disagree with the comment about the movement not being interesting. The movement looks really natural to me and almost majestic in a way. I think this could benefit from a slightly different crop, but at the same time I like the empty space. Also black and white might be work here as well.
02-26-2013, 06:49 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by csmoore Quote
I really like the tones and I think the overexposure actually works here, I also disagree with the comment about the movement not being interesting. The movement looks really natural to me and almost majestic in a way. I think this could benefit from a slightly different crop, but at the same time I like the empty space. Also black and white might be work here as well.
Its a noble animal and I don't think the photograph shows that, not unlike all the shots from a human portrait session that don't display the character of the the subject.

Tail looks weak, the gait is awkward, and you can't really see much except the south side of a north bound horse. There were better ways to show it.

I suppose it's a novelty if you are unfamiliar with horses. I've ridden, been stepped on, bit and kicked enough to know I don't know much about horses but I do know they have character. My job is to capture it. This is a Rocky Mountain horse, 5 years old, sweet tempered but as tough as a Rocky Mountain horse should be.
02-26-2013, 08:23 PM - 1 Like   #7
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Things are heating up in here, me likes...!

Ok, where to begin mh. Thanks csmoore for thinking this is actually a good shot, as I believe it to be my best shot so far. And I've been around horses, rode horses, handled studs, been stepped on (not bitten because the horses here are well and gently trained and won't do that to a human) and observed the horses as a herd for a very ample amount of time. I am too of the idea that this picture would work in black and white, actually never thought of it I'm going to process it and see how that looks like I love the fact that when I shot this picture I had all the settings gone wrong on my camera and this was the result, because I kind of like to shoot at random and make a lot of mistakes so that I can be surprised, rather than letting the brain in my K-5 judge... as wisely as a computer can.

Still, I have to agree with Britt that the tail of the depicted buckskin mustang is indeed weak, that the gait is strange and that the horse is not filling the whole picture.

BUT... what I really like about this picture is the snow the horse is running on is burned by the overexposure and there is an almost supernatural minimalist look to this shot. The horse in this pictures gives scale to the background, I don't think the horse is the subject the subject is the background and the horse scales it (differently from your truly outstanding horse pictures in which the horse potrayed seems to come out of the picture itself).

But I'm a noob. Very passionate about my photography, but still a noob.

Thanks for the comments! This is fun!



Richard

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Last edited by R.W.G.; 02-26-2013 at 08:43 PM.
02-26-2013, 11:14 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by R.W.G. Quote

I love the fact that when I shot this picture I had all the settings gone wrong on my camera and this was the result, because I kind of like to shoot at random and make a lot of mistakes so that I can be surprised, rather than letting the brain in my K-5 judge... as wisely as a computer can. Richard
I think when you use the computer between your ears and shoot manual exposure, you'll be happier. Its not hard. Mistakes are still easy to make but you'll be deciding, not the K-5. Snow can be white, motion can be stopped and subjects isolated with shallow depth of field. Here's a free guide: Ultimate Exposure Computer If the meters on my K-5s didn't work, I wouldn't know, never used them. I occasionally use a handheld incident meter but the histogram is the modern day Polaroid so after awhile, its all you need.
02-27-2013, 07:58 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by R.W.G. Quote
BUT... what I really like about this picture is the snow the horse is running on is burned by the overexposure and there is an almost supernatural minimalist look to this shot. The horse in this pictures gives scale to the background, I don't think the horse is the subject the subject is the background and the horse scales it (differently from your truly outstanding horse pictures in which the horse potrayed seems to come out of the picture itself)
My thoughts exactly. I like your photo because it's different. Is it a photo you're going to use to showcase the horse itself? Probably not, but it's flaws still make for an interesting picture. Almost like the difference between posed portraits and street photography.
02-27-2013, 09:54 AM   #10
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Thanks Brit and csmoore for your comments, crit and appreciation of my work
03-03-2013, 04:26 PM   #11
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Here is how I would do it. I increased contrast a little (made the darks darker), sharpened the whole scene a little, and cropped a bit of the top and left. Its a nice moment you caught, and making it bright like you did is a great idea.

Last edited by Na Horuk; 05-23-2017 at 09:02 AM.
03-04-2013, 07:31 AM   #12
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Composition wise I think is pretty good ...
I guess you can crop a little tighter to remove the the house on the left and some of the space on the right (as Na Horuk did); but I think the main problem is that your main subject is not properly in focus.

I like the painting like effect it has.
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