Focus

[DoctorJazz]

Winning pair Hilary Dobbs and horse Marengo at the Vermont Summer Festival Gran Prix Jumper competition.

[Kaye]

Amazing shot Sandy. You did it. All hooves off the ground :cool:
Really great shot, and look forward to more.

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Kaye,

Thank you for your wonderful comments!! I do have some shots over the jumps,
and I am hesitating on posting as they could be better, but I will post one of this
same horse and rider soaring over a pretty big fence....my apologies for the noise.

P.S. Just a note that on this image I forgot that I added a little touch of the rough pastel filter.

Posting another view of this shot backed off to give some more perspective on how big the jumps are. No filters on this one.

[DoctorJazz]

Here's another competitor.

[Kaye]

These are so great Sandy. The second shot over the jumps is clearly the best (as you would know).
I am sporty, but not a horserider. I would be so scared the horse would fall.
When I ride, I hang onto anything and everything I can get my hands on :eek: .... and then the horse bights my foot :mad:

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Kaye,

Thanks for your input.....much appreciated.
These riders have most likely been in the saddle since childhood to get to this level of competition....it is a beautiful thing to watch when horse and rider are in balance
over these huge fences. They are also riding against the clock and must be in
balance at speed which is where the years of training for both horse and rider
really pays off.

[shirlm2]

Hi Sandy these are wonderful shots. I particularly like the first, even little puffs of dust under the hooves! Practice has certainly made perfect for you with these great action shots.

[DoctorJazz]

Thank you Shirley!!

Although I am far from perfect on these, I have a better grasp of how I'm going to get there! More practice!!!

P.S. I snuck another image in above for comparison with the close up view, to show how big the jumps are!

[shirlm2]

They certainly are very high jumps. Really excellent shots Sandy.

[DoctorJazz]

Thanks again Shirley!

[coffee]

Hi Sandy, I like your shots here but there's something I can't figure out. In your first image, the horse is in focus. If you look at the sign by the horse tail, it's out of focus. Then if you look at the truck in the far distance, it's back in focus. How can that be?

Also, is there something going on with the horses legs and hooves? It looks like they are pasted in. Might not be, but it looks like it from here.

Do you have this opportunity for horse shots often? I would love to shoot these.

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Joseph,
Thanks for your input on these....to answer your questions....I blurred the sign a little intentionally because the lettering was distracting to me....that is why the truck is not blurred....I desaturated both the sign and the truck as well to make them stand out less. As far as the horse's legs, they are not pasted in. I think I
played with darkening them slightly....you must have noticed that.

I live about an hour away from the location of this horse show which went on for 6 weeks, so it was an ideal opportunity for me...I went about 3 or 4 times and each time felt like I had a better handle on what I needed to do with the camera. It was also fun meeting and talking with other photographers there. If you are interested, I would suggest looking up the show calendar on the USEF website
www.usef.org and see if there is anything in your locale.

[DoctorJazz]

Joseph,

Looking at this again, regarding your question on the legs and hooves: there is some black duct tape on the back of the horse's front shoes which may look odd to you....it is wrapped around the front feet....this is not an edit thing.

[MasterPpv]

Great work! You must have noticed it yourself, but you gain more confidence and can do things a lot faster and better as you keep shooting. Each time I went to a basketball game or track meet I felt I knew a bit more than before. I'm sure you've felt the same way, and judging by all your shots of these races, you've really learned how to photograph horse races brilliantly. Congratulations! :D

[DoctorJazz]

Thanks so much Priten,

I am grateful for all the help here, and any confidence I am gaining is a direct result of the comments, advice, and encouragement from members here....it's a continual learning process and I absolutely love it!!

Hope to have more to post soon.

[sandrac]

Good job Sandy

keep up the good work

[verikos]

Great shots Sandy. It's amazing how they jump these fences. Love the angles you've captured. Well done.

[mrdoug]

Hi Joseph,
Thanks for your input on these....to answer your questions....I blurred the sign a little intentionally because the lettering was distracting to me....that is why the truck is not blurred....I desaturated both the sign and the truck as well to make them stand out less. As far as the horse's legs, they are not pasted in. I think I
played with darkening them slightly....you must have noticed that.

I live about an hour away from the location of this horse show which went on for 6 weeks, so it was an ideal opportunity for me...I went about 3 or 4 times and each time felt like I had a better handle on what I needed to do with the camera. It was also fun meeting and talking with other photographers there. If you are interested, I would suggest looking up the show calendar on the USEF website
www.usef.org and see if there is anything in your locale.

I wondered the same thing... just had to keep reading. Great shots!

[DoctorJazz]

Hi Sandra,
I intend to keep up the practice for sure....Thanks for your confidence boost...it helps a lot.

Hi Denise,
Thank you for your kind thoughts. It is awe inspiring when the really great competitors (both horse and human) make this look easy. I had so much fun
watching and shooting.

Thanks Doug,
I hope your questions are answered from what you read but if not feel free to ask
more. Thanks for your input!

[MasterPpv]

Thanks so much Priten,

I am grateful for all the help here, and any confidence I am gaining is a direct result of the comments, advice, and encouragement from members here....it's a continual learning process and I absolutely love it!!

Hope to have more to post soon.

That's what we're here for! ;) Glad you're getting so much out of it! :)