My First Horse Portraits

[Kaye]

I took these horse shots whilst I was away a week or so ago, filling in time whilst waiting for the right timing for the sunset.
I found lighting/shade difficult with a couple of these as far as settings go.

Taken with Nikon D90, 18-105mm VR lens
1. f/4.5, 1/250sec, iso320, 25mm
2. f/5.3, 1/250sec, iso640, 62mm
3. f/4.2, 1/125sec, iso640, 34mm

14250 14249 14251



http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5631571526_2d374c975f_b.jpg




http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5631572626_5cfd855fb2_b.jpg




http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5223/5631573768_c8694ce636_b.jpg

[tommayor]

i think these are great considering the lighting can be difficult sometimes! especially on things that dont stay still! the detail has come out great!

did you use any exposure compensation at all? im still trying to grasp it but think it can help if the background is brighter than the subject...

[Kaye]

Hi Tom,
That was quick! Thanks for your comment.

These horses would certainly not stay still and they were moving between sun and shade.
My exposure compensation in all was set at -0.7 which I often leave it set at.

I did desaturate and tone down the background in 2 & particularly 3 as there were many bright spots.
I could post thumbnails of the originals if you like.

PS The attached thumbnails above show a better and more true colour than the larger pics and you can zoom in.

[eyerkish]

Very nice, Kaye. I like the detail you captured in the horse but I am drawn to #1. The sharpness is fantastic and I like the DOF you used.

[Kaye]

Thanks for viewing these Eddie. I also prefer No. 1. I had more difficulty with the bright sunlight directly on the horse in the other two.
It is strange how my uploads from Flickr are darker than my thumbnails - I have never had this problem before (or perhaps I have not noticed it).

[mdonahoe1]

Kaye,

Great series. I love the #3 for it's composition but I think #2 is so creative also.

Marianne

[sandrac]

nice clear shots Kaye
II would go with 2 or 3
for the creative aspect

[Kaye]

Kaye,

Great series. I love the #3 for it's composition but I think #2 is so creative also.

Marianne


nice clear shots Kaye
II would go with 2 or 3
for the creative aspect

Thank you very much Marianne & Sandra,
Perhaps the creativeness may have just been a fluke here as this horse would just not stop moving, so I just caught a few shots when he held still for a second.

I am not sure why my Flickr downloads are darker than my thumbnails here! The thumbnails are more true with the light.

[AndyP]

Quality shots all Kaye, that camera is suiting you nicely. Great lighting in all, great POV on #2 & #3, really nice.

Andy

[Kaye]

Thank you very much Andy. I am getting there slowly. I did find the lighting difficult as it was very late afternoon just before sunset.

[Bambe]

You handled the exosure and light well in all three. I hope you don't mind my critique, but horses are my 'thing' so I am often critical of photos of them (I rarely like the ones I take). The first is a nice head shot but the lip is cut off at the bottom and the eye should be sharper. But I love that the ears are up and that he/she is not wearing a ratty halter.
#2 is my favourite, I think the colour, comp and exposure all work here.
#3- I like the angle and the colour is good. the light is a neat effect too. But the tip of the ear is cut off.

Don't get me wrong, animal shots are hard because they won't stay still or cooperate.

[Kaye]

Bambe, I thank you for looking and taking the time to comment. I would absolutely love your critique.... I know very well they are average shots, so I need some critique to learn more... not that I will shoot horses very often, but would love to shoot more animals overall.

I did sharpen the eye in PS in No. 1, but the light was not on that side. From what you say, I think I would need to try these shots not so late in the avo with more light so I could up my shutter speed and then focus on the eye....?
The lip... well I just missed that little bit, much to my dismay when I viewed it on screen!!

Glad you like No. 2. I was not too sure here. (It does look much better in my thumbnail than the in Flickr download - too dark).

No. 3 I had to darken a little as it was very bright sunlight on his head and the grass in the background. I could kick myself for missing the tip of his ear. No excuses for this. I must be more careful!

I really welcome any critique Bambe, so whenever you have an idea on any of my shots, you are most welcome.

Many thanks Bambe.