protips

I have an extensive background in horses and belong to the Equine Photographers Network, which is an international organization of equine photographers. In this instance I was the instructor for a Fall Workshop In The Catskills. Although many of the photographers have experience with horses, they are always wanting to improve on their portraiture skills, in particular lighting and posing of people when photographed with their horses. This image was a four day workshop with different locations, types of horses and models on each of the days. As the instructor, my task was to help each photographer learn to photograph with the lighting conditions of each situation and how to assemble horses and people to take advantage of it. In the image "Final Touches" a number of great variables came together to give us some "magical light".

As a professional, it is really great to be able to take my experience with horses and my love of photography and blend them together.

Image – Final Touches
Taken – Catskills, NY – October 2006

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Nikkor 80-200 f 2.8
Exposure: f 3.5 - 1/125 - ISO 400
Aperture Priority

Light Sources: Available light coming through plexi-glass panels at the top of an indoor arena. Large 3ft x 5ft reflector/ gold side bouncing light back onto the blacksmith. Light diffused by fine dust particles in the air from the horse having just been previously worked in the arena.

Image was cropped and flipped to horizontal to take focal point out of centre of image and have a line of handler’s rope going from left to right into the main subject.

In Photoshop the contrast was increased, and over all image was darkened, edges were burnt down to focus on the main subjects. By using Lucis software we enhanced the exposure and sculpture to bring out the detail in the saddle and blacksmiths tools.

As you can see, with just a little creative cropping, Photoshop skills and compositional adjustment, you can enhance almost any image.