Remember, the point is not to post perfect photos, but to get input on how to improve your photos. If you have photos you want to submit, email them to me (no more than 3, and no bigger than 800 pixels on the longest side) at dserthorse@aol.com
I'm going to start with some of my photos. These just don't do well, and I'm not sure what I should improve to have them do better. If you are qualified to critique, please do. Please mention what makes you qualified (you show and do well in photo show performance, or, you judge performance at Live shows, or, maybe you show live horses and do well in performance) Just put it in the comments.
1. Flag race- coming around after placing the flag
2. Pole Bending- has he changed leads too soon? How can I improve on a reshoot?
3. Rescue race- the pickup has been made, and the rider is galloping back to the line
4. A different rescue race shot- here the horse is going for the pickup, while the rescue stands at the barrel. I tried to show that the horse is aimed to the right of the barrel. Does it still look to close to the inside, or too close to the pick-up rider?
As a longtime rider and performance shower, I can offer a few ideas on why some of these pictures aren't placing as well as you'd like.
ReplyDelete1. The head-on view makes this picture look really static. Shooting from a forward (or backward) angle can help add the illusion of speed. Also, you need to work on the rider's position. She doesn't look involved in the activity at all. Check out this post on my blog for pictures of flag racing riders.
2. The main problem with this pictures is that the poles are too close together. Standard distance is 21 feet, which is more than two horse lengths. Other than that, the photo is fine. I like the position of the horse and doll in relation to the forward pole.
3. Like picture 1, this photo would be improved with a less straight on angle. The reins could also be a bit tighter, but basically I think this pictures ok. I like it much better than...
4. At this point in the class, the rider should be slowing down and getting ready for the pick-up. I like her position in the saddle but the reins are much too loose. The doll on the ground looks like she's huddled up to the barrel to avoid being run over!
So, those are my thoughts. This is a very cool idea for a blog. I hope it does well!
Thank you, Jennifer! You're a brave soul ;) I appreciate your input and will use it in retaking this horse in gaming.
DeleteMy credentials:
ReplyDeleteI've been around horses all my life and showed pretty extensively in my teens. Didn't do much in the way of gymkhana stuff, but I've done a lot of small circles.
My Critique:
Photo 1 - I agree with everything Jennifer said, PLUS the horse is looking slightly to the side, away from the barrel and away from the direction it should be moving in. At this point, the horse would still be turning or just straghtening up, and since horses generally travel where their noises are pointed, the horse would be moving away from the barrel, and presumably veering away from the finish line.
Also, if the horse had just gone around the barrel, its body would still be turning - there's no way the horse would be going straight when it was still next to the barrel, especially since the barrel is very close to the fence. It looks like there's not much room for a horse to go around the barrel without knocking the barrel over or hitting the fence.
How I'd make it better: More space between the barrel and the fence, and more space between the horse and the barrel. The horse should be approaching the barrel or past the barrel and not next to it, and because of the direction the horse's head is turned, the barrel should be on the other side.
I agree with Jennifer's comments on the other photos, so I won't add to them, other than to say the horse's head being turned applies to the head-on shots (photo 3 - although the horse's angle relative to the camera is slightly different than photo 1, so the head turning away isn't as obvious), as do my comments about the distance between the obstacles to the fence.
Good luck!
Comment from a reader without a google acct.
ReplyDeleteHi yes I typed them & hit publish, but no I don't have an account.
My thoughts were you could make your photos a little cleaner, appealing if you put your Dolls hair in a ponytail, put her hat on her head at a better angle, the blue wraps on the horses front legs need to be overlapped tighter, you can see leg sticking out between wraps.
In the rescue pic the pole is leaning, & I agree with Jennifers comments. Just a few touchs & these pics should be winners.
What a great idea this is, I'm sure we can all learn a lot from this, thank you for this brilliant idea, I hope lots of people participate. / I have shown live horses all my life, I used to run Barrels, Poles, Goat Tye, teamed up with my husband to Team Rope, shown in Horse Shows, Trail has always been my Fav, & now I do Competitive Trail Riding, & Ranch Sorting. I expect to learn quite a bit from this informative blog, thank you, R
As well as everything those above have mentioned, from my experience showing model, and real horses, in games classes especially barrels and poles, the rider may use two hands. Almost nobody will neck rein during a games class. Also, adding hoof prints to the footing behind the horse would be a nice touch, so it shows he was "moving" before the photo was taken and he didn't just drop out of the sky. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck :)
~Morgan
Hey - great idea to learn. I judged the Breyerfest Novice Performance this year and really enjoy working with new showers. Photo 2: Pole bending is one of my favourite things to ride. The poles are 21' apart. A horse is somewhere in teh 9' long range.
ReplyDeleteAnd as noted above, anyone other than a beginner will ride with 2 hands. The horse is flying through these poles and leans as they switch leads. My horse changed at the pole. Here is a pic of the intensity of what is happening. So what you need is more space between the poles and movement in what the rider is doing.
http://americashorsedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/ampoles4.jpg
Photo 4: you need to have the reins tighter to show a bit of control and if the rider is picking up someone they usually put their arm behind them to pull the rider up. Perhaps you could work on a pic where the rider is pulling the pick up rider up? If you look at the 3rd pic on this site you will see the intensity (and reins) required to compete in this race
http://www.holydayranch.com/index.php?disciplines_western
Lisa