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Girl and Horse
Girl and Horse
lovethelight


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2008-12 (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Canon EOS-40D
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f1.2L
Date: Dec 23, 2008
Aperture: f/3.2
ISO: 160
Shutter: 1/250
Galleries: Portraiture, Animals
Date Uploaded: Dec 26, 2008

 I was fortunate to have a photoshoot with a young girl whose mother wanted some headshots but also wanted to play around outside and just do some fun portraits. The horses were out behind my house in a field and this girl owns a horse, so we decided to do some portraits of her with the horses. This was completely candid and part of me just shooting her interacting with the horses. She had an interesting way of just standing by them and ignoring them until they became more comfortable with her and approached her. Then she would turn and look at them for a bit and if they still seemed interested in her she would then reach out a hand and start to pet them. It was really great to observe. It was cloudy out so it made some nice diffused light. I added a little blurring to give it a more ethereal feel, but most of the processing was just duotoning and dodging and burning.

Post challenge: I am really impressed with how this did and the responses this photo received. It is a little out of the box for me so I am glad I entered it.

Statistics
Place: 31 out of 407
Avg (all users): 6.4061
Avg (commenters): 7.2667
Avg (participants): 6.3982
Avg (non-participants): 6.4231
Views since voting: 3496
Views during voting: 283
Votes: 165
Comments: 20
Favorites: 5 (view)

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AuthorThread
 01/08/2009 07:23:19 PM
I don't think I have ever seen a more moving visual representation of the connection between man (or girl, in this case) and beast. I can almost feel the horse contemplating someone he or she feels worthy of contemplation.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2009 04:01:35 PM
I love the indirectness of this photo. Nobody is looking anywhere near the camera.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2009 03:49:13 PM
Great shot, this one of three tens I gave out during the challenge, I really like the interaction between the girl and the horse and with her facing away the way the hair is flowing made the shot. Good Job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2009 06:34:20 AM
Silently outstanding shot IMO.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/06/2009 06:40:34 PM
Beautiful picture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/06/2009 04:54:14 PM
The wind whisked her hair as she stood there, looking out over the world, so many miles from home. A single tear built in the corner of her eye, and her mind ran through so many things. They whys, the why nots, the hows, the how nots, the what could bes, the what shouldn't bes. Her companion slowly walked over and nudged her shoulder, perhaps because of some emphathy they shared. She smiled sadly and scratched his nose, and lay her head against him.

It was a hard world sometimes, and she just had to get away, to come out here where her father and her had come so many times before. To this place where they would talk and laugh and he would teach her so very much about the land and the trees and birds and the way things worked. Now, she was here alone, and he would never come with her again.

The tears flowed more freely now, and the wind continued to blow, and upon it it seemed to whisper to her in his voice, to let her know that eventually it would be all right. Eventually.

With one last tear-filled gaze at their special place, she got back on the horse that had been her father's favorite, now passed to her, and hugged him tight, and together they began the journey home.
 01/05/2009 11:07:45 PM
I like the way the horse is looking at the girl, it's almost conversational...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/05/2009 01:00:47 PM
One of the few 10's that I will give this challenge. I guess I just like it.
If only that Horse could talk.
:)
10
 01/05/2009 10:47:42 AM
Lovely image very appealing in mono with good use of DOF
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/04/2009 02:40:38 PM
One of my favs--a story, maybe even an epic, is told. Reminds me of the story "My Friend Flicka"
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/04/2009 12:16:29 AM
Absolutely beautiful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/03/2009 11:55:00 PM
beautiful depth of field and image...super sharp where it matters
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/03/2009 04:05:47 PM
The way you caught and presented this, the horse seems to have great intelligence ... almost like it is ready to offer life advice to the girl. I like that.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/03/2009 05:25:04 AM
Pictures of horses aren't normally my cup of tea, but this one is fabulous.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/02/2009 10:23:47 PM
Looks like best friends.
 01/02/2009 03:27:32 PM
arrrrrrr love the lighting and the B/W is great
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/02/2009 05:12:15 AM
very nice
 01/01/2009 04:36:47 PM
Horse looks like he's just waiting for her to answer his question. "Want to go for a ride?" Very good shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/01/2009 04:08:33 PM
Oh! This is wonderful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/01/2009 11:22:48 AM
discussing shampoos for flyaway hair.
It's lovely but I wish we could see the girl's face
love the mono and shallow dof
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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