The Horse Whisperer

Hi Guys,

Took this shot on a recent trip to Snowdonia, North Wales. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!



And here is me being nibbled on!



Thanks guys!

Read about this shot and others at my Photoblog:

http://www.imagespike.wordpress.com

Hi Matt

I love this sort of day when a patch of sun breaks through the heavy cloud, the horses head turned away from you but he's keeping his beady eye on you for a little treat no doubt, looks like a lucky moment on a rainy day, beautiful, I love it...

A wonderfully dramatic photo, Matt!! This image really appeals to me.

What camera/lens/specs?

Thanks for posting.

Hi Matt,

This is a special treat. The picture of the white horse under the dark billowing clouds is immediately attention getting and impressive. The perspective of being close to the horse exaggerates the powerful neck. The picture is also sensuous, even erotic. If it was looking at us, I wonder how my impression might change.

How did you process the image? It has a sense of HDR working in it.

Whenever the lines, form and modeling of a photograph are so important in its appreciation, it's often worthwhile to also look at the picture devoid of color signals. Such color-driven esthetics can undermine the strongest basic features. This might be such an instance. I happen to enjoy the picture in B&W even more than the original. Still that's also taste.

Asher

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagespike/2715002470/meta

here is more info from his blog .
really cool shot
Don

Thanbks for all the commenst folks, much appreciated!

@Dan, all my exif data can be seen on the link courtesy of Don...

@asher, I really appreciate your wonderful comments on my photo, greatly appreciated! I haven't yet converted the shot to black and white, but i can envisage it looking quite good! With regards my digital workflow, i can confirm that no HDR was used!

Thanks again for all the feedback!

Perhaps it's because I've spent the last 30+ years in the American southwest, but normally I cringe whenever I see a photo or painting with a horse in it. This is a magnificent exception to my rule. Beautiful shot.

I'll be in Wales in a couple months hoping I get some great shooting conditions like these.

Beautiful shot!

This is a wonderful shot, with incredible light conditions which you have been fortunate enough to capture.
Still, the dynamic range of the image is (IMHO) well beyond current technology, and I can't help to think that some serious image blending techniques were used to accomplish this vision.
I don't own a D300 so I could be very wrong indeed.
All things considered, I'll have no trouble having this image as my desktop background.

@ Howard I'm glad you like the shot, and I hope you really have a great time in Wales. with regards to shooting conditions, if stormy weather is what you're after then I'm sure you won't have any problems in Wales...it's got a reputation for being a tad damp!

@Ivan as stated earlier, this shot isn't a HDR in the traditional sense, ie tonemapping. However, Photoshop does play an important role in my digital workflow! Also, I'm very flattered that you are using the shot for your wallpaper!!

Kind regards, Matt

Hi, Matt,

Matt Halstead said:

Hi Guys,

Took this shot on a recent trip to Snowdonia, North Wales. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

Click to expand...

A great shot, but it looks "supernatural". What did you do to it?

Hi Doug,

I'm glad you like the shot. Basic edits were carried out in Lightroom, and then the shot was more extensively edited in Photoshop.

Very dramatic shot. Well done!

This picture is so special I just want to bring it back to your attention!

Thanks Asher. This is one of those that ought to be put in a "sticky" collection.

My first thoughts were that the image was seriously overworked. As I looked at it for quite sometime the overall feel of this shot overwhelmed my first impression. I think its magic.
D