There were many wonderful photos that depicted the spirit of the horse. The following images were selected as honorable mentions by professional equine photographer and photo contest judge Christina Handley. To view the top three winners and download the images as a screensaver and desktop wallpapers, click here. Read on for Christina’s photography tips.
Once Upon A ShineJeanne Lambrecht of Kenney, Ill.Quietly noble, Once Upon a Shine, reflecting on the sunset and the peace of the pasture.Christina’s Comments: “You shot this in lovely light, and the horse is well-groomed and looks beautiful. The photo is well-composed with the horse looking in to the frame, this is a good use of the rule of thirds (see Christina’s tips).”
Christina’s Comments: “The horse is posed nicely here with a clean background and beautiful flowers in the foreground. The picture is sharp and focused. Try shooting later in the day when the sun is lower in the sky–his golden coat will glow.”
Townshend TradewindLantz Cook of Taftsville, Vt.Morgan gelding enjoying his six acre pasture in lovely VermontChristina’s Comments: “You captured a wonderful expression on this horse set against a complementary soft and out-of-focus background. I might like to see that cropped vertically to draw even more attention to him.”
Caliente (Little Brown)Diane Keller of Kendall Park, N.J.“Watch Me Play” name of photo. This horse loves playing with his Jolly Ball. I waited for the perfect shot, and got it.
Christina’s Comments: “This is such a fun photo. You certainly captured his spirit here. I love the playfulness and the eye contact you got.”
CallyKristie Edwards of Greenville, Ala.I just found my dream horse
Christina’s Comments: “This is a super candid portrait shot. The horse has a wonderful, alert expression. His crazy, bouncy mane adds impact to the photo. This iamge could be cropped vertically to add even more impact. Lovely use of a wide aperture to create a shallow depth of field.”
RoyalCarmin Dederich of Plain, Wis.Want to play?
Christina’s Comments: “Photographing in the snow is tough, but you nailed it. Your exposure is perfect–the whites are white. This is a great scene with a cute horse. It could use a tiny bit of cropping to improve the overall impact. Try cropping some off the right-hand side so his face is not directly in the center of the frame; think of the rule of thirds when composing (see Christina’s tips).”
Sunny BoySeanix Farms of Hendersonville, N.C.Love is spoken in these eyes
Christina’s Comments: “This portrait is gorgeous. You shot it in great light, and your horse is clean and well-groomed with a well-fitting halter. The background is out of focus, which helps the horse pop out of the picture. The color is complementary to the horse, and the composition is perfect.”
FinneganKate Kelly of Auburn, N.Y.Finnegan “Finney” my off-track thoroughbred enjoying an afternoon ‘back scratch’ in the arena (he can roll all the way over)
Christina’s Comments: “What a fun picture with perfect timing. He looks like he is having a good scratch; you can even see dust flying. Good job being ready with your camera.”
Download a free screensaver and desktop wallpapers featuring the winners of the 2009 Horse Illustrated photo contest.
View the winners and honorable mentions from the 2008 Horse Illustrated photo contest.
Horse Illustrated is the magazine for people who are passionate about horses. Each issue offers advice on horse health and care, plus user-friendly training tips for both English and western riders and engaging lifestyle features for horse lovers.
All of the pictures are good
I love all the photos and the comments-nice
Its way to hard to pick which one is the best.I love them all.
who won
WHO WON?????
WHO WON!!!!!
congrats!
Congratulations to all the honourable mentions. I think they're all better than the winners.
Cool pics!!!
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