Horse Photo Competition 5 2015 : Results

Judges Comment
what an absolutely stunning and unique image. the leading line of the tree line takes our eye to the glow of morning light and the silhouetted horse on the hill. i do find that the crop is a little tight at the top ... increasing the space above the horse so that there is twice as much space between his back and the top of the frame would allow for more breathing room, and not cause as much tension. but otherwise, a wonderfully seen and captured image. bravo. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks a lot for this prize among great pictures. This photo was taken in Terceira Island, Azores, by the end of the day when I'm driving home. I had to get off road to the other side of a highway. The horse is on a field that is surrounded by trees and electric wires, thats why I made the composition this way, mainly to avoid the wires. Thank you so much for this distinction and the other to photographs that made the excellence mark.
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Judges Comment
what an absolutely stunning image. the deep blacks and clean whites add to its strength. the variety of textures is rich and keeps inviting us back to see more details. the strength and sentiment captured in this image is fabulous. i do find the lack of focus on the horse's face to be a little distracting, but overall an absolutely fabulous image. ~ illona

Judges Comment
what an instantly engaging and intriguing image ... absolutely stunning light and wonderful motion captured in this image -- the swing of the tail, the swirl of dust, the toss of the horse's head. beautifully captured and managed in post. ~ illona

Judges Comment
what a fabulous and creative image. the choice to convert to black-and-white allows the symmetry in this image to be the primary element. very nicely done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much for your distinction to my photo. These are Lusitanos studds, one very well known breed of Portuguese horses. Shot with a Nikon D80 at Companhia das LezÃrias, Portugal. More info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusitano
https://500px.com/joaodomingues

Judges Comment
this is an incredible capture, and the tones are just beautiful. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much Ilona! The picture shows the lusitano-arabian gedling "Melino". The photo was taken in a very beautiful region of Germany, called "LÃ¼neburger Heide". The nature of this photo is very typical for this region. The weather was not really good at the day of the shooting. Maybe this makes the atmosphere of the picture special :) My name is Friederike Scheytt and I am a horse photographer vom Essen in Germany.
www.scheytt-photography.de

Judges Comment
this image is made even more dramatic by its strong black-and-white conversion. even with the dark tones, the textures in this image keep our eye moving to see new things all the time ... the horse's dirty coat, the windblown mane, the rough stones, the strewn straw, the wispy clouds, and even the top rail of the fence. the horse's flipped right ear lead us back into the frame, while the lines of the landscape and the clouds lead us to the horse. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks for this distinction among great photographs. This photo was taken in Terceira Island, Azores and it's about a horse that spends the day alone on this field. He was attracted by my car, and came to take a look. I took this photograph with a Leica X. Thanks a lot for this excellence mark.
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Judges Comment
what a fantastic landscape and horse image. the stream opening up from the lower left frame and reaching back into the frame of the image, leading our eye to the pony in the foreground ... while the leading line of the mountain tops takes us to the same subject. wonderfully seen and captured. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Â© Sylvain "Vuzz" Olivri / Thanks a lot for this distinction / Photo taken in the French PyrÃ©nÃ©es near Ancizan. These horses (or ponies) are pottoks, a very old breed, living in semi-liberty in the plains below the mountains. / Camera : Canon 7D > Raw > Adobe Photoshop
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vuzz

Judges Comment
what a fabulous capture of an absolutely stunning animal. nicely done! ~ illona
Photographers Comment
This photo was taken in the South of Poland. It was a very hot day and we were in a special place inland (not a normal beach) where the sand was white and the water emerald green. This horse is called Rubin (owner is Karolina Gmochowska) and he was very well trained and very easy to work with! Camera was a D610 with a 70-200mm F2.8 lens.
www.joanne-photography.co.uk

Judges Comment
the variety of textures in this image make it immediately fascinating ... the grass, the stones, the distant hills and the stormy sky ... all make for an engaging backdrop for this hardworking trio. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
Thanks for this distinction among great photographs. This photo was taken in Terceira Island, Azores. I found these men and the horse working on a field and I stopped to take this photograph of them against the sky. I was attracted by the light and the action that shows hard work. I've used a Nikon D4. Thanks again for this excellence mark.
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Judges Comment
what a fabulous landscape/horse photo. the receding layers and the dark, distant trees allowing the horses to pop, make for a successful image. nicely done. ~ illona
Photographers Comment
The sun was beginning to make it's final descent behind the mountains just as the horses made their way in from the pasture back to their stables. This image was made in the beautiful Cade's Cove valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Shot with an adapted legacy Nikkor 50mm f1.4 lens mounted to a Sony A7r. Thank you to I Shot It and the judge for the kind words and commendation! Click that link below for a larger view of this and my other images!
www.aphotographist.com/