Horse Photo Competition 6 2018 : Results

  • Competition Winner : First Prize
  • $602.00
  • Judges Comment
  • This image was an instant favorite. The deep, rich but subtle tones are compelling, and suggest a grey, cold and rainy day. I feel that the image would have been even stronger had the focus been on the smaller brown horse whose face we see the most clearly among these wet horses, but I know first hand that choosing which subject to focus on when shooting a group of animals is not always up to us! Still, this is a wonderful image, and perfectly handled in post. Congrats! ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Dear Ilona, thank you so much for choosing my picture, I am so excited and feel very honored winning this competition! Thank you also for your detailed comment, I can absolutely feel your thoughts and was struggling with the focus too, but on the other hand sometimes a little imperfection is what makes a image special. The picture was taken in Iceland with my old Canon 5D Mark II and the 70-200mm 2.8. Thanks again, Carolin Giese
  • www.katla-fotografie.de
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • This is such an immediately compelling image ... between the perfectly captured moment, to the black-and-white conversion which allow the foal and mare to stand out, both make for an immediately captivating image. The bold blacks and the clean whites create a perfect contrast, although I do find that the vignetting on the bottom right corner to be a little heavy. Wonderful crop as well, keeping the viewer's focus on the moment. Nicely done! ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you very much, dear Ilona, for assigning a mark of excellence to my photograph. I am deeply honored and grateful for your valuable comment. I very rarely do any cropping to an image except to straighten it if I find it more appropriate, as in this case. This photograph was made in Portugal, in a field near the place where I live, with a Canon 5D MkII camera, and an EF lens 24-70mm L 2.8. Thank you so much. Domingos Monteiro
  • www.domingosmonteiro.com
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • This is a lovely and peaceful image, with very subtle tones that allow the horse to stand out. I did see what I assume is the original image in the contest, and it, too, is lovely ... but I feel that the edit on this image is stronger. The subtle tones and the addition of the foliage in the foreground make this a compelling image. Also, the framing/crop in this image is stronger than the original. Nicely done. ~ illona
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • This wonderful capture of horse tossing his head and mane, is defined even more clearly with the striking conversion to black-and-white. With deep blacks and clean whites, this animal erupts from the background. Nicely done! ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you Ilona for this Mark of Excellence! My name is Coralie Duda and I am from Glauburg near Frankfurt/ Germany. I took this photo of the Welsh pony Joey after a customer shooting on his pasture. I fell in love with him from the first moment I saw him. The photo was taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark III and the Canon 70-200 f 2.8 IS ii.
  • https://www.coralieduda-fotografie.de
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • What a beautifully lit and perfect captured image. There is so much to see in this image, so many details that keep the eye moving across and around the image. Wonderful job at capturing this magnificent animal's strong pose. ~ illona
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • What a beautiful, crisp image ... one can almost feel the sharp cold air and hear this horse's call. Wonderfully captured and framed. ~ illona
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • What a lovely, peaceful image. The white horse framed by white tree trunks, along with the splash of foreground color works wonderfully. Nicely captured and managed in post. ~ illona
  • Photographers Comment
  • Thank you so much, Ilona! I'm Anna Panke from Cologne, Germany. I shot this with my Canon 5D IV and the 70-200mm 2.8L. When I saw this location I instantly had this image in my head - luckily our beautiful model Cody was so kind to givbe me exactly what I wanted.
  • www.annapanke.de
  • Mark Of Excellence
  • Judges Comment
  • While I'm not certain the horse is the center of attention here, and the viewer's gaze falls directly on this man's expression, it's a compelling photo. Nicely captured! ~ illona