Let There Be Light!

Kitty in fluorescent light, and after the fact change.

Quite some time ago my son tried to convince me to 'shoot in raw mode' on my camera. But it confused me, so I didn't. I went back to safe with the usual jpg images. Why change what was easy?

But more recently I've begun to think that perhaps I ought to branch out a little...maybe learn something about this thing they call RAW. After all, all the real photographers use it. So I went in search on the information highway known as google to learn why I needed to give this a chance.

The biggest asset that I could see was that dealing with light would be much easier. I find it challenging to photograph anything in the Cowboy's arena...it's dark in there! So I decided to give this RAW thing a whirl yesterday. And so far? Well, I'm having fun. I don't know that I've really figured anything out (being of such a simple mind that I am...these technological things often elude me), but I did play a bit with changing the white balance after the fact, which cannot be done when shooting jpg.

Playing with the white balance and the exposure lightened this shot of Darling and Kitty up dramatically, and doesn't leave it all grainy like I've experienced with jpg. There are probably a lot of things I can do to make it better, but hey, one thing at a time!

I kind of had fun changing the white balance from 'auto' to 'daylight' to 'cloudy'...or 'tungsten' or 'fluorescent'. See? I told you I had a simple mind! Goofy little things like that really had me busy here at the computer last night. I think I'm way too easily amused... But maybe I'll actually start to get decent arena shots? Guess time will tell!

Birth...Without The Mess

One of my gifts for Christmas this year was a new printer. Can I get a Yeehaw? This is the Epsom Stylus Photo 1400, which will print an image up to 13x19. Excellent! Fewer trips to the printer when I sell images. For this, I am happy.

I waited patiently (not) for the men in my life to get the creature set up so I could take it for a test drive.

But wait...did anyone buy me photo paper? Maybe there was some in the box...

Where is the paper? Did it get thrown out with the left over gift wrap? Did anyone see any paper?

No?

Sniff....

Today City Boy came home with paper. Not only did he have a package of 8x10, but he'd found some 13x19 on sale and picked up a couple of those as well.

Hello? Did I hear a Yeehaw?

So tonight I sat down, looked through matt sizes and found a stock size of 12x16. I pulled up a photo and formatted it to fit, and with baited breath I hit the print button....

And there it was...my baby. My first born. Isn't it beautiful?

Working in Black and White

I'll bet you thought I'd be talking about Lefty. But...mmmmm...no. Trying to get some good sepia works going with photos taken on trips to the wild horse corrals this year. Not sure what to think of my efforts. Your thoughts? Do these do anything for you?

Sometimes?

Ya just gotta play!

Me? Well, obviously, I've been playing in Photoshop!

I've also been playing up at the riding club. Better check out Duns in his new video! This was Sunday...his second trip down into the arena and working in the round pen. You like? Come adopt! He'll be at the Northwest WA Fair with me beginning Aug 16!

Photo Session Day

The weather has been lovely. Sunny, for the most part, and when there's a cloud cover, it's been minus the hard driving rains. Such a sweet relief.

City Boy and I led the boys down to the pasture where they were allowed several hours of grazing yesterday, while the Beautiful Wadatika had our small pasture here all to herself. With soft afternoon light and rich green grass as a backdrop, how could my camera stay away?

Okay...so not everything was rich and green. Because before the Diva could head out for some comfort food, I asked her to play dead.



And then I asked her to sit.

Which of course she did without argument.

Then it was out for some quality grazing time.

I'd only just detangled and sprayed with a commercial detangler when she tossed her long red locks to the other side of her neck...and instant tangles again! Of course, for a few brief moments she wore some Shirley Temple curls.

It was at this point when she gave me 'the look', wondering if I didn't have enough photos of her on my hard drive already? The things a Diva must put up with...

And escaping the paparazzi is so difficult when you're inside a fenceline...

At which point this American beauty began to channel Greta Garbo...

"I want to be left alone!"

And so I did...for at least a little while.

This Week: Portraits

Our assignment in class this week is portraits...but not necessarily the formal type. People in their natural habitat works, too. I struggled again with my settings, overexposing my fair share...but I think Darling looks rather good as a ghost, wouldn't you say?

I had snapped a dozen or so shots before Darling announced she was a bit chilly and would like a coat. That's when I finally looked at the photos taken and said with dismay..."Um, no, you can't. I need to take more so you actually show up."

Thankfully Darling is a good sport. Or maybe it's simply that she likes to play the role of super model? But she hung out for a few more snaps of the shutter before scurrying off to grab a jacket.

It would have been good if she's been able to hold out for just a few more!

Once in her jacket, Darling was ready for more adventures. Gotta love a kid who's not afraid to strut through town with her boots & spurs on!

I'm Getting a Cold...

Better now than, say, three weeks from now! Have you looked at your calendars lately? Christmas is just 21 days away! Scary. Really, really scary.

Now that my horse trailer is back in action, thanks to a new axle, Darling and I have begun hauling the boys back up to the riding club. Darling has stated she'll just be working Steve Holt! from the ground the first few days. Smart kid. It's been over a month since the horse show where we found ourselves begging for a ride home, and despite Steve Holt! being such a good minded chap, he is, after all, a three year old.

Yesterday whilst Darling was in school I decided to help the process along a bit by bringing Steve Holt! up to the arena for a short workout (from the ground, naturally.) The more short sessions he's got under his belt, the better he'll be when she climbs on his back. He's not accustomed to going anywhere without Sandy, so did a bit of whinnying, but mostly he played, running around the arena, kicking up his heels, and of course, gazing at himself in the mirror (that is, you know, his favorite activity!)

Once he'd finished stretching his legs a bit, I took him for a walk up around the stables. We saw plenty of pretty ponies, sticking their heads over the rails and calling to us. Steve Holt! took only a mild interest, then went back to searching for green blades of frost encased grass. It's nice to know you can take a fresh three year old out for a walk into unchartered territory and have them not get all goo goo eyed and buggy about strange horses calling to them.

I'm making that pinto an honorary mustang. He's got some super good preservation skills. He snorted and blew and hid inside the dark cave his owner has provided him. Everyone else ran out to visit, but he warned them. He warned them good! He's adorable, don't you think?

With the recent gather of South Steens down in Oregon, there's bound to be a ton of colorful ponies available for adoption right now. In fact, there is such a variety, we got word yesterday that the Burns District will be holding "Color Fest" in February! Duns, roans, and spotted butts will be available at a special event. If anyone is considering adopting, but you've been more inclined to find something with color, now is the time!

Don't forget to read the post below. It tells which two photos were selected, and the winner of an 8x10!

Choose Two...

Yeah, right.

Two?

You're talking to someone who agonizes over the simplicity of toast or the yummy taste of strawberry waffles in the morning. To most people, it's a no brainer, you'd choose...

Well, I don't know which you'd choose. Which would you choose? Is there a right? A wrong? Am I in a hurry, or have I got time to savor the flavor? I'm so confused!

But that's what they said. Choose two. And I need help. Help me! Help me please! Just tell me what you like, and what you don't like. I think I know which two I like, but I need to know if I'm right or wrong. You must help. Here are your choices:

"Circles"



"Abstract"



"Light"



"Legs"



"Curves"



"Pattern"

Well, there ya go. Your homework assignment for the day. Choose two. I'm sure you'll do better than me at making up your mind.

The End

The photo a day challenge is over as of today. It's been a good experience. I don't know that I'm really any more familiar or better with my camera than I was to begin with, but it certainly has challenged me to get out each and every day and take plenty of photos.

I found myself stretched to get an image that I liked which lent itself to the word of the day. For instance, abstract, above. I'd gotten a shot the previous day of a mowed corn field and liked the lines it created. I fiddled with it a bit on photo shop and thought I'd go back and get a similar shot on abstract day. But it didn't turn out nearly as well as the original, and then I got the spur reflected in the milk pail late at night when nothing else seemed to be working.

My original thought for circles had been to use the lariat, and I tried that in many different ways during the day. Then I went to Beanie's to feed, and there sat this old bridle with a wire wound several times to create an O ring. I hung it on a white trailer door and took a handful of shots. I like the way it turned out.

I learned what the word Bokeh meant! Do you know what it is? It's the light in the back of the photo. Don't confuse it with depth of field, because it's not the same. There should be circular light in the back on a bokeh shot. I played and played in an attempt to get what I needed. This was definitely a challenge!

Contrast, monochrome, expressions, and light were all words of the day this past month. If you enjoy photography, I'd highly suggest making a list of words, writing them on your calendar, and then trying to shoot that word on the day it's listed. You may be surprised with what you come up with.

Today, the last day of the challenge, the word was 'End'. I thought of the hind end of a horse, but was gone most of the day running errands and picking up hay, so I didn't get out to my barn for that shot. Besides...wouldn't that be too obvious? But as daylight ran out, that's what I intended to do. I snapped a pic of the hind end of a young Clydesdale on my way home from getting hay. Then, when I went to bring Beanie's horses in for her tonight, the clouds parted and I had a lovely moon above the valley, casting a glow to the fields below...a lovely ending to the day, wouldn't you agree?

Wild Horse Antagonist

"Hey, Darling! Get over here and antagonize this horse for me, will ya?"

"Huh?"

Not the sort of thing you generally hear as a request around here, but what can I say? The word for the day in the photo challenge was expression...and boy, let me tell you, there are some good ones out in that paddock!

My mind immediately determined that Wadatika was the way to go with this assignment. With those eyes of her's, there's no way you can avoid expression, be it anger, vulnerability, or curiosity. That girl was made to express herself!

What I was thinking, and what I wanted, was one of those ear pinning, teeth flashing attitude shots. Not hard to get...unless, it seems, you want one. Then she stands there with her ears up, looking longingly into the camera like some forlorn movie star. Nothing I did could get her to give that wonderful 'mare-itude' look I wanted this afternoon. So what choice did I have but to call in Darling and ask for her help?

"What am I supposed to do?"

I sent Darling into the paddocks with a handful of hay. Surely that would create some disturbance. Tika is a one person pony at the moment, and even that one person (me) isn't really someone she likes to have get too close. Surely I'd get that grumpy "Get out of my space!" look, right?

Hmmm...not exactly what I'd imagined. But wait...what's this? Sky Bar is jealous! Wowza... Now there's some attitude for the big screen!

I came inside, certain that I'd gotten my shot. I uploaded my photos and began to click through them. It may not have been the horse I'd planned on, but that was a ton of expression there on that boy. I was happy...and then I saw this:

Look at those nostrils! One is a full inch higher than the other! I'd been squatting down waiting for Tika to do one of her head shaking, neck snaking moves, and all she'd done was lift one side of her nose and sneered at me. Any horse can pin it's ears...but never have I met one who can sneer!

Darling Says Goodbye

I lay there in bed, listening to the rain spilling out of the gutters once again, despite City Boy having cleaned them earlier in the day. The rain is relentless. But it wasn't the only reason for no sleep. I was still trying to decide which photo to use for the EPN photo of the day. Our word? Action.

Now, normally this is a word I have absolutely no problem with, but yesterday seemed to be nothing but trouble. The pasture is wet and soupy. The only horse who wants to get remotely active out there is Apple Pony, but this was his last day with us. His owner (former and still current, I might add) was coming at 10:30 to pick him up. No sense sending him into the mud pit where, with my luck, he'd undoubtedly slip and hurt himself just prior to loading.

Instead of action, I asked Darling if she'd like to come out and have her picture take with him one more time before he left. A few dozen photos later, the sweet palomino was loaded into his trailer and heading back home. (For those who are curious, his potential buyer was unable to take him in the end, so he is still for sale.)

Still on the hunt for my action shot, I drove through the rain to Curt's where I found one of his two year olds in the arena. No problem motivating the boy into submitting an action shot or two, as he sprinted in quarter horse fashion from one end of the arena to the next. But with low light, everything turned out either grainy or super blurry. Had these photos been taken on 'Blur' or 'Abstract' days, they'd have been perfect! But it wasn't what I was looking for.

I had a couple of shots on my monitor, and turned to Darling for her opinion. "The mane", was her matter of fact answer, not bothering to take her eyes from her own computer screen. "I already looked."

If it had been 'Mane' day, I'd agree. And yes, there was movement there that could be considered action. But still...I'd have to think on it.

And now here it is, just after six a.m., and I'm up, with two cups of hot chocolate downed. And have I come to a decision? No...no, I have not. But one thing that I've always said has sprung forth into my mind.

Love is a verb.

Nothing has taught me that like working with these mustangs. Because the more effort you put into them, the more you can't help but love them. And that love doesn't need to be a big flurry of movement to produce the result you're looking to achieve, which is the horse reaching for you, and communicating with you, and trusting in you.

A verb is an action word...so is love an action?

An easier assignment for me today was Sunday Stills, whose word was..."Horse"!