Cowboy Cutter

[Cowboytf]

This is a good friend of ours training his horse to cut a cow. He was moving side to side so I thought I did good getting the picture without being too blurry. Would like to know what could have done to improve it:)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2358/2229152277_cfe10e6a79.jpg
EXIF DATA (http://flickr.com/photo_exif.gne?id=2229152277)

[clockdoc]

Good exposure and sharpness. I would think a vertical showing more of the horse would make the image more complete.

[Nicole]

I think that for future portraits I would try to make sure to get all of the horses head in the picture. For this one I think that you did a good job getting a clear picture :) I actually quite like how the picture turned out. Very nice and sharp too. If you have a chance to take a few more pictures, I'd like to see how they turn out if you manage to get both the horse and rider in the picture, but I think it's good that you've tried to get relatively close. It seems like a very classic cowboy shot.

Edit: I agree with clockdoc :)

[geotography]

Cowboytf,

Nice photo, clear focus, good depth of field choice and full color tones.

Compositionally, here is what I think: the horse is cutting to the rider's left and so I think it would have been good to have use an angle more to your left to put the rider and the horse more in the left side of the frame pointed towards an open space in the frame i.e. where they are going.

My second comment is that I think the horse's full head should have been included in the frame. You may think, well its the rider that is the main subject. I see the rider and the horse as a team and think they should both have their heads visible.

You took a nice picture and these are simply my comments.

Ride 'em!!

[Cowboytf]

@Clockdoc--Good idea, that didn't even occur to me. I'll remember that in that future.

@Nicole--I actually had the horses head in the original but there was also a lot of fence in the way so I cropped it out, but I'll definitely work on it.

@Geotography--"framing" is not a strong suit of mine and I need to work on taking my pictures with different angles. I think I'm afraid to try something new, you know?

I will try to take some better ones and hopefully come back with something better. Thank you for your time and thoughts:)

[Nicole]

Any chance of seeing the original for comparison? :)

[Cowboytf]

Any chance of seeing the original for comparison? :)


I just went through all my pictures that I took that day and have them all except the original. I must have saved it as the same file:(

[Dr. WooD]

Other than the horses head, I'd say you nailed this one.

Taking these kind of shots are pretty much you have to take what you can get. Its not like they were posing for you. It wood have been cool if there wasn't so much shadow on the riders face, but then again you have no control over stuff like this.

Makes me think of a Marlboro ad.
Be right back, I need a smoke now.

[Cowboytf]

Makes me think of a Marlboro ad.
Be right back, I need a smoke now.

LOL...and he kinda looks like it when he's have one! I did notice the shadow but would have probably been there no matter what I think.

Thank you for your thoughts:)

[ELAY]

I noted the shadow as well. I don't think many photogs would have been able to react quickly enough to do anything about it, but a bit of fill flash might have helped. Something to think about if you are shooting guys with hats in bright sun.

EL

[Nicole]

I kind of like the shadow. I think it's because you don't expect to see a brightly lit face under a hat. If you did it would be defeating the purpose of the hat. :p

[Sid]

I'm not sure why people get upset about hard shadows. Some amazing pictures have hard shadows and bright highlights, particularly when your shooting on a bright sunny day with the sun high in the sky. I think the sharpness and colours are great but I think if you took the shot in a portrait orientation, showed all the hose and rider filling the frame and from the looks of it the dust they were kicking up, the photo would have way more impact and feel more complete. Also try it with a heavy sepia added in (I see cowboys I think sepia haha)

[Nicole]

At some point I saw something (very specific, but stay with me here :p)... about modern cowboys or something like that. The prints were done using a silver gelatin printing method, and there was just something about the look. I'm not sure if I found the same ones I'd originally seen, but these are still really gorgeous to look at. Perhaps this page with the article called "In Search of the Last Cowboy (http://www.adamjahiel.com/in_search_of.html)" will provide you with some extra inspiration. There's also 12 Galleries of his photos starting here (http://www.adamjahiel.com/LastCowboy_gall1.html). Well worth checking out if you're interested in this particular genre of photography.

[Cowboytf]

I noted the shadow as well. I don't think many photogs would have been able to react quickly enough to do anything about it, but a bit of fill flash might have helped. Something to think about if you are shooting guys with hats in bright sun.

EL


Thank you Elay! I will be taking LOTS of pictures with guys in hats come this Spring:) There will be a lot of cattle branding going and such! I can't wait:)

[Cowboytf]

Thank you Nicole for the links and Sid for your input! I appreciate all!

[Diana1979]

It looks like a picture on the back of a movie case--very good. The only thing I would do differently is make it a vertical portrait to take away the emptiness on the sides and get more of the horse. Other than that, I think it looks great.