Lazy Day Pony

[djcosby]

I only had my pop-up flash for this shot and had to lighten the pony's face quite a bit. Other than that, would you find this subject of interest?




Lazy Day Pony | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Canon 10D
f11
1/125 sec.
ISO 100
28mm

[SwissJon]

Ummm.. That's got to be the most UNflattering angle you could possibly have shot that horse at.. Because it's hind quarters are white, it's head is dark, and it's framed by other dark colours, it makes the pony look like it's got the most ENOURMOUS back side.

Poor thing.

I'm afraid there's quite a few things wrong with this photo to my eyes..

The horizon is not level.
The horse looks like it's got a tree growing from its ear.
The horse is under exposed because you metered for the sky.
The horses backside is the apparent subject of this photo.
The horses tail seems to be slightly out of focus.
See above for other comments on the horses backside.
The background is cluttered.
You appear to have some vignetting which detracts from the photo.

You really need to think about your shots before taking them. A small change in the place you were standing would have improved this shot immensly.. Next time, try moving so the horses head is more promenant, ensure the apparent horizon looks level, and make sure the background does not detract from the foreground, and ensure you meter for the subject, not the environment.. You shouldn't have needed a flash, not that it was particularly effective.

Sorry to be harsh.

[djcosby]

Thanks Jon - I understand it all. I had such a hard time getting a shot of this little guy. I kept trying to push his rump around so I could get a good profile of him with a good background...all he wanted to do was eat...I kept this shot because that look said to me "would ya leave me alone already?!?" I guess I got stuck on his expression because I'd annoyed him so much. The horizon is tricky because it's actually a hill...guess I will try again when he isn't so hungry...lol

[TheEagleSpirit]

That horse trying to tell you something? lol

[EOBeav]

One other thing I might add is that when you come up on scenes like this, assess whether or not you can get good light angle. It looks to me like the light was coming at you from the right, creating some shadows on the pony's face. Lighting is everything in photography. Try to move yourself where the sun is coming from behind you, and the scene in front of you will generally be optimally lit. Try not to use your pop up flash for anything other than your kids' birthday party when you need to get the shot so you can share it on Facebook.

One positive thing about this shot is that you tried to get it with the sun low on the horizon. That creates nice shadows without them being overpowering. Keep shooting!

[T.R.R]

Okay everyone has pointed out was wrong with it, butt...., if you would have gotten him exposed correctly, you could have put some caption with it, and used it as a funny post card. I like the image, and believe that it has potential.

[djcosby]

Thank you TRR....I guess it WOULD have helped if I'd named the photo "annoyed pony" oir wrapped the story around it...still not a technically acceptible shot, but I think I'll try again anyway...

[Krusty79]

I thought your shot looked a little underexposed so I checked the histogram (which you should learn to do) and it does show some clipping at both ends of the spectrum and a lot of your pixels are near the underexposed side. So, it looks like there was too much dynamic range for your camera to capture. A graduated neutral density filter helps in these cases to reduce the brightness of the sky relative to the ground.

I think it was LeeR who said that your eye naturally goes to the lightest part of an image. In this case, guess where that is? So, you may want to keep that in mind in the future.

[djcosby]

Thanks Krusty - I'll keep that in mind....again, I didn't mind that his rump looks so big...dunno if ponies care about their backside looking larger than life...lol...I also think if I'd have my big flash on it would have helped tremendously...

Everyone - I appreciate your feedback - good and bad. Thanks!

[ranchermom]

haha sorry i couldnt resist!
de ja vu! you expect stubbornness from a donkey though.
I agree, if properly exposed, it could be a cute shot.

jon - most people like a big butt on a horse!!