Emerald Downs

[chrishunt]

I went down to the race tracks a few weekends ago and had a lot of fun. My brother and I made nothing but bad bets, but watching the horses was worth it.

[Croasdail]

Hey Chris... what's the deal with the brown grass. I lived in Seattle for 5 years... and brown grass was never a concern. What the deal?

The image is nice and sharp. I wish I had shot the horses when I lived up there..... never got around to it. From the sheer technical standpoint the image really works. What feels uncomfortable for me is the stride the front horse is in, all stick legged. 1/4 of a second later and I think he/she would have been in a better stance.. in my opinion. But the colors are wonderfull.. the image is clean, good subject isolation... peachie.

But still.... Brown Grass... Blazing sunshine... common'... what's up with that?

[chrishunt]

Good point about the legs, they look pretty funny. I never noticed that

Originally Posted by Croasdail

But still.... Brown Grass... Blazing sunshine... common'... what's up with that?

Maybe it's all the sunshine we've been getting lately, and no rain. The heat is pretty bad right now. They probably don't water the grass, but they water the dirt after every race

[Mikelangelo]

I'm impressed with the detail, sharpness you achieved in the bright sunlight. I usually get shadows uber dark as a result. You got a little bit of that, but with almost no blown out hotspots. Really a good shot!

[superdiver]

Very nice shot!

[Sledhed]

Nice shot Chirs, and I agree about the leg. I didn't notice it at first either.

[winkie]

does look odd, but still need to document all parts of the stride, galloping is a 4 beat gait excellent capture

[chrishunt]

Thanks everyone. Here is a split second later, the pose is a little better. Thanks for pointing that out. I've processed this image a little differently. Do you prefer this image?

[Photodawg1]

Chris,
I liked the first and agree with winkie that it's good to see all parts of stride, but Dammmmn that last one is Sweeeet! The colors are glorious. Great processing. Did you use a polarizer when you took these?

[chrishunt]

Thanks, I'm trying some new stuff in post to bring out some lost detail in the shadows and highlights. I used a hood, but no polarizer.

[wiselion]

Beautiful............

[grego]

Was that just with the 1D and 70-200? Any TC? Or another lens?

[chrishunt]

Originally Posted by grego

Was that just with the 1D and 70-200? Any TC? Or another lens?

That's correct, the 1D and 70-200 @ 200mm f/2.8.

[Croasdail]

Chris.... the second shot, to me, feels a lot more natural, nicely done. It is funny how the smallest thing will take a good image to a really good image. I am struggling with the same thing with my motorcycle shots where there may be just the most subtle difference between two shots, and trying to figure out which is the better of the two. Sometimes it is really easy, sometimes I can agonize forever over it. In this case, your second shot was the right one for sure. Cheers.

[T.D.]

Way to go, Chris!

Both shots are great, but as stated, the 2nd is just timed a little better. Can you share the rest of the EXIF (specifically the shutter speed). You did such an excellent job of stopping everything. I'm so impressed!

Keep up the great work.