Turns & Stops - Cutting horses

I shot two different cutting clubs this weekend. (I'm only about 1/3 through the processing) .. but I thought I'd share a couple of hard turns & stops. .. On Saturday, when these were shot, the haze of smoke (from the CA fires) was still pretty heavy. I was wondering about how it would affect the color. As it turns out, it seemed to 'enhance' anything orange. .. I'm still not sure I've gotten the colors corrected. .. I had to add blue to quite a few of them.

.. anyway.. it was a good weekend shooting hard working horses.
I hope you enjoy them. (these are just a couple of stops and turns)

Nice shots, love the third!

Thanks manutd

Very cool. I really like the color saturation/tone, myself. Nice job!

Well done those are some great photos

Thanks Mik-O & Tiger. I'm working on Sunday's pix now. .. less smoke = almost no color corrections. (*thank goodness*) It makes the job go faster.

If anyone would like to know the theory behind cutting, here is a short explaination: http://www.clementscut​ting.com/cutting.htm
This gives you an idea how much the horses enjoy it : http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=WQU8YVHc3iw

Playm wrote in post #5844163
Thanks Mik-O & Tiger. I'm working on Sunday's pix now. .. less smoke = almost no color corrections. (*thank goodness*) It makes the job go faster.

If anyone would like to know the theory behind cutting, here is a short explaination: http://www.clementscut​ting.com/cutting.htm
This gives you an idea how much the horses enjoy it : http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=WQU8YVHc3iw

Wow at that video! Amazing

wow great captures!

Great shots! These ones almost have a surreal quality to them that I really like. Nice stuff as always!

Nice shots! I LOVE that their faces are so serene, so calm while the horses are making the most amazing gyrations beneath them.

Great shots. As I have told you before, I wish I knew more about cutting. Very exciteing. I shot a rodeo last year while smoke from a coastal fire was blowing in. It made for some different effects. Your timeing is fantastic, as these kinds of shots can only be acheaved by knowing whats going to happen before it happens. To shoot like this do you read your cattle or try to read the whole situation?

Thanks y'all. I really appreciate your encouranging words. (this is my first season transitioning from portraits to events. You on P.O.T.N. have helped more than you know.)
Vette - You'll notice that every rider is watching the cow. .. I think a lot of that look is 'concentration'.. coupled with a lot of training to stay relaxed. Yes, sometimes it looks like they're just out for an afternoon ride on a hurricane, doesn't it.. LOL
Thanks Dale. .. I've got my share of misses too.. but overall, there's that nano-second when the cow turns that you know the horse will follow. Once a horse starts working, you get an idea how the work is going to go. Some horses are less ambitious than others.. those are harder to get a good shot of. .. The horse owners, of course, want to see the most dramatic actions of their horse holding a cow. -

On Sat., I first noticed the almost (wonderful) overcast/even lighting.. but after *chimping*, realized how orange that smoke made everything look. Thank goodness for Lightroom WB corrections! Sunday wasn't as bad.. I hear they're down to 1100 fires as opposed to the 1400 fires from last week. Like they say, CA has two seasons: Winter & Fire. ugh.

(sorry) it's not my intention to keep this string going.. BUT I just came across this horse.. belly so close to the ground.. LOL.. (I'm almost finished processing the shows.. but thought this horse's turn was cool .. he was looking UP at the (cropped) cow!).

Playm wrote in post #5849097
(sorry) it's not my intention to keep this string going.. BUT I just came across this horse.. belly so close to the ground.. LOL.. (I'm almost finished processing the shows.. but thought this horse's turn was cool .. he was looking UP at the (cropped) cow!).

Nothing wrong with this string keeping going, if they're all that good

Look at the expressions on their faces, "steady" is the right word. Nice photos