Horses Only (no people or other animals)

This is my 3rd place entry!

I did ask for originality and to be creative and this one definitely fits the bill, love the stark contrasts between the black and white or in the old darkroom days it was call soot and whitewash. There is no real detail just cameos outlines but that what works with this image you could hade just those three horses across the horizon without the outline of the horse in the foreground but again this what makes this image striking, detail is not needed just the outline you can see its a horse it also connects the the white sky and the black ground and the master stroke in the highlighted fence that is breaking up all the black very clever work it also shows where this scene was taken on a race track. The framing also adds to the overall appearance .

Congratulations this is my winner of my Horses only contest. I love this presentation idea of the black background it is perfect to show off the horse especially with the white or lighter shades of the head and mane with just enough highlights to separate the rest of the horses outline, fabulous detail this also makes the horse pop out from the background even more, but the main feature for me is the movement and flow of the long hair of the mane and how it is flowing towards the back of the image from right to left, its all beautifully done and for me a worthy winner!

My 5th Place Entry

Another horse type portrait, I just love the different tone of white with no burned out highlights and how the fringe of the mane has been combed over the eye and the fact that the horse is looking into the image from the left and even the ears are pointing that way so everything fits with no conflicts. Again that black background is a perfect choice and how this make the whites even more dominant , clever positioning of the head with just enough of a separation with the rear of the animal, overall it is a lovely well presented image!

My 6th place entry.

This has a lovely morning atmosphere I just love the misty look and feel about it in the middle distance this also help the separation from the darker foreground trees creating a sort of tree arch where all the action is centred .As for the horses themselves you cant get a much better composition as these three are with the white horse being in the centre of a horse sandwich with the darker ones either side all with their heads up and all pointing in the same direction, and then to add to all that you have water with the reflections of them this adds that something extra !

My 9th Place Entry

There were a number of this type of image with two horse rearing up as if fighting but for me this was my favourite image of this kind simply because of how the far horse is looking straight up at the other looking down this really emphasizes the drama and action also connects the two and after that you begin to study the rest of the image, love the natural looking setting looks like marshland , the narrow DOF throws the background totally out which is perfect to show off the action between the two horses , an impressive image taken at the exact right moment!

My 8th Place Entry Lovely atmosphere within this one the monochrome tones really does work with the subject and creates an almost dreamlike appearance, the composition works with that diagonal band of water almost splitting the image up into two halves but with the single horse on the left pointing inwards towards the other three this connects everything. Love the fading middle ground with the fog and trees with just enough detail to show what it is , there is a colour version of this one but I included this in my top ten simply because for me it works better in b/w!

My 10 Place Entry

I included this rather fun image simply because of the uniqueness one of a kind, the idea of just using this part of the horse, not only showing all the chin and nasal hair but those teeth as well, the muted and blurred background acts as a perfect backdrop the composition coming in from the left works very well as does the negative space on the right, the whites as well held but the one feature that made me look twice at this image was that curled lip which made me smile!!

My 7th place entry

Well I did say be different and original and this one certainly fits the bill, love the idea of just the eye and the shapes of the curves that surround it, lovely highlights and reflections this adds two elements separation and added interest it makes the viewer study this more. The eyelashes are pin sharp where need be so much so you could almost reach in and touch them, there is a slight downside to the image those two loose looking pieces of grass caught in the lashes but because the eye is so powerful you don't really find them a distraction

My 4th Place Entry.

I just love this how the light has been created with the dust giving the image that soft misty look and feel to it . The tight crop emphasizes the horses movements as well as adding the drama to it, nice idea the top half being black and toning down to white at the base but still retaining the hint of shadows within the light. The positioning of the legs are the most important feature especially the front ones they are for me perfectly captured I think any other combination would not of had the same impact with the motion and movement of the image.