White Stallion's band in the sage and snow under the Rocky Mountains.
White Stallion's band in the sage and snow under the Rocky Mountains.
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Contest Finalist in Wildscapes Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
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Schindoe
June 15, 2023
This is the perfect mix of gorgeous animals and equally, and almost magical background with the colors and textures. This is art and so beautiful. Thank you taking and making this image truly a special piece.
johnmunns
July 23, 2023
Great shot and horses similar to the wild "Brumbies" on Victorian snow fields around Mt Hotham about 150kms from here in Lakes Entrance Australia. Inspiring subjects but hard to track down. Great images.
kristencampbell_9312
September 30, 2023
I love this!! The colors, the way the horses are grouped and positioned, and the background just lends to the overall beauty.
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph of a band of wild horses was taken on Wild Horse Mesa.Time
I left home in the dark on a cold winter morning in order to arrive at Wild Horse Mesa by sunrise. It was a totally grey, overcast morning and I thought there would not be any good light for photographing. Just as I located this band of wild horses, the clouds began to break and this beautiful, soft light and colors appeared. This created a wonderful backdrop, with the snow-covered mountains in the distance.Lighting
I waited for the predawn light and clouds to break. The soft blue sky appeared on a background of wonderful magenta, grey, and white billowing clouds. As the clouds and light began breaking, the 14,000 foot snow covered mountains magically came into view in the background.Equipment
I took this photograph with a Canon 5D Mark lll with a Canon 100-400MM zoom lens.Inspiration
I have been creating a photographic series about wild horses in the US Southwest and was inspired to wake up early to try and photograph the wild horses at sunrise. On this winter morning I had to drive for 2 1/2 hours in order to arrive at Wild Horse Mesa at first light. I had hoped to find a few horses to photograph, but was fortunate to find a whole band of wild horses right as the light was opening up.Editing
I shoot all my images in Raw and open my images in Camera Raw, adjusting the color balance, light, contrast, and vibrance and then open the image in Photoshop to make minor adjustments.In my camera bag
When I shot this image, my camera bag included a Canon 5D Mark ll, Canon 100-400MM ll lens, 24-105mm lens, and Canon speed light. My camera bag also currently contains a Canon R5, RF 100-500mm lens, RF 24-105mm lens, RF 16mm lens, and a number of filters.Feedback
My advice to photographers looking to photograph wild horses is to be patient, walk slowly and quietly, and be prepared to possibly walk for hours to locate wild horses. Approach wild animals slowly and always respect the animals and their environment. I recommend traveling to wild horse territories a number of times in order to locate water holes and look for other areas where the horses might hangout. Many times I have traveled to wild horse territories and have not seen any horses. They know how to hide. I also recommend having a long lens. A tripod can also help to keep your camera steady.