Untitled Document

And a big thank you to our Judge, Pat Dorgan

Grand Champion

Image by Jennifer Jones

Animal photography requires basic knowledge of composition,
light and camera function. Oh, and split second timing.
Those elements are all here. The background is clear of
distractions; the subject is crisp and in focus; the
exposure looks quite good as evidenced by the greens and
yellows not appearing to be washed out. And the
photographers timing was excellent. So technically this is
well done. Artistically, the colors of the background not
only compliment the foals coat they also support the "It’s
springtime, everything’s new, I’m new, ain’t life
grand" attitude of the image. Congratulations. You put it all together

Motherhood


1st Place		2nd Place
"Baby Love" by Kristin Reiter		American Paint mare & foal Kristin Coy
The mood captured here speaks volumes about motherhood. It’s one of tenderness, trust and a safe haven for baby. Elements that contribute to this are the relaxed, half-asleep demeanor of the foal, the gentle nuzzling of the mare and the overcast day (well, it’s Washington State!). A bright, sunny day is certainly acceptable but harsh light might have contradicted vs. complimented the overall attitude of the image. Seeing, capturing and/or creating mood is an on-going challenge for animal and portrait photographers. The use of an overcast situation was a good selection for this image.		This was a tough call between first and second. Technically this image is sharply focused and the lens selected worked well as the mare’s head (as well as the foals head) is not distorted in comparison to her body. Paints are so flashy and the flowing mane that is backlit just adds to that sense of pizzazz. Still, when one likes different images for different reasons, one is forced to nit-pick to break a tie. And the nit-pick here is that the feet were cropped out of the image. Suddenly a very pleasing image is incomplete because the movement of the hooves would have provided added impact to this mare’s caution to protect her foal. Having said that, this is still an eye-catching image.

Foals and Friends


1st Place	2nd Place	Hon. Mention
"Two Buddies Snoozing" by Judy Wiesbrock Fabrizius	2 Arabian Colts Kelly Olson	"Smarty Pants" and Yellow lab by Betsy Watz
There are so many ways to appreciate photography and one does not have to be a professional to recognize and capture a pleasing image. It’s not always about perfect lighting with carefully selected backdrops. Sometimes it’s just about "that moment"; having the good fortune to witness it ~ and the presence of mind to grab a camera! The photographer here zoomed in on what was important and by doing so automatically "cleaned up" the final image by eliminating visual distractions. What this photographer ended up preserving was the mantra friends have spoken to each other over and over again, "I’ll be there for you; I’m right here."	This image is beautifully lit. The best time to photograph horses is early morning and late afternoon to dusk. At these times the sun is lower and the quality of light tends to be richer with warmer tones. That "richness" is captured here. The one colt displaying a graceful turn of his head is a striking composition in itself. Not only is this visually pleasing but it positions the subject perfectly to capture light in his eyes (not red-eye but natural light). Many believe this to be a small thing, but understand that light in the eyes of an animal will make the difference between your subjects looking real or like a stuffed animal. This image would have had even greater impact had the mare not been in the background. But that’s what mom’s do – they stick close! Very nice use of light.	Whenever someone looks at your images and responds with "AWWW look!" you know you’ve captured something special. You know what I mean - girls and puppies, women and babies. You hear it all the time and in photography this is a good thing. You want your viewer to react in a positive way to something in your photograph (lighting, animation, use of color etc.) In this image it was the expression of friendship on the labs face and the innocent/fearless way the colt is approaching him. If the lab had been looking away the final capture would have had a completely different feel. But you were paying attention and didn’t hesitate to click that shutter button! Good job.

Freedom


1st Place	2nd Place
Norwegian Fjord Colt "GVF Rolf"	Shetland pony "Carry"
Great job panning the camera! The subject is sharp in the head/neck/shoulder area and even to his knees. The background is blurred just enough so one can still make out the shape of the gate and identify dandelions. However, the intentional use of panning has enhanced the sense of motion which is evident with the colts forward leaping movement. The image would have had even greater impact if it was captured horizontally as that is the direction the colt is moving (left to right). If you plan to keep it long term (I would if it was mine) please consider having it reprinted by a quality lab on professional paper. That process will retain and enhance the qualities of an already good image.	Super head shot. The use of a wide aperture to compress the background is an ideal technique for portraiture. The image also reveals a high degree of detail in the filly’s head such as the eyelashes and the hairs on her forehead and muzzle. This is great. Unlike photographing people, with animals, you want to see every hair and wrinkle. Detail is important. And the detail should be about the animal, not the background and this issue was handled quite well in this image.