I went to the FIAP photomeet in Inner Mongolia in early September, a great experience but there were about 200 photographers photographing the same thing, difficult to get a good position to shoot and avoid "clutter" in the images. So here is my attempt at making something different. I think it was Ansel Adams who said "Photographs are not taken, they are made" (or something to that effect!) Most of the photography revolved around horses.
So I tried panning, this was taken at 1/30 sec, f/18 as it was bright daylight. The color image works fairly well (I think), a bit of an Ernst Haas like effect. But then I thought I would experiment to make something different, so duplicated the layer, converted to B&W and then changed the blend mode to "color burn". This created a dramatic effect, but brought some of the colour back. So I flattened the layers and converted again to B&W, ended up something which looks a bit over the top, but I like it, what do the others think?
9 comments posted
Stephen Levitas
Yes, I like this result, keeping only the highlights. It is clearly a shot of horses in motion. But you did not have any good light on their legs, so there was no way I suppose to include their motion-blurred legs. Posted: 10/07/2025 21:38:57
Somdutt Prasad
Stephen,
People at my club also suggested that I bring out some detail in the body and the legs, but I am afraid, my Photoshop skills are too limited for me to be able to manage that!
Regards
Som Posted: 10/12/2025 04:45:08
Wes Odell
I've never seen a photograph like this and I like it very much. Horses' manes indicate the horses are moving (or the wind is blowing.) Posted: 10/09/2025 02:42:50
Somdutt Prasad
Thanks Wes
Posted: 10/12/2025 04:45:37
Ed Ogle
Wow! Very creative. You have inspired me, Posted: 10/12/2025 04:30:11
Somdutt Prasad
Thank You Posted: 10/12/2025 04:43:08
Stephen Levitas
I made a shot at showing the motion in the legs, and tried to keep your concept, but I think what you did was a better choice. Posted: 10/14/2025 04:03:25
Tom McCreary
Using panning was a good choice and you did a really good job of executing it. You also have three horses which is good composition and you have good placement in the frame. Your creativity in your black and white conversion is a good idea. I went through your steps, but in the "color burn" I reduced the opacity to about 80 percent that allows more of the legs to show. Looking at it, if I had used less opacity, more of the legs would show. That is something that you could play with to get what you want and does not take much Photoshop skills at all. Posted: 10/15/2025 20:57:26
Diana Magor
I think this is wonderful! It has been reduced to the pure element of speed. Those horses are moving and the wind is blowing their manes. They give a feeling of enjoyment.
I can't decide whether I like the odd streaks in the bottom area or not. I don't think showing more of the legs and the surrounds works at all. Posted: 10/22/2025 15:43:02
