Distorted
One of the first lessons a fledgling equine photographer learns is to avoid using lenses that distort the horse’s image. You never want the horse’s beauty to be compromised through unflattering angles or a lens that emphasizes the wrong aspects of his conformation. You learn to stand in certain places, shoot at certain heights and only deviate from the norm to camouflage conformational faults or emphasize what’s truly exceptional.
I followed that mantra religiously for decades, rarely, if ever, straying from the written (and unwritten) rules that mandate all aspects of equine photography, including photographing over fences classes with at least a 150mm focal length (preferably 300 to 400mm). Over the past few years, though, I’ve experimented with wide-angle lenses and horses, and it’s been really fun! This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is the word “Distorted.” Even though Showffeur’s nose isn’t really his best feature, it certainly makes for an entertaining, although not quite proper, equine image.
Tricia Booker Photography 
nice perspective
http://amarnaik.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/weekly-photo-challenge-distorted/
Thank you, Amar!
I can almost hear him and see him move!
Yes, he was almost touching the lens!
Nice one….
http://withoutthew.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/weekly-photo-challenge-distorted/
Thank you! I enjoyed your sculpture, too!
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greetings by
http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/weekly-photo-challenge-distorted/
Love your shot! Cool perspective.
This is fun! And rules are just rules..they can be bent, twisted, or neglected altogether at times…you never know what may be the outcome!!!
Thank you, David! I do enjoy playing with the wide-angle lens!
He’s so cute with his nice clean nose and neatly trimmed whiskers. Great shot 🙂
Thank you! Yes, he was at a show so had just been freshly trimmed. He’s quite a ham and loves the camera, too!
This is lovely. It reminds me of a recent Horse ‘friend’ I made down the road and when I put my hand out and she smells me or my face, I feel her hot breathe, so this is a very special photo for me especially because I am just overcoming my fear of horses. I used the Horse I go and visit for the WPC:Regret, have a look as it tells my brief story of what happened in the past that created my fear plus an OK-ish photo’s of my Horse friend,here’s the link:
http://mybyeworld.com/2012/02/16/weekly-photo-challenge-regret/
I hope to go riding again one day, they are beautiful creatures. Imogen 🙂
I just read your weekly photo challenge about Regret and totally understand. Horses are imposing beings, and sometimes you do feel small and fragile around them. Once you do get to know them, though, most are friendly toward people. Horses are creatures of flight, though, and their first reaction when scared is often to flee. It sounds like you experienced that on your first ride, which is unfortunate. I hope you do one day ride again and have a better experience. In the meantime, feeding your new friend apples and carrots is a great way to establish a lasting friendship.
Hi, thanks for having a look. She’s really beautiful (the photo doesn’t do her justice) and I love it when I am walking to see her and she spots me and just stares and then her and her little one come and meet me at the fence 🙂 I have fed her Apples, nervously at first, and we are getting closer and it’s really lovely. Carrots I will give her too (I was clueless about what to feed a Horse!). When the little one get’s older I’m sure the other Horses will come out to that field where they are so this is a good and gentle introduction for me and one day I will definitely ride again 😉 Thank you, Immie
Very nice picture!
This poor horse’s got a really long nose… Everybody knows what it means? 🙂
Thank you! Yes, the nose knows!
Showffeur’s photo is just ace…I love his expression…:-)
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