Perfect Light – Julie Winkel and Good To Know

Earlier this year I was asked a very difficult question: What was your favorite photo of 2016?

Well, at the time, I happened to know that I’d captured about 20,000 images last year between professional assignments, personal photography projects and my iPhone, because I’d recently organized my photo library to begin fresh in 2017.

There were so many photographs that immediately came to mind, some of which were special because of the people in them, for the precise moment captured in time or for the artistic element (that may or may not have been planned!) but became a magical focal point of the composition.

And, as it turned out, the one image that kept returning to the forefront of my mind had all of those elements and more. It was also special because of the time and place it portrayed, which was especially meaningful to me because in 2016 I’d finally returned to riding and showing again after a long break.

After choosing the image, I spent some time re-editing it in Lightroom, and, after some experimentation, I chose sepia. I’ve always had an affinity for black-and-white photography, and the nostalgic and classic feeling of this moment pulled me in a monochromatic direction.

It was fun to receive the challenge from The Chronicle of the Horse magazine to choose just one photograph, and I’m looking forward to pressing the shutter thousands of more times in 2017!

To see the complete collection of amazing photographs in “The Year In Photos” article, please visit the January 16 & 23 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine.