Equestrian Lifestyle

2009 Spirit of the Horse Photo Contest Honorable Mentions

July 23, 2009

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Vote in the 2009 People's Choice Contest

Vote for your favorite honorable mention in our People’s Choice Contest. You can vote once per day from now through August 31. The winning honorable mention photographer will win a Troxel Spirit riding helmet! Voting is now closed.

There were many wonderful photos that depicted the spirit of the horse. The following images were selected as honorable mentions by professional equine photographer and photo contest judge Christina Handley. To view the top three winners and download the images as a screensaver and desktop wallpapers, click here. Read on for Christina’s photography tips.

Congratulations to our People’s Choice winner, Jeanne Lambrecht!

People's Choice Contest Winner- Jeanne Lambrecht

Once Upon A Shine
Jeanne Lambrecht of Kenney, Ill.
Quietly noble, Once Upon a Shine, reflecting on the sunset and the peace of the pasture.

Christina’s Comments: “You shot this in lovely light, and the horse is well-groomed and looks beautiful. The photo is well-composed with the horse looking in to the frame, this is a good use of the rule of thirds (see Christina’s tips).”

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	Dancing Boots Jacklynn Thompson of Kooskia, Ind. Boots is a delicate horse that when excited she will start a trot that looks almost like a tip-toe dance. It is so neat. Christina’s Comments: “The horse is posed nicely here with a clean background and beautiful flowers in the foreground. The picture is sharp and focused. Try shooting later in the day when the sun is lower in the sky–his golden coat will glow.”
	Townshend Tradewind Lantz Cook of Taftsville, Vt. Morgan gelding enjoying his six acre pasture in lovely Vermont Christina’s Comments: “You captured a wonderful expression on this horse set against a complementary soft and out-of-focus background. I might like to see that cropped vertically to draw even more attention to him.”
	Caliente (Little Brown) Diane Keller of Kendall Park, N.J. “Watch Me Play” name of photo. This horse loves playing with his Jolly Ball. I waited for the perfect shot, and got it. Christina’s Comments: “This is such a fun photo. You certainly captured his spirit here. I love the playfulness and the eye contact you got.”
	Cally Kristie Edwards of Greenville, Ala. I just found my dream horse Christina’s Comments: “This is a super candid portrait shot. The horse has a wonderful, alert expression. His crazy, bouncy mane adds impact to the photo. This iamge could be cropped vertically to add even more impact. Lovely use of a wide aperture to create a shallow depth of field.”
	Royal Carmin Dederich of Plain, Wis. Want to play? Christina’s Comments: “Photographing in the snow is tough, but you nailed it. Your exposure is perfect–the whites are white. This is a great scene with a cute horse. It could use a tiny bit of cropping to improve the overall impact. Try cropping some off the right-hand side so his face is not directly in the center of the frame; think of the rule of thirds when composing (see Christina’s tips).”
	Sunny Boy Seanix Farms of Hendersonville, N.C. Love is spoken in these eyes Christina’s Comments: “This portrait is gorgeous. You shot it in great light, and your horse is clean and well-groomed with a well-fitting halter. The background is out of focus, which helps the horse pop out of the picture. The color is complementary to the horse, and the composition is perfect.”
	Finnegan Kate Kelly of Auburn, N.Y. Finnegan “Finney” my off-track thoroughbred enjoying an afternoon ‘back scratch’ in the arena (he can roll all the way over) Christina’s Comments: “What a fun picture with perfect timing. He looks like he is having a good scratch; you can even see dust flying. Good job being ready with your camera.”