Off to the printer!

Ive finally finished the 2010 Area 1 Eventers Calendar.The total photo count is 66! The calendar will be available for sale at the Area 1 Meeting January 9th. A percent of the sales will be donated to the Area 1 Adult Riders program. If you want me to put a calendar or 2 aside for you just shoot me an email at Joan@Flatlandsfoto.com. Happy Holidays!

Abstract!

I am having a blast in my online Artistic Interpretations class with Laura Cotterman and Christina Handley of Learntotakephotos.com. How much fun! I just wish I had more time to play with all that I am learning! So far, they have shown us different techinques for shooting "artsy" images - then some photoshop tips for bringing out the best in these images. This image is one of three I submitted for the first assignment - taken across the road from the house. Stay tuned for images from my next assignment! Enjoy!

November Photo-A-Day Smilebox

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Here is a Smilebox which includes all 30 photos from the November Photo-A-Day Challenge sponsored by the Equine Photographer's Network. We were given a challenge word for each day of the month. The challenge was shooting a photo on that day based on the word of the day. It may seem simple enough except of course when word of the day is "light", the weather is dark grey and gloomy. While certainly challenging, it was a definately a way to go have fun w my camera. I hope you enjoy this presentation!

August Photos

Just a few of the images I sold last August. Enjoy!

Day 30 - The End!

The final photo-a-day topic was "The End". I started out thinking about shooting the trail that leads out back then moved to the end of the driveway. When I looked down the drive, I could see Ralph shoeing Bobby. I tried to capture that image - the driveway leading to the barn w a spot of light at the end - but I wasn't able to capture the image as I had hoped - so I settled for the "End of the Aisle" shot w Ralph and Bobby shows in silhouette. I'm a little sad inside that the challenge is now over - what a journey it has been. I'm hoping to find other ways to challenge myself and my camera thru the quite time of the year around here. Stay tuned!

Day 29 - Contrast

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a pony! When I thought of contrast, I immediately thought of the difference between the normal coat and the shaved coat of the fuzzy Glory! I just love the contract between the two textures in the image. And the final concept - The End!

Day 28 - Details

The yin~yang of a chestnut mare! Here is a close up of Nellie's forehead whorls! I started trying to do a macro shot of her chestnuts but she was being bouncy so I had Tom grab her head and try to hold it still for a moment and came up w this shot which I really liked! Next up - Contrast!

Day 27 - Expression!

Wet windy miserable weather - And I think Star agrees! Day 27 was expression day and Star certainly provided me w material! Next up - Details

Day 26 - Chores

Sal and Frosty early Thanksgiving morning! If you follow the sand ring fenceline down to the end, you will see his best friend Houston waiting for him at the gate! Next up - Expression!

Day 25 - Monochrome

I think this is my favorite image for the month so far. Once again - it is not what I planned to shoot when I left the house but it certainly called to me while I was shooting. I did almost no post processing of this image - just developed in raw, lowered the saturation a touch and added some sharpening. So fun! Next up - Chores!

Day 24 - Circles!

Another dark grey day here. My plan was to shoot bit rings or a
"figure 8-ed" bridle to show circles but as I was walking to the tack room, I noticed this lovely collection of circles on Skylars door! Next up - Monochrome!

Day 23 - Thirds

Day 23 was yet another dark and dreary day. I just couldn't stomach shooting in the indoor again so I had Tom take Nellie for a walk after their ride - which was much less adventurous than previous days. She is just starting back to work after having some R & R since last June due to a fracture just below her stifle after being kicked in the field. Our vet says she will be as good as new after some down time. We've got our fingers crossed she will be back out eventing in the spring! Next up - circles!

Day 22 - Symmetry

Thanks Hannah and Tucker for being my model. I learned that you needed a short horse for the effect I was looking for. Tiff and Bobbo tried for me but his body was just too long. While I strongly dislike shooting in indoors, I'm thrilled that my camera lets me capture images like this even in the low light! Next up - Thirds.

Day 21 - Action!

The horse in this image will remain nameless. That is all I will say *grin* Next up - Symmetry. Enjoy!

Day 20 - Scenic

I knew there was suppose to be heavy rain but I begged Lindsey to shoot her doing morning feed at a local farm where she was house setting. I knew they had a grey which would work well in the low light. I captured a great "light" shot as we walked to the barn but didn't think it would qualify for the assignment. I ended up with this one for the challenge. With the hay we were able to coax him into a more scenic part of the field. Just after this image, the big rain started. Thanks Lindsey for helping me w this! Next up - Action!

Day 19 - Abstract!

I will admit that I was a bit worried at first (OK terrified!) by the topic of abstract but some coaching from photog extraordinaire Barb Young gave me some pointers. I had planned to shoot Frosty as he has such wonderful color but while experimenting in the early morning I captured this image of Charlie and decided it was a keeper. This is a black and white version of the image I posted for the assignment. Next up Scenic!

Day 18 - Light

For me, it was much more fun shooting "light" even tho the day dawned dark and gloomy. I had to give Tom a message while he was teaching and voila! I found my light image. Thanks to Danny and Kay for again being my model. Next up - Abstract!

Day 17 - Wide

Ug! Total lack of creativity here! Tho the dually certainly is wide I just not thrilled w my submission. Moving forward ... next up Light!

Day 16 - Relationships

I was so excited when I saw this topic but on the day of the actual shoot I was feeling pretty miserable - and I think the image shows that. We have so many interesting relationships here in the barn but my body was just calling for my bed so ended up w this image of Frosty, Houston and Tristan showing their normal field behavior -Frosty and Houston sharing a blade of grass while Tristan does his own thing on the other side of the field. Next up - W I D E !

Day 15 - Patterns

I was really feeling stumped by this one as I was only thinking about symetrical patterns. I asked Tom for advice and he suggested the patterns left in the sand of the front ring after the heavy rains ... ahh ... great idea! I love the hoof prints you can see if you look. Added a bit of a grungy gritty feel in photoshop. Next up - Relationships!

Day 14 - Hay

I tried to bring some creativity to the subject of the day - hay! I thought the light cast by the aisle lights and the shadows created by the beams added some interest. I was definitely feeling the effects of the flu when I shot this as all I could think was - ug - time to order another load of hay! Next up - Patterns!

Day 13 - Mane

Any guess who? Photographed in the wee hours of the morning, I liked the way the lines of the mane interacted w the lines formed by the window bars. Next up Hay!

Day 12 - Bokeh

In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the æsthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."

Here is a headshot of Tristan showing bokeh in the background tho it would have been a better example if there was a touch more light and I could have further seperated him from the background.

I think Ive finally kicked this flu and am going to post all the shots Ive missed so Im caught up before the chaos of the weekend sets in. Enjoy!

Day 11 - Human

Budding event rider Ben Slater and his wonderful pony Dora where my subjects for the "human" topic of the day. I just love the connected look between him and his pony! Next up - Mane. Enjoy!

Day 10 - Dirt!

Playing catch up here, Im also adding day 10's photo of dirt! Sticking w the macro theme - and once again using Star - here is the dirt tangled in her already long winter coat. The word for Wednesdays assignment - Human. Enjoy!

Day 9 - Eye(s)

Well so far Im keeping pace posting the photo-a-day's assignment to the EPNet boards - tho here my track record its quite so good! The word of the day was eye. I decided to use Star as I thought her white eyelashes would work well but she just doesn't have that nice big wide eye. While it worked for the assignment, Im definately looking to improve my "eye" shots and plan to take Laura and Christinas "eye" class as soon as thing quiet down after the first of the year.

Day 8 - Water!

My plan had been to shoot the frozen brook on the road out to XC but alas the weather wasn't co-operating! Not that Im complaing - the weather was just BEAUTIFUL! I switched gears and decided to shoot a reflection shot of the brook, the winding road and the tree line but Onion came screaming down the trail and completely changed my plans! Next up - Eye(s). Enjoy!

Day 7 - Curves!

Love the curves in the topline of this Raku Horse created by Lindsey Epstein. This was one of several she had for sale at the craft fair at Francis Farms in Rehoboth this past weekend. Next word of the day will be water!

Oops - Day 5 - Texture

Yup this is what happens when you post before drinking enough coffee. Day 5 = Texture. I struggled thru some of the deep mud in the run in shed paddock looking for the perfect hoof print in the mud but nothing I captured had any where near the texture of the mud on my Blundstone so I trashed all the other images and kept this one. Enjoy~

Day 6 - Behavior!

Guess who? This was my origonal idea for a behavior shot as I knew I would have limited time to shoot. Of course, our favorite addict didn't want to perform for the camera so I tried to get Mack to be my cribbing model but he was camera shy as well.

While waiting, I did get images of Andrew, Calypso and Charlie dozing in the early morning light and Mack rolling in the mud but nothing had that punch I was looking for. Finally, the junkie couldn't hold out any longer and made his way to a board to crib - tho it did take him about 3 minutes to locate a spot "old toothless" could actually grab a piece of the fence to get his fix. Yup - thats our Bobbo!

Next up - Curves!

Day 4 - Legs!

My first thought for the legs assignment was to shoot the legs of the horses jumping in the 10:00 set but changed my mind after seeing an amazing blur shot taken of a farrier the day before. I knew Ralph was coming to shoe Danny and Dora so I thought I could get something fun of his legs working on the horses legs. When I found out Ralph wasn't coming until noon - and I had orders to print in the house, I swapped to plan "C" after seeing the cool shadows cast by the horses warming up for the jump set. Thanks to Danny and Kay for providing this shot for me! Next up - Texture!

Day 3 ~ Blur

Bobby doing what Bobby like best - Jumping! And Kate enjoying riding him on such a nice fall day. Next up - Legs

Enjoy!

Day 2 - Enviroment

The word for day 2 of the photo-a-day challenge was "enviroment". I captured Sal feeding in the early morning light while out in the barn writing the grain order. Can you see the cat in the driveway or all those pretty ribbons hanging on Alec's stall? Fun stuff!

Enjoy~

November Photo-A-Day Challenge

The Equine Photographers Network is offering a Photo-A-Day challenge for the month of November and Im giving it a shot. Each day a one word photo challenge is posted. You must shoot your photo that day then post the results by the end of the next day. Certainly sounds like fun! Lets see if I can keep up. Here is my photo from the day 1 challenge - Hair.

Enjoy!

Announcing Holiday Specials for 2009!

My how time flys! Im just starting to catch my breath after the busy competition season and suddenly its time to post this year's holiday specials!

I will be offering six different specials again this year. These specials are not available on my regular photo order form. To place your order, email me at Joan@Flatlandsfoto.com

http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/seasonalspecials/seasonalspecials.htm

Back by popular demand are the 5x7 press printed holiday greeting cards with matching envelopes custom designed from your favorite competition photo or portrait. Sold in packages of 25. Priced at $60 per pack.

http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/seasonalspecials/PPholiidaycards/PPholidaycard.htm

Another returning favorite is the 11 x 14 6 image montage special. Add an additional 2 5x7 prints from images in the montage at no charge. Images can be mixed & matched from any show or season. Priced at $145

http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/seasonalspecials/photomontage/photomontage.htm

Next on the list are my photo flip books. Choose 10 or 15 images - feel free to mix & match horses, riders, shows and seasons. Pick from 4x6 or 5x7 prints. Prices start at $100

http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/seasonalspecials/FlipBook/FlipBook.htm

Looking for an elegant way to present a collection of your favorite photos? Order a deluxe photo coffee table book This 12 page 8.5x11 leather bound book comes with UV protective coating on its hinged pages. Choose 15 to 20 of your favorite photos. Mix & match horses, riders, shows and seasons. Priced at $250 thru the holidays.

http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/seasonalspecials/book/books.htm

Next on the list are my gallery wrap canvases. Take your favorite photo of that special horse and rider and turn it into a beautiful piece of art to hang on your wall. Prices start at $180.

http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/seasonalspecials/gallery%20wrap/gallerywrap.htm

Finally - only available until December 31, 2009, order 4 of your favorite photos as screen savers for your computer! Horizontal images are best suited for these. Priced at $50

http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/seasonalspecials/ScreenSaver/Screensaver.htm

As always - if you have any questions about these specials - or anything related to Flatlandsfoto, send me an email at Joan@Flatlandsfoto.com

Enjoy!

Rain Makes Puddles

Tom and Lindsey saw that sign flashing on the highway driving home from the schooling event at Hitching Post. The riders at GMHA June Dressage Show certainly know that - tho luckily the rain wasn't falling during the rides on Friday and Saturday when I was shooting except for a few moments here and there. My new magic rain coat is certainly serving me well!

What a treat it was to have the chance to shoot so many wonderful rides. I wish I could have cloned myself to be able to shoot every rider in every test but w the help of Cindy Arendt, we were able to cover most of the riders competing Friday and Saturday. As everyone knows, GMHA is probably my favorite place on earth and there is almost nothing I enjoy more than spending time there (tho the ride back and forth not so much). A big thanks to Phoebe Tengdin who joined me for the weekend, uploading memory cards and running a "viewing station" so the riders could see a preview of their proofs from the weekend.

Now - onto Groton House Farm images. Im just about finished uploading the Show Jumping images from Sunday. Thanks to a few late nights, Dressage and XC are already named - just over 5000 images from the weekend - going to be another week of loooong days!

GMHA Special

Proofs posted! Final count = 1961. I just loved shooting the second water - and my new camera handled the light beautifully. These images are best suited to a longer and narrower crop than most images so I am offering a 2 image 11x14 print special like the one shown here. This way the riders can hang a large wall print w 2 XC pix on their wall of fame! Pick the images and the text - Ill send you a proof for your approval before printing. Cost is $90. Use the coupon code on the website to receive 20% off orders paid for by June 29th and that drops the price to $72! Email me if you have any questions.

Also - a quick reminder that taking proofs from my site is illegal even if you know a way to do it. If I find that you are illegally downloading the proofs from my site, I will no longer post your proofs online. Share this info w anyone you see downloading them illegally. If they have the big copyright symbol across the image, it has been stolen. Be aware that there are programs out there like Attributor.com that allow photographers to track their illegally downloaded photos. I know I am not the only photographer w this policy. I do sell a personal use digital image either by itself for $25 or in addition to a print for $10. This gives you a legal way to share your images w friends and family. Be smart - dont steal and risk not seeing anymore of your proofs online!

Off my soapbox and on to processing and printing. Next up Valinor Horse Trials!

GMHA ... ahhh

I know - when you think GMHA you think horses but while I was setting up waiting for dressage to start, I captured this image of the cows coming down out of the hills for their morning feed ... those same cows that cause the riders to have nightmares of MOOOO during their free walk causing their horses to flee all the way back to D barn.

Everything was looking especially good for so early in the season at GMHA. Love the new stalls - and all the improvements to the grounds. It would be great to see the XC start back in the front field behind High Brook but I heard that the start rode really well next to the Walker Ring unlike a couple years ago.

All images are named and the first culls are done leaving 2500 images. Im guessing Ill end up w about 1800 proofs when all is done. Now back to the grind - Enjoy!

Making Progress!

Im finally making progress getting all the website files uploaded to the new server. The plan is to change the links next week so you can access the 2008 images without having to go thru the 2009 images. Heading off to GMHA shortly to shoot the June Horse Trials. I am so excited to have the chance to shoot w Cristy Cumberworth from NM who is going to help me cover the event. I have always admired Cristy's work from a distance and am thrilled to be able to pick her brain all the way to VT! To see some of her work, ck out her blog at http://ccumberworth.blogspot.com/

Where did May go?

Computer problems and technical difficulties ... Ill blame them for my lack of posting! Great weekends at King Oak, Hitching Post and Beland. Toss in a Don Sachey Clinic and the ARP Safe XC clinic and my new camera is getting lots of mileage (and taking some pretty amazing images!) Proofs for most are posted on the 2009 competition proof page. The Don Clinic proofs are with the Assorted Proofs under May. Off to Groton House for their spring CT tomorrow then the SNER Dressage Rally on Sunday ... and hopefully next week I can finish playing "catch up" before heading off to GMHA. Have a great weekend!

And The Results Are ...

After a week (or is it two now?) of technical difficulties including the motherboard in my desktop dying and my photo website being hacked, I got some amazing news - my photo "The Warm Up" photographed at Hitching Post Horse Trials in 2008 won first place in the Professional Performance category of the 2009 Equine Ideal Photo Contest!

Talk about exciting~ Susan Sexton, one of the judges and a legend in equine photography, had this to say about the photo "This is an outstanding picture on every level: contrast, COMPOSITION, action, professionalism, use of light, shapes, depth of field, leading lines, and more. ALL the rules of photography and of this contest are acknowledged and adhered to. Especially interesting is the line from this group of three in the bottom center, leading to the next person straight ahead, and on to the white horse going against the traffic, so to speak, and nicely caught between the riders and framed by them. That line takes you right back into the picture."

So after the silver lining of the dark clouded weeks, Im in the process of rebuilding my website and catching up on orders. All of my 2009 images are posted and Im slogging thru 2008. Ill be at Beland USDF this weekend - shooting the FEI ring w my wonderful new camera - wish me soft cloud cover and temps in the 70s~

Nothing like it!

Taking your event horse for that first gallop in the spring ... tho in all honesty this wasn't Sarah's first XC school of the season but it was my first chance to shoot one. I am a huge fan of motion blur gallop shots and Im loving my new camera's ability to capture them!

Now for the bad news ... computer issues w my desktop are making me sad inside! I can't access my calibrated monitor or printer but I am working hard to get all the issues resolved. Two thumbs up to the Geek Squad at Best Buy who diagnosed an issue w the motherboard. A replacement has been ordered and I will be heading back to Best Buy w it once it arrives. Fingers crossed it gets here sooner rather than later! In the meantime, Ive installed an FTP program on my laptop as well as the template I use to write my web pages. Hopefully I will be able to upload the schooling pix later today or tomorrow but until then enjoy this gallop shot!

A Few from April

Here is a video from the guys at Animoto w a few of the photos I sold in April. Enjoy!

So Many Beautiful Horses

I had a field day shooting head shots on Sunday - the horses were so well turned out I couldn't resist! I am just loving my new camera (except for the added weight). It does such a better job capturing the full range of light in tough situations. I usually dread shooting in ring 2 at Beland as most of the day you are shooting directly into the sun with the black tree shadow background contrasting the bright white sand in the ring. It has always been an adventure but the images from Sunday are super! Now there was a slight overcast part of the time I was shooting that ring so I guess Ill have to wait until the USDF show in May to make a more accurate assessment! Now the super saturated orange color in the blood bays and chestnuts Im not loving so much but never fear - all images are color balanced in photoshop before printing. I will play w the settings again today to see if I can reduce the saturation on those colors.

Anyway - proofs from Beland are now posted. To see the proofs go to http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/competitionphotos/2009%20albums/Beland-042609/HTML/index.htm. Remember - I will fix that glowing orange hue on those light bays and chestnuts! Enjoy ~

Blue Skies at Beland

Blue skies - green grass - yellow dandelions - and a light breeze to keep the bugs at bay ... well some of them anyway. Here is a shot from the warm-up at Beland yesterday Still no leaves on the trees but Im betting we will have shade this weekend - keeping my fingers crossed anyway. Great day shooting dressage. Ive done the first cull reducing the number of images from 1100 to 800. I would expect about 400 proofs from the day but its early in the season so you just never know. I hope to have proofs posted by Wednesday but will drop a post here when they are live. Now back to work!

Enjoy ~

Pick Me !

I just received some great news that want to share it with my Flatlandsfoto friends! Two of my photos have been selected for judging in the People’s Choice Awards for the Equine Ideal Spring Photo Contest sponsored by the Equine Photographers Network! To see the Professional photos (and vote!), go to http://www.equinephotocontest.com/peopleschoice.asp?cat=Professional My photo is called Best Friends and can be found about half way down in the middle. I photographed these yearling wild horses this past January in the Placitas in New Mexico and feature a version the image on one of my note cards (shown above). There are some truly amazing images in the collection! Be sure to ck out the Amateur photos as well – and vote for your favorite!

Off to photograph dressage at Beland - another day of fun in the sun!

Enjoy ~

Flatlands Combined Test & Dressage Show

Proofs posted! You know the drill. Use the coupon code to receive a 20% discount on order paid for by May 4th. What a great day! While it was a bit nippy w the breeze, who can complain when the sun is shining in April! Im definately a bit rusty after not shooting any action shots all winter but practice will make perfect! My new camera arrives tomorrow so be prepared to have me photo-stalk anyone riding on the flat between now and Beland on Sunday. To see the proofs from Sunday, use the link in the upper right corner of the Flatlandsfoto home page or go to http://flatlandsfoto.com/competitionphotos/2009%20albums/FEC041909/HTML/index.htm. Enjoy ~

Portrait Sessions !

While it is still a bit early here for portrait sessions w beautious backgrounds, we managed to find some spots where it didn't show that spring has yet to arrive here in Rehoboth (tho as of this morning the trees are starting to bud woo hoo). A big thanks to Sarah, Robyn and Beth who were my models for my course in shooting portraits. Once we get some leaves on the trees - watch out! I will be looking for more models to practice the art of portrait shooting!

Easter Sunday Jump Clinic !

And there was light ... sunlight ... what a shocker! It has been so long since we have seen the sun that it took my eyes forever to adjust. Great jump clinic and no real bloopers but shhh dont tell Robyn! It was so fun to actually get out and shoot some jumping before this weekends combined test here at Flatlands. It will be interesting shooting over fences this weekend as my main camera is in the shop and my back-up camera's shutter is so much more sensitive than my poor old worn out camera that I start firing about a stride before the horse leaves the ground thus creating some Joan bloopers for this years slide show ... Stay tuned! Proofs from the jump clinic are posted at http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/assortedimages/proofs/FEC-041209/HTML/index.htm

JWU IDA Proofs Posted!

Proofs are now posted for the Intercollegiate Dressage Show held at Johnson & Wales University this weekend. I only photographed the First level 3 and the Training 4 tests as the rain was too heavy after lunch for a non-umbrella enviroment. Use coupon code 041109 to receive a 20% discount on orders paid for by April 27. To see the proofs, go to http://www.flatlandsfoto.com/competitionphotos/2009%20albums/JWU-041109/HTML/index.htm. Next up Flatlands Schooling CT and Dressage Show Sunday April 19th. Enjoy!

Got Grass?

Got grass? They do in VA anyway! This cute little guy was so proud that he was actually able to bend those long legs enough to grasp the grass. Not sure he actually knew what to do with it once he had it - but that didn't matter! He paraded his bad self around the field showing everyone he could that he got grass!

The Yearling Girls

While it may not look much like spring out my window this morning - more frost on the ground and the possibility of snow this weekend - it definitely looked like spring in Virginia! These yearling fillies were curious about the camera making it very difficult to photograph them but I captured this image in the lovely afternoon light. The flowering pear trees made a great background! I have so many beautiful images from this trip I haven't even had time to sort thru them yet. Ill try to get a few more up this week before the JWU show on Sunday. Enjoy!