I don’t know, even if I could throw a lasso I’m not sure I could do it from a horse. With the rope and the reins and all, there’s a lot to keep track off. And of course then the horse starts moving.]]>
5 thoughts on “POTD: Ropes and Reins”
kathy eyster
What I love about this photo is the way the turn of the horse’s head, the angle of the rope & reins and the tilt of the cowboy’s head all create a “C” curve open to the right. The sense of movement in this photo is palpable. And just the right amount of depth of field too!
Thanks Betty and Kathy. It’s interesting to hear from both of you about the strengths of the composition of this photograph. I hadn’t thought much of it from a strictly composition point of view (rather than acutal subject matter). I saw a book in the bookstore yesterday about composition in which they had all sorts of overlays for paintings with stars, pentagons, spirals and golden ratio rectangles to show how each piece was arranged. Maybe I should take this image and seem if any of that kind of analysis applies.
They may…and not to detract at all from your expertise with a camera, but sometimes, especially with moving subjects, we intuitively find the framing that works best without “thinking about it”. I suspect that’s what happened here….you weren’t thinking about composition, only about “getting the shot”. It’s a great image, IMO.
Thanks Kathy. I think in my normal mode of photographing, even of static subjects, the framing I end up with is the result of something subconscious or intuitive. I don’t think I ever think much about composition, at least not in the sense of trying to make sure objects or forms in the viewfinder are arranged in a way that works. All that analysis like I was reading about in the book in the bookstore is an interesting exercise after the fact but I’m not sure it’s much help in recognizing a good photo op to begin with. And in the case of something like a rodeo you can’t exactly be looking around for golden ratios or the like–things are moving to fast!
Ropes and Reins
Bozeman, Montana
2013
What I love about this photo is the way the turn of the horse’s head, the angle of the rope & reins and the tilt of the cowboy’s head all create a “C” curve open to the right. The sense of movement in this photo is palpable. And just the right amount of depth of field too!
Strong composition! I like that the edges of the main figure are so sharp and contrast with the indefinite background.
Thanks Betty and Kathy. It’s interesting to hear from both of you about the strengths of the composition of this photograph. I hadn’t thought much of it from a strictly composition point of view (rather than acutal subject matter). I saw a book in the bookstore yesterday about composition in which they had all sorts of overlays for paintings with stars, pentagons, spirals and golden ratio rectangles to show how each piece was arranged. Maybe I should take this image and seem if any of that kind of analysis applies.
They may…and not to detract at all from your expertise with a camera, but sometimes, especially with moving subjects, we intuitively find the framing that works best without “thinking about it”. I suspect that’s what happened here….you weren’t thinking about composition, only about “getting the shot”. It’s a great image, IMO.
Thanks Kathy. I think in my normal mode of photographing, even of static subjects, the framing I end up with is the result of something subconscious or intuitive. I don’t think I ever think much about composition, at least not in the sense of trying to make sure objects or forms in the viewfinder are arranged in a way that works. All that analysis like I was reading about in the book in the bookstore is an interesting exercise after the fact but I’m not sure it’s much help in recognizing a good photo op to begin with. And in the case of something like a rodeo you can’t exactly be looking around for golden ratios or the like–things are moving to fast!