# horse photography



## ponytales

We are horse photography specialists and would like to welcome members to view our Facebook page 'Ponytales Photography'. Alternatively pay us a visit at www.ponytales.co.uk


We will be posting some of our work on the forum and would love your comments as we know that all of our owners are very proud of their horses and of their new Ponytals portraits.


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## palominolover

Gorgeous photo.. Looking forward to more photographs =)


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## ponytales

*another Ponytales photo*

Two beautiful horses playing together in their field in Essex


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## ponytales

*administrator*

Here is another shot from one of our specialist natural equine photographers.


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## mls

Those are all photo shopped.


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## Speed Racer

mls said:


> Those are all photo shopped.


Yep. Hardly what I'd call 'professional' photography. :?


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## Alwaysbehind

mls said:


> Those are all photo shopped.


That is how it looks to me too.


Which is fine, I guess, if you are selling them as artwork and people know that.


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## ponytales

*photoshop*

Actually, the last one is a composite but the first 2 are as shot with NO editing whatsoever. 

Photoshop does sometimes play a part, for example, removing fence lines, cleaning up poo and removing some distractions such as buckets in the background and lead ropes but we like to keep them as natural as possible.

Thanks for looking.

Here is another one that is straight off of the camera and another that has been worked on - can you work out which is which?


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## mls

ponytales said:


> Actually, the last one is a composite but the first 2 are as shot with NO editing whatsoever.


Sorry - I don't buy it. No shadows on the second photo. The horse in photo one is clearly jumping something.

If you were asked to not post, why are you?


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## ponytales

mls said:


> Sorry - I don't buy it. No shadows on the second photo. The horse in photo one is clearly jumping something.
> 
> If you were asked to not post, why are you?


Firstly I am responding to the cynics out there who want to decry our hard effort. That's all. If our work offends so greatly then we will let the administrator confirm what they want us to do and this will be my last post. 

Secondly, the first horse is not jumping anything - it is a classic 'liberty' shot taken as the horse is playing naturally around the paddock. There is no need to remove jumps (nor riders and tack for that matter) when your positioning and speed of camera is right. 
The second shot, again was timing and if you take the time to look there are in fact shadows in the grass behind the horses, in front of the fence post. If we were going to edit them then we would have removed the fence first don't you think?

Finally, we are a team of 27 full time equestrian photographers and have been trained and doing this for over 7 years. The shots you see are real and are the result of experience.


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## Alwaysbehind

Sorry, not believing you about the first shot.

I have watched many-a-horse run and play at liberty. Their leaping through the air looks nothing like a horse being asked to free jump over an obstacle.


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## Dressage10135

If you want people to believe those are "natural" pictures you'd be better off posting on a non horse forum :wink:


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## Speed Racer

Exactly, Dressage.

We're not stupid, even though it appears the OP would like us to be, and just ooh and ahh over his _very_ photoshopped pictures. :?

That picture of the horse supposedly in the waves is what did it for me. That horse isn't even WET for crying out loud, and _obviously_ jumping over something. 

That first horse is jumping something at liberty. NO horse jumps like that while playing or 'just because'. 

Please go peddle your 'artwork' to nonhorse people, OP. Maybe_ they'll_ believe you're marvelously talented at more than just photoshop. :rofl:


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## Alwaysbehind

Speed Racer said:


> That picture of the horse supposedly in the waves is what did it for me. That horse isn't even WET for crying out loud, and _obviously_ jumping over something.


He is dry because he is smart and jumps over all the waves.


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## Dressage10135

Look guys, we all know horses HATE getting wet. Thats why they frolic gaily through the ocean waves without getting a droplet of water on them. Duh.


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## Speed Racer

Alwaysbehind said:


> He is dry because he is smart and jumps over all the waves.



:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Yes, that must be it!!!!


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## ponytales

*wow.*

Clearly all professionals on this forum! :lol:

Quite happy to mail out sequence shots showing original metadata and build up to the shot. That should settle it as you can't mess with the file data


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## Dressage10135

And what would that prove besides the fact that you DID alter the original picture?


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## Alwaysbehind

Question - if you are a large group of professional photographers why take photos of horses who clearly show saddle/girth sweat marks? I would think clean and shiny horses with nice backgrounds would sell better.


Let's say the first photo is not shopped. It might sell well to horse loving kids and none-horse people. The vast majority of horse people will not believe that is a non-shopped photo. 
If you are making photos for the horse market to purchase you might want to keep those things in mind.




Dressage10135 said:


> And what would that prove besides the fact that you DID alter the original picture?


It is the old willingness to prove I am not wrong should be enough to make them stop questioning me.


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## ponytales

Dressage10135 said:


> And what would that prove besides the fact that you DID alter the original picture?


The metadata shows the original camera settings etc. and no reference to photoshop, as would show on an edited picture. The file sequence would show you the lead into the shot that I have shown with several frames prior and after (in fact we shoot for about 10 minutes during the liberty sequence - this particular sequence has 47 frames). 

Hope this answers your question - if you would like to see the shots then I will happily send them to put this 'to bed'.


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## ponytales

Alwaysbehind said:


> Question - if you are a large group of professional photographers why take photos of horses who clearly show saddle/girth sweat marks? I would think clean and shiny horses with nice backgrounds would sell better.
> 
> 
> Let's say the first photo is not shopped. It might sell well to horse loving kids and none-horse people. The vast majority of horse people will not believe that is a non-shopped photo.
> If you are making photos for the horse market to purchase you might want to keep those things in mind.
> 
> 
> 
> It is the old willingness to prove I am not wrong should be enough to make them stop questioning me.


The owners always present their horses to us to take pictures of. There may be up to 10 owners with their horses in a day. I agree that pristine would be great and, yes, we do sometimes clean up the messy marks off of their shots if they request it. 

We take pictures of owners horses for the owner and not for general sale to the public. As you quite rightly say - a different style of shot would be required to put in. for example, a calender! These are natural shots for the owner to treasure.

Sorry you don't like them.


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## Dressage10135

To be sure, the photoshop job is done better than most but the problem is that you keep saying these are natural shots. They aren't.


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## ponytales

Dressage10135 said:


> To be sure, the photoshop job is done better than most but the problem is that you keep saying these are natural shots. They aren't.


Cor - you are determined aren't you! Not sure what else to do to prove it to you. 
Explained it - you dont believe
Offered evidence - you ignore
Tried reason - sidewalled

Where are you? If you are in the UK, maybe we should come to you and prove it by doing a shoot for you and your horse - no charge. See the images that we take and come back on here and confirm to all?


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## Alwaysbehind

You have some special way to make a horse jump while at liberty and have them look like they are jumping over an invisible obstacle?


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## ponytales

Alwaysbehind said:


> You have some special way to make a horse jump while at liberty and have them look like they are jumping over an invisible obstacle?


Yes and no- the horse was just excited to be out in the field. It was new grass as he hadn't been there before and he was frolicking around - sometimes the camera captures some awesome acrobatics when shooting at so many frames per second. Would you like to see some more?


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## mls

ponytales said:


> Yes and no- the horse was just excited to be out in the field. It was new grass as he hadn't been there before and he was frolicking around - sometimes the camera captures some awesome acrobatics when shooting at so many frames per second. Would you like to see some more?


 

NEW grass? With dead canadian thistles and fully flowered dandelions?

Sorry - you are digging yourself deeper!


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## ponytales

Ha ha - perhaps I am! Good banter though - Night night.


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## Tejas

Whoa......


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## AlexS

ponytales said:


> Explained it - you dont believe
> Offered evidence - you ignore
> Tried reason - sidewalled


What's the explanation for the dry horse jumping the waves? Why is he jumping at the wrong angle, which was probably correct for the jump that has been shopped out.


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## iridehorses

Sent you an email address via PM. I'll look at the sequence photos for you.


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