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An Artistic Look At Derby WeekWorkshop at the Ranch Hi and welcome to this edition of
Workshop at the Ranch. By now you may have read the June issue
On The Road which features this years Kentucky Derby, but Derby
Day moments and horse racing action are only a part of what I
photograph during the week at Churchill Downs. I'm always looking
for beautiful pictures that tend to capture the viewer's imagination
and cause them to stop and look. I always make sure I get what
my editor needs, but I also like to provide the kind of images
that fill the pages of a beautiful coffee table book .... just
in case. More times than not my editor finds something useful
from this group of "coffee table book pictures" and
is thrilled to have some artistic images to choose from. This
months One The Road features the news and action of Derby Day,
but for this Workshop at the Ranch I am suggesting that photographers
take a look at sport for something a little more artistic .............just
in case.
Well, ............ I hope you have enjoyed this more artistic look at the Kentucky Derby. Sometimes it is good to look around for the beautiful images that are amongst the news of the day. Editors like a change of pace and often times find space for these kinds of pictures. See you next time at Workshop at the Ranch .......................... Adios. Dave
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Image
#1 By Gone Days ... I found the old jockey weigh scale hidden
under the grandstands at Churchill Downs. No longer needed,
it sits collecting dust now that a more modern digital scale
has taken it's place. I arrived before dawn one day with
the desire to Lightpaint and felt the old scale would be
a perfect subject. Nikon D200, ISO 100, 10 Seconds at f11,
Nikon 17-55mm Lens, WB 9000K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod,
SLIK Super Ball Head, Kirk L Bracket, I NOVA X5 Flashlight
(bought at a Sharper Image store ), Lexar 4G Flash Card.
The 9000K WB helped warm the color of the image while the
stylized Lightpainting created a very nostalgic quality
to the picture.
Image #2 Early Ride ... Dawn exercise is always a prime
time for beautiful pictures, especially when the sun is just
breaking the horizon on the backside of the track. I used
a Whimberly Head and the VR mode (active) on my Nikon 200-400mm
G VR Zoom Lens to capture this horse and rider with a very
slow shutter speed and pan. Nikon D200, ISO 100, 1/5 at f32,
Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens, WB 10,000K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber
Tripod, Whimberly Head, Lexar 4G Flash Card. The VR mode really
works well and the Whimberly Head helped keep the panning
motion perfectly horizontal which allowed me to use such a
slow shutter speed .............. Slow enough that the horses
legs are motion blurred to the extent of being invisible.
Image #3 Bath Time ... We had great weather all week
which resulted in beautiful early morning light for photographers
to work with. When the horses finish their morning exercise
they are brought back to the barn area for a bath. I have
always liked the silhouette for creating mood in a picture.
The sunrise is reflected in the water and provides a perfect
background of gold. Nikon D2X, ISO 200, 1/400 at f4, Nikon
200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens, WB 10,000K, Lexar 4G Flash Card.
I made several images of the horses legs with this golden
light but chose this one because of the lifted hoof. When
your subject makes a gesture, "a moment," then
you have something interesting. Factor in the golden sunlight,
clean background plus splashing water and a beautiful picture
is complete.
Image #4 Sponge Man ... As the sun breaks the horizon the
opportunity for wonderful images is all around. For the same
reason I look for silhouettes I also look for shadows. This
shadow illustrates a groom washing one of the race horses
after the morning exercise. The sun had risen a little more
since the previous image of the silhouetted horses hoof so
I was able to use a faster shutter speed of 1/1000 to freeze
the sponge and water droplets. NikonD2X, ISO 200, 1/1000 at
f4, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom Lens, WB 7700K, Lexar 4G Flash
Card. This image is one of several I shot during this sponge
bath, but I chose this image because the bill of the grooms
hat is clearly defined in the shadow and helps my viewer connect
with him. 
Image
#5 Approaching the Start Gate ... Racing begins around Noon
and continues until about 6:30pm. The late in the day sunlight
is similar to the early morning light and provides equally
beautiful pictures. I used some creative custom settings in
my Nikon D200 for this image. Usually I have the camera's
custom settings, like contrast, saturation and sharpening
set at the lowest setting possible and I let the magazine
handle any post processing, but for this image I set the Tone
Compensation on "More Contrast" and the Saturation
on "Enhanced" and used a WB of 10,000K. The result
was lovely with an almost Lightpainting quality. This was
just an experiment but I was very pleased with the results.
Nikon D200, ISO 320, 1/1200 at f5, Nikon 200-400mm G VR Zoom
Lens, WB 10,000K, Lexar 4G Flash Card. 