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An Artistic Look At Derby Week

Workshop at the Ranch
June, 2006 Edition

  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.

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.

  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

WORKSHOPS and PRESENTATION Schedule


June 27- July 2 ... Sports Photography Workshop, Colorado Springs, Co. www.sportsphotographyworkshop.com

August 1-5 ... Long Island Photo Workshop, Long Island, NY. www.liphotoworkshop.com

August 12-15 ... American PHOTO Mentor Trek to Acadia National Park, Maine. www.mentorseries.com

September 9-12 ... American PHOTO Mentor Series Trek to Tetons, Wyoming. www.mentorseries.com

October 3-8 ... Photography at the Summit, Jackson Hole, Wy. www.photographyatthesummit.com

Past Workshop at the Ranch Issues

July, 2010
"Moto Light"

June, 2010
"West Coast Flash"

May, 2010
"Little Lights, BIG Arena - PART 2"

April, 2010
"Little Lights, BIG Arena - PART 1 "

March, 2010
"Workshop Wonders"

February, 2009
The D3s Advantage

January, 2010
"New Nikon D3s"

December, 2009
"Year in Review"

November, 2009
Return to Neverland

October, 2009
"Dramatic Gym Light"

September, 2009
"Saratoga Light"

August, 2009
"Graduation Class"

July, 2009
"FourSquare Sensation"

June, 2009
"Print On Demand publishing is for you"

May, 2009
"Sports Shooter Academy"

April, 2009
"My New Book is Available"

March, 2009
"The Nikon D3X...Part II "

February, 2009
"The Nikon D3X...Part I "

January, 2009
"Book Ideas Wanted"

December, 2008
Year in Review

November, 2008
Action with the SB-900 Speedlights

October, 2008
Lightpainting Under the Stars

September, 2008
Long Island Photo Workshop

August, 2008
"Best Buy Summit in San Francisco"

July, 2008
"Rich Clarkson's Sports Photography Workshop"

June, 2008
"Seven Photo Techniques"

May, 2008
"Learn Something New"

April, 2008
San Diego TREK

March, 2008
Joe McNally's book

February, 2008
The Nikon D300

January, 2008
Shoot From Where They Ain't (click here)

December, 2007
D3 Questions , Answers and Images

November, 2007
New Nikon D3

October, 2007
Football...A Retro Look

September, 2007
Get Out of the Box

August, 2007
Portrait Session with Frankie Herr


July, 2007
"Cowboy Up at the Double JJ Ranch"


June, 2007
"Light on the Run"


May, 2007
"SB800 Location Lighting in Mexico"


April, 2007
"Take it From the Top"


March, 2007
"Triple Play, Hat Trick, Trifecta" of Design


February, 2007
Principles of Success


January, 2007
Answers to Popular Questions


December , 2006
TREK to Peru and Machu Picchu



October, 2006
Creative Lightpainting (click here)


September, 2006
Tandem SB800 Speedlight Set Up (click here)


August, 2006
Get Pumped Up with Light (click here)


July, 2006
Sports Action SB800 Lighting on Location (click here)


June, 2006
An Artistic Look At Derby Week (click here)


May, 2006
Lightpainting....from the Beginning (click here)


April, 2006
Workshop 40: Arches Mentor Series TREK


March, 2006
Workshop 39: Let the Games Begin...


February, 2006
Workshop 38: My Moody Blue Location Lighting Formula


January, 2006
Workshop 37: Answers to Popular Questions


December, 2005
Workshop 36: Year in Review...
My Favorite Equipment of 2005


November, 2005
Workshop 35: Building a Portrait


October, 2005
Workshop 34: Game Coverage.....My Way


September, 2005
Workshop 33: Equipment...and How It Can Help A Career


August, 2005
Workshop 32, Fill Flash....It's not Just For Portraits


July, 2005
Workshop 31, Rock On!


June, 2005
Workshop 30, Remote Cameras at Churchill Downs


May, 2005
Workshop 29, Arena Sport Strobe Lighting 102


April, 2005
Workshop 28, Arena Sport Strobe Lighting 101


March, 2005
Workshop 27: Nikon's D2X Digital Camera


February, 2005
Workshop 26: Steps to Success


January, 2005
Workshop 25: Own Your Images!


December, 2004
Workshop 24: Step-by-Step Lightpainting


November, 2004
Workshop 23: The Importance of Recognizing Light



September, 2004
Workshop 21: Covering The 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens, Greece
(click here)


August, 2004
Workshop 20: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight
WIRELESS TTL LIGHTING
(click here)


July, 2004
Workshop 19: Location Portrait Lighting using
Nikon's NEW SB-800 Speedlights
(click here)


June, 2004
Workshop 18: Photography - Just Enjoy it!
(click here)


May, 2004
Workshop 17: Documenting the Masters
(click here)


April, 2004
Workshop 16:
Scene Setters

(click here)


March, 2004
Workshop 15: THE JOY of FILL FLASH
(click here)


February, 2004
Workshop 14: Sports Strobe Photography
(click here)



December, 2003
Workshop 12: "Product Review - The Nikon D2H Digital Camera

(click here)


November, 2003
Workshop 11: "Be More Than a Fan"


October, 2003
Workshop 10: "More Porrage, Please"


September, 2003
Workshop 9: The Nikon COOLPIX 5700


August, 2003
Workshop 8: Using Wireless Remotes


July, 2003
Workshop 7: Approaching The Event


June, 2003
Workshop 6: To be noticed, to be published, to the marketplace


May, 2003
Workshop 5: What Drives an Image Part Two,
Slow Shutter Speed & Pan, (click here)


April, 2003
Workshop 4: What Drives an Image? (click here)


March, 2003
Workshop 3: Fill Flash Techniques (click here)


February, 2003
Workshop 2: Sports Arena Lighting (click here)


January, 2003
Workshop 1: Lightpainting (click here)

 


 

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