New Forest Ponies

[mgd_harvey]

Wow. Great shots in this section of the forum! I almost didn't dare post!

Only almost :wink

http://newquay-plus.co.uk/POTN/new_forest_ponies.jpg

C+C welcome

[Awais Yaqub]

nice photo but littel underexposed
i liked it

[mgd_harvey]

nice photo but littel underexposed
i liked it

Thank you.

The weather was awful that day and I had to be careful not to blow out the sky. Pehaps I should try again and select the sky to hold it back a bit.

[cdonovan]

Are these domesticated? or are they found in the wild?

That picture makes me grimace to see the ribs and the weak hindquarters...the mare in the foreground just looks sickly and I can't see past that to give you an opinion on the composition of the photo itself.

I am used to seeing fat or well built and maintained equines and this one just looks like one that needs to be rescued:cry

[dbaker1221]

good capture

[mgd_harvey]

Thanks.

These are wild ponies that live in the New Forest area of southern England. Roughly equivalent to a 'National Parks' area. It is looked after by the Forestry Commission and I'm sure they keep an eye on the anilmals where possible. This was taken in early September and this pair were grazing near an official campsite so I'm sure that if there were a problem, someone official must have been aware.

[Dick on Aruba]

Nice capture Mark, well done.

Thanks for sharing.

Dick.

[cdonovan]

Remarkable to have caught them without disrupting their natural urge to eat...cause when they're scared they scat!

I understand better now what conditions these ponies are living in...she looks to be in bad shape, that distended belly could mean a few different things in domesticated horses, worms, malnutrition etc etc, but could possibly be a whole different ball park for a free roaming pony, could be just preggers!

[Harryb]

Thank you.

The weather was awful that day and I had to be careful not to blow out the sky. Pehaps I should try again and select the sky to hold it back a bit.

Good capture Mark. When you have a scene like this where the dynamic range exceeds the camera's ability to capture it you usually will do better by exposing for your main subject (the ponies of course).

They sky in this shot doesn't add much to the shot. Better to have the horses more vivid. If the sky gets blown out there are PS actions and plug-ins that can correct that if necessary.

[CookieS]

actually the mare looks like she is pregnant and has the foal in the backround , probably still nursing. hard to keep weight on in those condtions. especially in the wild. I too find it too skinny to be able to focus on good photography . would make a good editorial peice for the situation.

[mgd_harvey]

Thanks for all the information and the suggestions on improvements.