Twilight Jumpers

Meawood13 · Jun 2, 2014

I went to the opening show for the Twilight Jumper series at Great Meadows in The Plains, VA on Friday. These are just a few of my favorite from the trip. Critiques are more than welcome.

Opening Day of Twilight Jumpers by Purple Panda13, on Flickr

IzzieK · Jun 2, 2014

Wow! All beautiful shots. #2 could have been better but I do not know much about special effects on cases like this one...#3 has a bit more of greenish tint than a normal shot and the head of the rider on the right side seems to merge with the background. I love #1 -- to my eyes that is a real perfect shot but for the extra two guys at the right. That can easily be removed in Photoshop. They are very distracting...love horses. I used to attend the Melbourne Cup and the Melbourne Festival of Racing back home in Australia...

Meawood13 · Jun 2, 2014

IzzieK said:
Wow! All beautiful shots. #2 could have been better but I do not know much about special effects on cases like this one...#3 has a bit more of greenish tint than a normal shot and the head of the rider on the right side seems to merge with the background. I love #1 -- to my eyes that is a real perfect shot but for the extra two guys at the right. That can easily be removed in Photoshop. They are very distracting...love horses. I used to attend the Melbourne Cup and the Melbourne Festival of Racing back home in Australia...

Thanks for the critique!

With the 2nd photo after I captured the photo I didn't really know what to do with it. So I just toned the highlights down a little and left it there (I might go back later and play with it). The 3rd is green (arena lights are gross color wise), but because I wanted to keep the twilight/sunset colors in the back so I left the white balance to balance the horse. I agree with you about the helmet melding with the tree, but it was getting a bit too noisy for my tastes as I lightened the shadows up. And the 1st was in the schooling ring, but like you said the people can be easily remedied in Photoshop (I will probably use is this as practice later this week to see if I like it better).

It must have been a blast to see the races at those venues! The closet venues I have here are Colonial Downs in New Kent county for traditional racing and the Great Meadows for steeplechase and polo. Neither of those are quite as grand as the venues in the Melbourne Cup or the Melbourne Festival of Racing.

IzzieK · Jun 3, 2014

Melbournians take their sport racing seriously. I believe there is no country in the world that honours its horses so much they have a special holiday for it. It is the Melbourne Cup. Although it is only Victoria (Melbourne) on holidays for that day, the whole country stop to listen and bet in the race. Dad never gambles, but when he was alive, he'd bet in the Melbourne Cup. The women dress up to the T for that week looking like Brits with their varied hats. Me? I go there in jeans and T-shirt and just to my job -- ..." love to mingle with the servants ... because the maids knows all..." :lol: