Tibetan Horseman

Brilliant! The photograph is just great the way it is.I love the foreground, it adds depth and gives it the required space for the rider to move into. Sooper work Williams! Congrats!

Sorry about the attachment. A mistake.cheers!

Congrats Bill, though i came late to comment on POW, I stand firm on my previous rating of 7/6. Just want to add two more cents after reading all comments preceeding me:-

 

The dynamicity of the shots outweight any suggestions of the image being blurr.. indeed i would be truely amazed with a 100 % sharp shot in the circumstances you had described !

 

The kind of agonised expression from the horse (the eye and the screaming teeth) added much to the strength of the subject (the horsemand .. highly standing out by the distinctive clothing .. again the colour combination of which (red/blue&yellow) is so outstanding.

 

I am even amazed with the series of other shots you attached.. you really made me jealous to be the only photographer at scene. I am sure you have emptied all your available rolls !! !

 

Whilst you said that such was first of it's kind being photographed, I have to dispute that because I did saw similar shots before (not a lot definitely). Yet, your series beat all that I have seen !

 

Bill, thanks for sharing your series of wonderful images and your story... i have the impulse to pack up my racksack.. NOW :)

In the arguments of "film vs. digital" or "manipulation vs. raw" or "film speed vs. color saturation" - those are all bigger arguments than one photo. It seems to me that if a photographer has chosen a particular combination (film, unmanipulated, slow(er) film) then the best discussion would be to rate the photo based on how the photographer used the advantages of his approach, instead of attacking the photographer's preferred decision about his media.

I, for one, feel a loss when I learn that an image has been photoshopped - but that is only my own emotional/artistic feeling about photography. I would not criticize a digital/PS'd photo for being digital - I would judge it as an image within the volume of work that I've seen which is digital and manipulated. Inversely, to criticize a raw image for not being photoshopped is like - for metaphor - criticizing a beautiful charcoal sketch for not having the delicacy of a watercolor. The products are different but not unequal.

In the discussion of William Chapman's photo there was a lot of discussion about sharpness. I'm the type that gets my nose 2 inches from the print and looks for every blade of grass. If I was there I wouldn't have dreamed of opening the shutter with a moderate telephoto at less than 1/500s and a tiny aperature - but then I would've missed that shot! I feel the blur not only conveys the motion of the horse and rider, but the sudden-ness of the photographer to grab that shot. Now it is not just a stunning image, but a story of how the image was made. And now I'm inspired to try shots with less depth of field, handheld - because I've seen that there's an artistic way to use those effects that I have not tried. And if I'm inspired to try something new - well, I think that's what makes this a great "Photo of the Week," even if you don't think its a "Great Photo."

I don't agree that the rider is the object that needs to be sharp. I see the horse and the expression on its face as the focal point and it is sharp. Was the rider sharp and the horse soft it would not be the excellent once in a lifetime picture that it is.

I would like to commend William Chapman on this photo. I have photographed rodeos in the US and Canada and appreciate the difficulty of getting a shot like this one. At rodeos, you also get 1000 pound animals charging right at your lens, but you there is always a fence between you and the arena. No fence here, and he still got it. Great work. I hope I can get one this good someday.

Thanks a bunch to all the those comments about improvements,

sharpness, presentation, etc. This brought out a whole series of superb

pictures from William.

 

As someone found out, this photographer does not need any advice on

better presentation of his work to make a living!

 

Brilliant use of photo.net and the POW forum by William Chapman!

 

Once again, hearty thanks for the superb pictures!

William, thanks for providing us the larger context by continuing to upload other photos from this series. This is truly an amazing series of shots of a part of the world that most of us will never get to see.

Nothing against you or your photo William but your statement 'shoorting at 6 frames per second' just made me think.

I am obviously aware of the fact that cameras in PJ/action photography often take 10fps or so but it still made me think about the 'artistic efforts' in such a photo.

 

What is really the difference in taking 6frames per second of an event that happens over a few seconds (such as this photo) vs. simply videotaping the event and then later freeze the momement you like and print/submit it. In the years to come 'frozen' frames like that may well be of a quality high enough to be able to pose as a still photo.

 

I like the photo it's very nice and I can accept that it's the 'final result' that matters' - but... personally I think these cameras reduces the value of the image FOR ME knowing how they were captured.

We don't live in the future, we only have the present. These images are just examples of what I strive for in photography. You can take that premise to the extreme and say that all improvements in modern cameras devalue images taken with them. Is a shot taken with auto focus or an in camera meter or an image stabalized lense of any less value. I think not. Real photographers using even the most sophisticated equipment and techniques know how elusive and difficult it is to make the kind of creative photographs they fantasize about in their dreams. How many of you have heard the casual observer say, "Oh I could have taken that picture." yea sure. I appreciate great artistry in the photographs of others because I know how hard it is to achieve.

I sincerely appreciate all the interest and thought that my POW brought to the forum. It was my pleasure to add the extra images.

Even with 6 frames per second, you still must have the knowledge, the experience, the talent and even the guts to get in there like this. I know a lot of people with a camera even faster than this one, but are quite poor photographers. Instead it is BECAUSE of his using a camera like this, and BECAUSE of the current technology available, put into the hands of a a very talented photographer that images like above are even possible. Superb!

William, this is an awesome shot. This was the first POW that made me think, "woah! nice!" Generally the POW is staged shot and this week we all have a treat, a retreat from the ordinary.

 

I'd also like to say that I hope one of my photos is never unlucky enough to make it to POW. After reading all the harsh criticism each and every POW receives in these forums, I've stopped uploading images. Why share a photo for public bashing?

 

It's one thing to find technical problems with a photograph that was "staged" and every nuance could be controlled. But, if anyone has looked at any sports magazine, half the shots are not great by tech standards, but certainly are awesome shots that draw you to the scene. This photo does that- it's a captured sliver of time that can never be duplicated under any circumstances, it brings me to the scene, and to me that's why this photo stands out as frickin' fantastic.

I agree with many that it is a great captured shot. The way we perceive subjectively a high speed action scene like this is certainly not "sharp" or clear. A perfect frozen scene easily gets static or even boring.

I can only shake my head about how ridiculous people can get when it comes to sharpness. I don't care what stock agency people say or think, as they have to follow the (mostly boring) mainstream taste that pleases the average reader of magazine ads.

 

One great and rather famous fashion photographer (M. Sokolsky) once said: "Do you know one great photo that is tack sharp"? THis may be exagerated, but not less true. Looking at the work of many of 20th century masters of photography I see many shots that are technically not perfect - if the atmosphere and the feeling is right, noone cares for a lack of sharpness - except the "photo website experts" on these kinds of boards. And when I look at some of their submissions, all I see is static boredom, not one soul being in their pics.

 

regards and congrats on the great capture again.

 

Bernie

Bernie, I couldn't agree more.

 

M~

I've enjoyed this discussion, but just want to point out how much happens in a fraction of a second to those who think a fast camera devalues a photograph. Look at the framing on these photos -- and note that someone criticized a nostril being too close to the edge of a frame. Now, realize that a horse moving at 20 miles per hour (a lot less than these horses likely were)travels at about 30 feet per second - or five feet between each of the frames when shot at 6 frames per second. So quite a bit happens between every shot -- yet the framing and composition are perfect, or very nearly so.

 

The ability to shoot action with even the fastest of cameras is a unique talent; yes, a horse is probably not quite as difficult as a tiny bird in flight, for example, but it is still far from simple or easy. And for those who can shoot such scenes on video, just as much talent is required.

 

Thanks for a wonderful photo and good discussion.

Sam-m:

 

The 'nostril' comment is not related to your point. So, let me repeat the point:-)

 

We were presented with two shots taken sequentially. IMO, one is compositionally better-- because--the horse is not tangential to the frame.

 

Thus of the two shots, one is judged better--IMO-- in this context. Your opinion may, of course, differ.

 

No one is judging the expertise of the photographer nor the technique, nor the ease/difficulty of hi speed shots. Cheers.

Nathan, my comment was in response to Richard's statement several back that the use of a hi-speed camera "devalued" in some way the shot; I agree with you, that the nostril comment was not really related to my point. I really only cited that comment to make clear that even when blessed with a camera that can react very quickly, there are so many variables, especially in a shot like this, in getting a good strong composition that the photographer has plenty of room for applying both technical and creative talents.

I should also note that I do agree with Nathan on the differing compositions, and the fact the first was the better.

Taken during horse riding competition in central Tibet. I was almost

run down by this horse and rider moments after I fired off a burst of

shots. I traveled overland for several days to reach this

destination. This event had never been photographed before from what

I was told by locals.

It's a very impressive and dynamic photograph. I have, however, seen many pictures from Tibetan horse riding competitions before. And I regret to say that (in my opinion) the standard for this particular composition is set by Chinese photographers. Mr. Chapman's shot comes close though.

 

AM

Your work reminds me of former UN Chief Photographer John Isaac's (I believe 1991) GRAPHIS Award-winning photograph "Horsemen of Morocco." I truly love his image (I have it hanging on a wall right in front of me), but the vibrant color and close-in framing of your shot is outstanding. Well done.

 

On another note, as a former US-based photography magazine editor, I have to agree that I would routinely toss aside images that were not sharp. You gotta start the cutting somewhere, and that was a logical first place.

Awesome! I love equine photography and this action shot is a once in a life time perfect place & timing pic! Great job!!!

Surprised I haven't seen this one before. Superb expression on the face of the horse and very bold capture. I was in China recently but was told getting to Tibet was more trouble than it was worth - how did you get there? Did you need special papers? Great name by the way...

The expression & musculature of the horse, the color contrast, the motion and its clarity together with balanced shot make for dynamic imagery.

Arresting!