Speed (view LARGE)

Horse racing shot with a focus on the main actors - the horses.

Please give me your feedback.

Great shot! I just love this!

Excellent action shot. I love how you have taken the photo of the horses galloping legs. If you could retake this photo again the only think I would want you to do is have the shutter speed even fast then what you had. But once again, brilliant action shot.

Sarah - Thanks!

Rebecca - Thanks. You are absolutely right with your comment. I will have to wait for a sunnier day though. As you can see, I was shooting at 1/640s, 640mm focal length, 6.3 aperture (5.6 is best with this lens and 2x extender), and at 400 ASA. A sunny day will give me 2-3 more stops. So I can be shooting at 1/1250s at 8.0 and possibly 200 ASA. Much better.

I like it, my eyes just want to wander to either have the entire color realm of the jockeys in, or crop out all but the horse's legs. I think your exposure is dead on. And I love the concept.

It might have worked without the riders but the 3 subject horses have their heads cropped to some degree. If this were taken at a wider angle to include the riders it could be cropped in the width down to the three horses and riders. Awesome vantage point!

This makes me regret that (1) I don't even have a 640 mm lens in the first place or a 2x extender and (2) that I didn't stop by Shatin on my recent visit to Hong Kong. I definitely well next time (or just make a trip to Golden Gate Fields if they'll let me, or even the Salinas Rodeo, you've opened up a whole new way of looking for me. Thanks! John

Where were you positioned to get a shot like this?

John (Crosley)--Thanks for the kind comments. Don't regret. Your photos both B&W and color (available light) are so technically so well done. Visit HK again with a long lens.

Marvin--thanks for asking. Here's what I did. First, I have been going to Shatin race course on and off for several years--used to live nearby (took photos of the races from my balcony).

My position for this photo was the last corner, just before the horses turn into the final straight. As the horses come around, for a split second they are running straight at me. I had a few trial runs of this earlier and actually bought the 2x converter just to be able to take this photo. Otherwise not close enough. On a race day, every thirty minutes when there's a new race, there's a new chance to capture the image. Out of 20+ photos (3 races), this was the one. Only problem was the cloudy weather, so not enough light, but just ok.

Beautifull moment

this foto is very powerfoul

 

Hey, you know what, I like this shot a lot. Most of the time I see shots like this focus on the jockey (or full frame horse/jockey). But this shot shows where the real action is - between the horses. The dirt coming up off the field adds power and motion to the exposure. Nice work!!

My God. I love this image. If there is glory and grit in racing, this is it.