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.

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.

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