Mountain Horses
There is something about mountains and horses that are irresistible to me. Horses and mountains go together like peanut butter and jelly. When I’m shooting in the mountains, I am always on the look out for a scene that includes horses. You usually have a compelling composition when you find them together.
This scene presented itself near Ridgway, Colorado a couple of weeks ago. I was admiring the rugged peaks of the Sneffels Range as I rounded a curve in the gravel road. When the horses became visible, I knew this was one of those places where I could include horses in a classic landscape.
The light was a bit of a challenge but, in the end as usual, makes the shot one of my favorites. The sun was rather high in the sky at 4:00 PM and was positioned in front of me to the upper right of the frame. The distant mountains were covered in haze and providing a contrasting background to the the back lit aspens in their autumn color.
By the way, the original True Grit movie starring John Wayne was filmed in and around Ridgway (maybe that is part of my fascination of mountains and horses). There’s even a restaurant in town called the True Grit Cafe. It is decorated in classic western decor and is a must stop for the first time visitor but, for my money, I prefer the food and service at Thai Paradise just up the street.
Technical stuff: This photo was made with the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II at 155mm 1/40s at f/11.0 ISO 100 with CPL and GND. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must confess that in post I cloned out about 250 lbs of horse shit from the pasture; you never see horse shit in a classic John Wayne movie.
Thanks for looking.
.
Near Ridgway, CO
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Date: October 16, 2011
Categories: Landscapes, Random Thoughts
