Well spotted

TonyCooper

Shot at a training facility for a university equestrian club. They are just
starting out in hunter seat riding, so they are using low bars. This is
most magnificent Appaloosa I've ever seen.

Stumblebum

Would explore b&w opportunity....as horse and the white grill....would jump out along with the spots.....need to darken bg ofcourse....maybe selective coloring on the girl.....I don't have PP skills to do it all...but I know you do...maybe worth a try.... cheers!

TonyCooper

Stumblebum wrote: »

Would explore b&w opportunity....as horse and the white grill....would jump out along with the spots.....need to darken bg ofcourse....maybe selective coloring on the girl.....I don't have PP skills to do it all...but I know you do...maybe worth a try.... cheers!

Thanks for the comment. Yeah, I can do it, but I'm not sure if it's something I want.

I had to lighten the rider's sweater, and I didn't do a very good job of it. For some
reason, it gives her a belly roll that is rather unattractive.

I'm not sure that the horse stands out well enough from the background....especially
at the head. It kind of blends in with the trees.

To really make this work in black and white I'd have to make a selection of the
trees in the background and minimize the appearance. That would be a very
complex process.

But, I take on all challenges.

Stumblebum

I checked it on my iPhone and love it and believe it has much more impact. I agree that head areas is getting lost a tad.......but dark areas above the head are perfect.....

Only couple of dark splotches below the neck are the issue......

My crude method to deal with that is content-aware-fill.....then heal it in LR as it lets you control what area to sample from.....

Reworked rocks as is too!

denisegoldberg

I really like the color version of the photo in the first post, well done.

--- Denise

slpollett

I also prefer the color version. I have never seen a horse with markings like that. Very cool.

Sherry P.

TonyCooper

slpollett wrote: »

I also prefer the color version. I have never seen a horse with markings like that. Very cool.

Sherry P.

Thanks to you and the other for their comments.

Appaloosa horses are noted for their spots, but most of the ones I've seen before
had spots in the hindquarter area but are a solid color in the front end.

Those that watch college football, and have seen FSU (Florida State University)
games, have seen a similarly marked Appaloosa riding out on the field with a
rider who plants a flaming spear in the ground. It's one of the two Appaloosas owned
by the university.

The Nez Perce Indians in the Pacific Northwest first developed this breed
in the US. The name comes from the Palouse River that ran through
the Nez Perce territory.

black mamba

Nice one, Tony. I recently saw a stunning Appaloosa up in Blowing Rock, NC that had quite a few more spots forward than usual....but nothing on this scope.

Tom

willard3

denisegoldberg wrote: »

i really like the color version of the photo in the first post, well done.

--- denise

+1