YOUR HORSE PHOTO(S) CRITIQUE CHALLENGE

As an Equestrian Video & Stills Photographer, many people assume that I only like to take photos and that's it (which yes, I of course do love taking pictures), but another big part of me that I really enjoy doing is viewing other people's work and helping other horse lovers and young photographers develop their skills behind the camera and expand their knowledge when it comes to taking better pictures. Hence why I am running my first ever weekend extravaganza workshop "Digital Photography 101" out in Hanceville, BC in mid September 2018. 

So I have came up with a fun challenge here where you are ALL welcome to send me (or post in this post) a horse photo of yours and I will critique it (both from a creative and technical standpoint)and provide you advice in how you can improve on it. It can be any horse related photo, no matter how old, or if it came off your camera or your smartphone. PS - this will also be one of the phases in my "Digital Photography 101" workshop later this year. 

If you would like to email me your photo(s), please send it to hello@stevenquon.com and I will critique them through another separate post on my Facebook pages. 

Let's get this fun challenge started! 

NEW GEAR IN MY CAMERA BAG: SIGMA ART 85MM f1.4

I have added another lens to my camera bag, the Sigma ART 85mm f1.4. I spent the day tuning it with the dock so it is pin needle razor sharp (I tune all the lenses that I buy).

This has been one of the kings in the industry over the past couple years that portrait photographers use, and yes this also includes wedding photographers. Weighing in at 2.5lbs it is a beast, not only in terms of size and weight but performance and it cannot be beat when it comes to my Equine Portraiture and taking things to the next level. I've been wanting this lens for quite some time and came across an offer that I couldn't refuse.

I like Sigma lenses but I tend to only stick with their "ART" series as they are their absolute top of the line pro lenses that are very popular within the photographic industry. For the most part, you get what you pay for when it comes to lenses and when it comes to showcasing your skill set through your photos, you have to use the best lenses available to you.

PHOTO SHOWING AT THE ALBERTA EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION AGM

This photo that I took in February at the Spruce Meadows February Classic I has been submitted and is expected to be shown this Saturday evening at the Alberta Equestrian Federation (AEF) Stride with Us Annual General Meeting up in Leduc, AB where they will be celebrating their 40th year in operation while handing out the Provincial Awards.

Thank you to Anne Murphy as her daughter will be receiving the "Outstanding Sportsmanship Award" and I am very happy that I was able to capture a special moment of your daughter and her horse named Rolex in competition.

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Fenella Murphy on her gelding Rolex at the Spruce Meadows February Classic I.

12 PHOTOS SUBMITTED TO NATIONALE EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION (FECH)

I am incredibly honored to have these 12 photos from last weekend's Winter Farewell Tournament at Spruce Meadows to be submitted and used by the NATIONALE EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION (FECH). Thank you to Judge Jorge Aros (from Chile) who has been working over at Spruce Meadows for acknowledging and becoming a fan of my work! Have a safe trip back home after the Spring Welcome tournament is completed tomorrow.

CLICK HERE to view the 12 photos submitted.

NEW GEAR IN MY CAMERA BAG: NIKON 17-55 f2.8

I have added a new lens into my camera bag, the classic Nikon 17-55 f2.8. Over the past few months there have been times where I sorely missed the lack of 36mm-69mm focal length in my current lens offerings so I had to address it. This lens will close most of that gap. It came down to this or the Tamron G2 24mm-70mm but I chose the Nikon because I found a very solid deal on a used copy that came in around half the price of the Tamron G2 24-70. I am still lacking from 56mm-69mm but it will not be an issue since I can just crop in anyways. 

PRESENTATION DAY WITH HORSE RACING ALBERTA

Thank you to Julie Brewster at Horse Racing Alberta for having me out earlier this week for their Presentation Day at Olds College. Now since this was my very first experience with Horse Racing, this day for the most part was an educational day.

As I predicted, it felt just like the very first time I photographed jumping at Spruce Meadows in the warm up arena last October. I took some pictures but for the most part I was  observing and auditing since this is a very new event to me and I have to learn the ropes in how to best photograph them.

However, the next time that I will be out with Horse Racing Alberta, you can bet that there will be more photos for me to share as I will be at the racetrack. Even though I have not done it yet, I am confident that I could shoot a horse race today if I was at a track.

CLICK HERE to view all the photos.

WINTER FAREWELL TOURNAMENT AT SPRUCE MEADOWS

Thank you again to the wonderful staff at Spruce Meadows for having me back this past weekend for the Winter Farewell Tournament. As always, it was a blast!

This is a BIG one as this is by far my largest jumping album to date! I will say that nailing the constantly waving ribbons on a cantering horse during the victory laps was easily my toughest challenge.

I wanted to photograph this tournament as I would a regular show or event but it was really busy, a lot of tight spaces to maneuver around and I didn't want to get in any jumpers, coaches or staff members way so I kept my "out of the arena" pictures to a minimum.

With that being said, I have one main goal in mind and that is working towards an invite to the 2018 Masters in September and 2018 Nationals in June. That is my mission.

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘. 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.

CLICK HERE to view all the photos.