Backlit mare in winter

Here's a shot I got a couple of days ago in one of the outdoor turnouts. I'm always interested in rim lighting (backlit images) and this one worked well for me, with a little help from Photoshop to create some mood. The lighter diagonal areas in the bottom half are the mare's expelled breath in the cool winter air, backlit by the low sun. 

I'm happy to report that my photo website is very close to being a reality. I'll post details once I have enough images loaded to make it worthwhile checking out. In the meantime, there are lots of photos to be seen (although not all are my "art" images) on my personal blog, along with stories of life on the Canadian prairies from my perspective. 

More snow

More of my ongoing "horses in snow" series. Writers are always told to write what they know and what is around them, so on that theory I'm stuck in snow mode. Will eventually work around to "dust" shots in the heat of the summer. One thing about where I live and shoot (Saskatchewan, in the middle of the Canadian prairies) is we do get seasons, although spring can be more like a couple of days than an actual season, some years. 

So far this winter is a record-breaker for cold in the month of December, and we usually don't even get our serious stuff until January and February. Brrr. Good thing, though, is that we have had a number of small but pretty snowfalls, as in this shot, and I rush out to my favorite herd whenever I can if it's snowing.

This grey mare is often by herself sheltering in the bushes. The other members of the mare herd aren't far off,  but she doesn't seem to have anyone to buddy up with, whether by choice or not I don't know. Greys are often treated as "outsiders" so that could be the case here, or perhaps she's just an independent spirit.

The photo had a bit of a soft focus due to the big feathery flakes that were falling heavily when I took the shot, so I pushed it a bit in Photoshop to make it even softer and more impressionistic in look.

All my art photos are for sale. Contact me at  judywood@sasktel.net to inquire. Matted 8 x 10 prints (mat size is 11" x 14") are $40 Canadian. Larger sizes are more, smaller less. See more of my photos and writing on my blog, and thanks for looking at this one.

Golden day

As a newly "born again" photographer (using photography as my main art medium now, after years of it being in a "supporting" role in my work) I have come to a new appreciation of the qualities of light that I am presented with at varying times of year. I  live in the Canadian prairies, and this year has been uncharacteristically warm and snowless, so the light I can capture is different to what would be the norm for late November and early December. Days end early up here (sunset is shortly after 4:30) but with a beautifully mellow golden character which would be absent if we had our usual snow cover. 

Last week I was driving home from an outing in the countryside when I came across these two young Belgians in a field. They had beautiful plush coats, all ready for the cold weather that will doubtless appear one of these days. I got a series of shots of them as they checked me out to see what I was up to. I have reworked the original in Photoshop to make it look a bit softer and more painterly, and have enhanced the tones of the warm light. There are quite a few other things I would like to do to enhance this photo, but I am working between two computers for the moment and the new one (that this shot is downloaded into) doesn't have my graphics tablet attached to it, so I don't have the ability to "fine-tune" the image the way I would like to. Be that as it may, I'm happy with this version the way it is. 

All my photo images are for sale. You can email me  judywood@sasktel.net  with any inquiries or to order. Prices are $40 for an 8" x 10" matted to 11" x 14", and $60 for an 11" x 14" photo matted to 16" x 20". You can see more photos on my home blog http://judywoodartphotography.blogspot.com 

Run!

I went to photograph my favorite herd a few weeks ago, late in the afternoon when the fall light was a beautiful golden hue as the sun prepared for its ever earlier departure. This group of yearlings were all standing around eating one second, then gone in a cloud of dust the next. I was lucky to be able to snag a whole series of the sequence of the action as they sped out of sight. One other version can be seen on my home blogsite if you look back a couple of weeks, and I have a lot more that I can play with when I get the time. Now the ground is covered in white as we've had the first snow of the season. It's a whole new ballgame for photography once we have snow, and I'll have to get out to this herd again before it gets too darn cold. 

Veins

I have a fascination with the way the network of veins in a thin-skinned horse will stand out like the lines on a roadmap, so when I get the chance to photograph them, I usually do. I'm getting ready for a five-day show next week so am working away printing photos and generating new images in Photoshop. This is one I came up with last night, made by layering two photos together--one of a "veiny" horse belly I took last summer, and one of some German statice in it's dried and lacy winter mode. I like the way the two work together and am pleased with this image. Of course it's sparked many ideas for other combinations, but as always I'm running against time constraints so will have to hold some of those thoughts until after my show season, likely in the new year when things settle down for me timewise.

If anyone viewing/reading this is going to be in the Edmonton (Canada) area next week, I'll have an art booth in the Western Gallery area of the Canadian Finals Rodeo show. I'll be displaying my work along with other artists from Wednesday November 5th to Sunday the 9th. To see some of my other photos, check my personal blog . Thanks for stopping by.

Another new member

Hi all--

I've been enjoying keeping an eye on this blog and decided it was time to join in. I've got a ton of photo images with more coming all the time, so it will be fun to share them. No photo art on my old website, so until my DH gets the new site up, this will be a way for my photos to reach a bigger audience. All are for sale in various sizes, so don't hesitate to ask if any interest you, or if you would like me to email you samples of other ones.

I'll start off here with one of my new photomontage works featuring Sparky, a favourite subject of mine who lives at the stable where I board my horse, and an Arctic wolf from a shoot I did recently at a wolf sanctuary about an hour from where I live. I love snow and night images, so I put all these favourite subjects together in one work. There will be lots more on this theme in the future.

Judy Wood / art and photography