I took another spontaneous departure from my usual supplement of fine art nature photography to again have a look at the equestrian events going on at the NY Sate Fair as I did in my previous photograph, “Three-Sixty“. What i came up with, “Boots and Spurs”, can be considered as more a play of colour and motion.

I took this photograph while one of the cowboy dressed competitors rode by me in the warm up ring which covers one of the side entrances to the coliseum. This is and area dedicated to riders allowing them the opportunity to do warm up exercises with their horses before entering. What first caught my eye was the blend of colors – the green long sleeved shirt, the weathered blue jeans, the decorative and protective cloth beneath the saddle and the tan color of the horse as it was being bathed in a bit of morning sun. They all came together in a manner that simply drew my attention again and again as the rider rode past and I just had to capture it.

One one of his many passes in front of my vantage point, I took this photograph while panning to keep up with his motion. Thanks to the fact that he was moving, another element was added to the mix that went beyond color – depth of field. Only one part of the horses body came into view for the brief moment that he trotted in front of me. This resulted in the small depth of field on a small section of the horse which I think adds to the intrigue of the picture. But, of course, I am always up to hear the ideas of others who may think differently about what moves them about the photo.