For this weeks challenge photograph I’m doing a bit of lateral thinking, or, maybe I’m just trying to make a photograph fit the theme again.
There has been a reasonably heavy fall of snow in the Snowdonia National Park but with strong winds a lot has blown off the upper parts of the mountains meaning that at the lower levels it’s deep. Welsh wild ponies who roam the hills here are in search of food and we found them higher up the valley where grass and roots are exposed. This is the first time i have ever seen them at this level and surprisingly we were able to get quite close, even stroke some of them, maybe they thought we would feed them.
A great photo happens when a photographer sees a situation unfolding in front of them that evokes an emotion that the photographer feels deep down, in the middle of their chest. And in a split second, they then make a conscious choice of exposure, lens, depth of field, lighting, body language, composition, etc., and releases the shutter. The film is then processed, scanned, laid out on a page, printed on a press, driven across town to the newspaper carrier who throws it on some guy’s porch, who then opens the newspaper and looks down at that photo … and if that guy gets the same feeling deep down in the middle of his chest that the photographer did when they viewed the situation in the first place, they have made a great photo. – Anonymous
I’m not sure that it’s a great photograph, I can see plenty wrong with it but I am pleased that I managed to capture these magnificent little animals in their natural habit.
This week is a short one from me. I hope you like the photograph as much as I do.
Say It With A Camera 
what a marvelous picture!
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Thank you. I must admit I like it too
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This pony photo is among the favorites of mine. I adore horses and the wikd ones are intriguing. The color of the ponies against the white snow makes them stand out in this photo. Very nice nice, Mike.
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As soon as we saw them Yvonne it was an immediate stop. You usually don’t see them this close. If you look closely there’s one single pony on it’s own further up. One of my friends walked up there and got an amazing photograph
Hopefully you will be able to see it if you follow this link
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As soon as we saw them it was an immediate stop because they don’t often come close. They are friendly enough and we were able to stroke them. If you look closely you can see a pony out on it’s own further up the hill. One of my friends walked up and she got a great photograph.
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Oh yes this is a superb photo. It surely shows the bleakness and rawness of the mountains. I’ll have to check out Einir Leigh’s site.
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Bravo! This photo is a “great” photo in its own right. It would make an ideal jigsaw puzzle layout. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you for your kind comment, Gerry
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Love it!! When I visited Snowdonia it was springtime, but it looks beautiful all year!
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That’s why I love to photograph in the National Park. Ever changing scenery and light gives me different results and challenges every time.
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What beautiful beautiful animals, and you have done them justice with such a fab photo too, it’s lovely.
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Thank you for taking the time to comment Laura. They are beautiful and although the ponies live wild they are reasonably friendly. We were able to stroke them and they didn’t bother one bit
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This absolutely has depth and is beautifully composed. The clarity from foreground to background is outstanding. Gets my vote.
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Thanks Andrew. It’s not often you see the ponies this low or in more inhabited spots. As soon as we saw them we knew it was a great photo opportunity, especially with the light as it was.
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