Project 52 - Week 23: Learn To Sketch

I have taken a few classes in charcoal drawing in my lifetime.  I think we have all had a sketch book at one time or another, even if we have to go as far back as high school art class.

I do have ongoing ideas in my brain for different types of photos. For this week, our text wanted us to come to terms with some of our photographs, as in: don't think everything you do needs to be perfect...use a sketching process to get you where you need to be.

I decided to follow up on using some off camera flash, dusk, and my horse Roo for this week's "learn to sketch" theme.  I have wanted to spend some time trying to get a photo of Roo at dusk, as the horses are turned out for the evening.  I admit, there was not a specific plan of action, but a more general "gee I hope Roo cooperates" attack plan.

So as not to totally freak Roo out, who has not seen my speed light stands or reflectors, I chose to have a trusty assistant hand hold my speed light off camera.  I waited until the sun was nearly to the horizon--a time when, due to the heavy tree cover, it gets pretty dim in his field.

Here's my first attempt.

What do you see?  Do you see dirt, mud and dust all over a light gray horse?  Yep.  That's what I see too.  I guess the "cooperate" mode, for Roo, meant adding some color to this photo.  I would have preferred no dirt, and to have captured a bit more of his underbody, but as a sketching process, this is where I want to be headed with this particular photo.

Roo did stand very still for me after the initial mud roll, I'll give him that much.  I took some more photos of him standing just like this, but I felt the tone of this one was close to what I needed to say.  I honestly was going to just walk away, but lingered a little longer and Roo moved his body to a different position.

The sketch pad in my brain clicked with this image.

This is definitely more what I had hoped for.  I had to look at the above image and this image about 20 times because I could not believe how the dirt disappeared in this second image.  It's still there, just at a different angle.  I like the quiet and relaxed presence in this photo.  I could have edited out the foliage you see here and there in the background, but decided not to.  This image doesn't have to be perfect to convey a message.

I used the sketching method several times this week-- once with our cat, Barney, and once with our horse Parker, but really wanted to share these images of Roo, because I think that by the time I did his photos, the sketch pad idea was starting to hit home.

To see how others have approached this week of sketching, start here with Kim Hollis of See Spot Run Photography, Charlotte, North Carolina, then work your way through a shorter blog circle this week until you find yourself back here again!