Ann Von Pentz  

Quiet Interlude by Ann Von Pentz

July 2026 - Quiet Interlude

July 2026 - Ann Von Pentz

Original

July 2026 - Ann Von Pentz

Original 2

About the Image(s)



Hiking along the Salt River, I encountered a pregnant mare, alone. After several attempts, she settled into the sand. Intrigued, I watched as she rested quietly. Before rising, she paused in this elegant pose, then stood up, and disappeared into the Tonto National Forest. (I've included the photo of her clumsily attempting to lie down, before striking this elegant pose. She had it all!)

I cropped several times until I felt like I had the right crop. Then I masked the horse and added exposure, clarity, brought down highlights, adjusted color, temperature, blacks, and whites. I added a landscape mask and adjusted all of the above, but in the negative direction. I did another landscape mask masking only the blue water. I brought down the blue saturation. Then I played with the landscape background, trying to figure out what to do with the dark shadow in the left corner. I opened the shadows as far as I could, and then darkened that corner of the tree to make the black shadow less noticeable.

Canon 6D
Lens: 100-400 f/4.5-5.6
365 mm ISO:320 SS 1/640 f/8.0

4 comments posted

Butch Mazzuca   Butch Mazzuca
Ann - This image has tremendous presence and energy. The subject's unusual position immediately captures the viewer's attention and holds it. The background provides just enough environmental context to enrich the scene without distracting from the subject. Nicely done.

Aesthetically speaking with or without the backstory, the image tells a story of its own. Your technical execution is outstanding (what else is new?) And I think you struck an ideal balance in your crop. This is a terrific image, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with it.
  Posted: 07/02/2026 00:06:25
Larry Treadwell   Larry Treadwell
The first impression I had of this was the general cohesiveness of the total image. I'm really glad the mare isn't pure white. The spotting across her face and chest some how makes her blend into this scene. The fact that she is generally white still makes her stand out from a background that feels quite neutral even though the environment is clearly shown. The pose of the mare is quite unique and thus attracts interest. As I look at the image it would seem the day was considerably brighter (sunny?) that the final image shows. (There are some pretty solid shadows shadows beneath and behind her) I'm guessing this is the result of you taking creative license and making some adjustments in the editing process. I feel the result is a much more interesting image than if you had simply retained the image that originally came from the camera. What is shown just feels more intimate and serene.

Any hints as to how you accomplished this look?   Posted: 07/07/2026 18:57:38
David Kepley   David Kepley
Ann,
I agree with Laryy and Butch concerning the strength of this image and your handling of it in post. I struggle with white objects, like this horse, at mid day in bright full sun. You managed not to blow out the detail in the hoorse. Bravo! I lke your crops. While I am always one to include a reflection, the on you had in the original is blurred, so cropping it out seems like a plus. Cropping on from the right o get rid of that tree removes a potentially distracting element. I must say that I am intrigued by "original 2." In that image the horse seems to be doing a header into the sand! It is also more obvious to me that she is pregnant.   Posted: 07/08/2026 13:49:41
Cindy Marple   Cindy Marple
This is really a different type of pose than I usually see of these horses. The title is very fitting.
I like your crop, putting her in a pleasing position with a nice amount of the habitat. I also like the way that you subdued the background, making it take a supporting role and not competing with the subject. I might have left a little more saturation in the colors, but then that might compete too much.
Very nice and unique image.   Posted: 07/10/2026 21:37:18

 

Please log in to post a comment