Photography Friday – Raleigh CDI Dressage
Though we all know I’m a hunter/jumper girl, I appreciate pretty much any kind of horse show with quality horses and riders. So when my local fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC hosted a major dressage show several years ago – I checked it out.
I really think hunter/jumper shows could do with a few more flags in the background. It makes for a nice photo backdrop!
Also, how do you dressage riders get your boots so shiny? Dude, seriously. How?
16 thoughts on “Photography Friday – Raleigh CDI Dressage”
Lovely photos!! I would love to be able to braid as well as some of those people! The arena can be a tough place to shoot and your photos came out so well; I don’t see any noise from high ISO- do you remember what lens you were using?
This was the very first show I took my f2.8 70-200 Sigma to. It made the WORLD of difference in that ring. I usually shoot around 800 ISO and 2.8 f stop in there.
I think the higher-end boots are a lot easier to get shiny–but I have a trick that works on cheapo ones too. Thank you private school for teaching me to be totally OCD about my shoes.
Walmart, Target, etc carry a product like this in their shoe section, but I couldn’t find a link. It looks like this but doesn’t have to be Hunter brand:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/hunter-instant-boot-shine-sponge/3145847?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=hunter_instant_boot_shine_sponge:335654&cm_pla=shoe_care:women:polish&cm_ven=Google_Product_Ads&mr:referralID=7be6e00e-fb93-11e2-a969-001b2166c2c0
It’s basically a quick leather conditioning sponge. You can use it after you clean your boots, or have someone run that over your boots while you’re up at the show and voila! Instant shiny!
Ooh – thanks for sharing, Carla! When I am lucky enough to have a ground crew, they usually just wipe and scrub my boots with a plain cloth, but your solution looks better!
Just make sure to get the CLEAR kind, not black or brown or whatever, to avoid it staining your saddle. It should say something like “for all colors of leather.”
Did I ever mention what a good photographer you are? Wow! Keep up the good work.
I used to be a soldier in the US Army. ‘Spit polished’ my boots for years. There are some crazy tricks, but the basic concept is: heat and a soft cloth with put a shiny finish on your boot polish. Some guys would melt their boot polish with lighters, rub it in with a damp cloth, then buff and buff and buff with a soft cloth.
For shiny boots, polish them everyday. All the time.
I don’t go for a spit polish shine anymore. I’m happy with clean and black. 😛
As always, Lauren, beautiful photos. I sure wish you lived in my neck of the woods!
Most dressage riders have a designated “boot polisher” at a show – someone who carries a rag around in their back pocket ready to rub and wipe any dust that might settle on your boots. :0)
Really great photos! I have come to appreciate dressage so much more as an eventer than I did as an endurance rider but I have to admit the double bridles still bother me some. So much bit!
Seriously you always take the best pictures!!! One day when I’m rich, im seriously going to fly you out to take pics of Henry and me 🙂
http://piasparade.blogspot.com/2013/07/break-in-part-ii.html
The above post shares how gingham gets her boots to sparkle! 🙂
Good lord, those are beautiful photos!!
Such great photos… as usual 🙂
The shiny boot is a dressage secret ;).
Those pictures are legit. Can I be them?? And have their horses?? I could totally see myself doing straight dressage one day (once my brain processes how crazy/dangerous eventing is…)
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